The Pool at the Pousada

A 40 minute hike from the pousada takes one to what is considered the pool for the pousada.  Another gorgeous water hole.

This is Karen from Holland.  I met her in Rio and she just showed up at the water hole in Lencois today.        Everyone is running around Brazil seeing the big sites.  You run into people you met two weeks ago, hundreds of miles away.

Tudo Bem, tudo bom.

This is the natural rock slide.  I went down once.  Enough.  It´s a rock.  Not the best on the tailbone.  Some of the locals do amazing stunts on this slide.  They come running down, slide, bounce, flip and amazingly have no injuries.  Crazy.

                        Russ was clearly the best looking 68 year old Englishman at the water hole.

Random donkey at the water hole.  I´ve decided that donkeys are like squirrels here in Lencois.  They just walk around.  Donkey.

                                        THE REFRESHMENT STAND IN THE FOREST.

New and old friends.  This trip is a constant process of meeting and greeting, story telling and relaxing.  Muito Bom!!!!

Lencois

Good Morning from Lencois.  Lencois is the quaint little town that I have been living in while exploring the Chapada Diamantina.  Diamantina means diamond.  Two hundred years ago this was a diamond hot spot.  Boom town wealth hit Lencois, which means sheets, because diamond prospectors were so crazy to get here that they flocked here and only had sheets to hang over trees to call their homes.  It is now a tourist hot spot filled with cute restaurants, fun shops, and nice people.  Take a look.

I went past this church one night and it was rocking.  The pastor was giving a fire and brimstone Portuguese sermon that was off the charts.  A German girl with our group was so confused, ``
Why is he so angry?``  Ha!!  Jesus!!!

                                                     My place, Pousada Dos Duendes.

                    Dogs and Cats are everywhere.  No one seems to own them.  They are all friendly.

Blind Pew joins me for breakfast each morning.  Wants to be around people.  Totally like Hobbes (Lizzy´s cat).

I´ll end this section with Russ and the magic bus.  This is the bus for my pousada.  This is what picked me up from the Rodoviaria.  Russ is a 68 year old Brit out on holiday.  He caught up with his old army mates, whom he hadn´t seen in 50 years in Brazil.  World traveler and a hell of a guy.  Tchau for now.

Chapada - Day 3

Before we begin Day 3, the hike to the highest waterfall in Brazil, I must introduce you to a local Brazilian that I met on my way, his name is Filadelfia.  Yes, his eyes are closed.  I think he was a little emotional actually meeting someone from Philadelphia.

So, what is Brasil trying to tell me?  Philadelphia lives here? What else?

This is an actual license plate that I saw as we were driving from just meeting Filadelphia.  My birthday is the 23.  SIGNS!!!!

So, |I go to the bank, this morning, and I run into my long lost Brazilian hermano.  Apparently, I am right on target with current Brazilian hiking fashions.  Who would a thunk?

To the Mountain...

To start the day, I awake to a tarantula outside my bedroom.  Terri, Val, Jan, Eileen and Kathy, I´ll take a mickey any day over this guy.

Right outside the pousada, we see this.  What the hell is it?

On the road to the mountain.  Strangely, I feel as though I have moved from my Indiana Jones films to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  At least I´ve been consistent with the Spielburg films of my era.  Actually, I really want to get Star Wars in here.  Looking for my Chewbacca.  We´ll see.

                                                                              HIKE.

                                         I feel like making mountains in my mashed potatoes.

HIKE.

After an uphill climb that I didn´t take pictures of, for safety reasons (my own, focus), this is the top.  You are not to walk to the edge, the wind and the vertigo would send you down, you crawl out, lie down, snap your shots and crawl back.  Thank you, Roger, our guide, for that instruction.

Etienne on the edge.

                                                                              No words.

                                                             Amazing.  Back down to earth.

                                                Gotta end the day at a local water hole.

This hike to the waterfall was the most difficult of the three days.  I was destroyed at the end of it.  No jokes from me at the end, just a quiet, tired, hurtin´dude.  For the past two days, I have been hanging at the pousada.  I will take a small hike this afternoon to the local water hole that is about 40 minutes away.  I´m not done yet.  Just recharging.

I give you the ubiquitous Brazilian thumbs up from my shadow.  Another unbelievable day in a serious of incredible adventures.  My life is amazing!

Chapada - Day 2

Day 2 - On the Water, in the water and in the jungle.

Each day, we traveled on these roads at 5 mph for a long, long time to get to the start of our trails.  It is a huge national park.

We were on the water for the second day.  I loved this.  I rowed for two hours on calm, pristine waters.  I had Grand Canyon  flashbasks.  Wendy, Irene?  Where´s the groover?

Bon Jour!!!! Marie-Noelle and Etienne.  I met many wonderful people along my way.  These two days in Chapada, I hiked with two French teachers who live and teach in England.  Great people!

                                                   Now we hike to the Pool.

                                                                          Termites.

                                                                   THE POOL!!!!!!!

                                                     Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         Next, the jungle.  Extra Deet.  Mosquitos are everywhere.

Random Donkey.

                                                                         We hike.

                                                                                 We hike.

                                                                       We hike.

                                                           We walk past termite mounds.

                                                                            Great views.

                          This is the moment when our guide asked us, ``Did you ever get lost?``

                                                  We made it.  Funny guy.  A long slog.  A great day.

Random Night time Donkey.

Join us next time for Day 3 - The Hike to the Highest Waterfall in Brazil.