My amazing time!
Trip Start
Feb 04, 2007
1
10
35
Trip End
May 14, 2007
Lencois, Brazil
Friday, February 23, 2007
The next morning we woke at 7am to go to breakfast. Breakfast was one of my favorite parts of the hostel because everything was home cooked and there was always fresh fruit. Maracuja (passionfruit), guarana (guava) and mango are my favorites! We then got in the van and drove for 2 hours to the place where we were to hike. We started our hike up to the top of Fumasa which is one of Brazil's tallest waterfalls, at 400m. The first hour and a half of the hike is almost completely vertical and might be the most physically demanding thing I've done since cross country camp in high school. When we got to the top we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl to see over the edge because of the slant of the rocks. If we were to walk, we most likely would fall over. The views were breathtaking and we could see out for miles! We then had lunch and chilled for awhile before hiking back down. Total, we hiked about 9 miles and we were beat. For dinner back in Lencois, we went to a Brazilian steakhouse. Let me tell you, this was the best steak I have ever eaten! Alex and I split a portion and between us we probably ate 50 ounces of steak! We then went out and walked around town again in search of ice cream. Finally we made it back to the hostel since we had another early day coming in the morning.
On Monday morning we woke again at 7 to eat a delicious breakfast. We got ready and set out on a trail that was about a mile from the hostel. This trail took us about an hour and fifteen minutes into the woods, where we came upon a huge cave and more mountains. The views in all of Brazil are amazing, and I feel so lucky that I was able to see all of these famous mountains and waterfalls. Along the way we saw a small waterfall and river, and I decided it would be a great idea to sit under it to cool off. Did I mention that it had not stopped raining since we had gotten to Brazil? But that didn't stop us and we kept right on to the cave. The cave was about 52m high, and inside the cave we climbed over huge rocks to get to the back (about a mile). Normally you can crawl to the outside behind the cave, but the water had risen so high you couldn't even see the opening. We had climbed back to the front, and had lunch. Then it was time to bungee jump! I was a little bit nervous, but sooooo excited! We climbed up to the top of the cave, and Carleigh went first. Then Regina, and then I volunteered to go third. They harnessed my ankles and made me sit in another harness. They then walked me to the ledge on top of the cave (again about 52 m high) and told me to go when I was ready. I looked out, only looking down for a second, and dove off the cave! It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world and I can honestly say the best thing I have ever done. I had such a rush as I bounced back up. As I was bouncing back up however, I looked up to see myself very near the top of the cave and I started swearing like a truckdriver. After I slowed to a small swing, the bungee man rappelled down and unhooked me. I had to sit on a rock for awhile because I was shaking from being nervous and excited. I wanted to do it again, but I think I'm just going to do it in other countries. It was awesome!!! Then I went rappelling, which I didn't like as much because it was a lot slower and I'm afraid of heights. The rest of the day was hiking back and dinner with the kids. It was good to see them again and we went to sleep full and exhausted.
Tuesday morning we woke up at 6am to see one more waterfall before we headed back to Salvador. I almost didn't go, but I'm so glad that Regina woke me up because it was unlike any of the other waterfalls. It almost looked like one of the water rides at Cedar Point. I went cliff diving off of a large rock, probably 15m high, and jumped into a huge pool near the base of a waterfall. It was freezing and was definitely better than coffee to wake me up. It was also extremely exhilarating, and I did it a few more times before we had to leave. I was so sad to leave Lencois! Not only did we face a 6 hour busride back, but Lencois is a lot safer, cleaner and prettier than Salvador. I'm so lucky that I was able to see Lencois also because it is much less touristy and gave more of a true Brazilian flavor. We pretty much sang 80s classics the whole way home on the bus, and got back at about 5:30. We had to run onto the ship, put our passports away and change into our Carnaval tshirts. The tshirts for Carnaval cost between $100 and $200, and act as your ticket into a bloc. Each bloc has a name and a singer, and everyone parties in the street around their assigned float. Ours was Crocodilo (pronounced croco-geelo) and our singer was Daniela Mercury who apparently is queen of pop in Bahia (the Brazilian state that Salvador is in). I have never seen anything like Carnaval. There were people dancing, singing and making out everywhere! They said that 3 million people come to the city for this festival, which is the original Mardi Gras, and it was unbelievable. A beer of about 20oz costs 2 reales, or $1 usd. Needless to say I drank a LOT of them and had the time of my life! Did I mention we were in the gay bloc? Yes that's right. It was great though because us girls barely even got looks our way - it was our guy friends who kept getting hit on! We stayed with our bloc for the full 4 hour circuit, drenched in sweat at the end. We then took a cab back to the ship because it gets dangerous after you are out of the security of your bloc. I wish everyone could have seen it in person because it's like no party you've ever been to before. Wednesday we woke up hungover but trekked out anyway. You don't want to miss a minute in port! We went to the market where I got some souvenirs and we had a nice Brazilian lunch. We took a cab to the supermarket and then went back to the ship. When the boat left at 11 I watched the harbor get smaller with a pang of sadness. Brazil is an absolutely amazing country. I am not such a fan of Salvador, but Carnaval was unreal. I would go back to Lencois in a heartbeat and I hope that someday soon I can return to see the lifelong friends I've left behind there.
