I’m on a journey with Madventure that started in Rio de Janiero. The first post can be found here:
Exploring Brazil: Highlights from Rio to Salvador

March 4-7
Day 14-17

The beast has developed a serious illness and needs time for repair. Thus we ended up with an extra day in Salvador. Since we don’t know how long it will take, Roseanna has been furiously finding alternate transport and accommodation since we can’t camp without the truck.

Salvador is a beautiful city. I took a walking tour to get my bearings and learn some of the highlights. Salvador means Saviour’s city.

“Michael Jackson’s iconic February 9, 1996, visit to Salvador, Brazil, involved filming the music video for “They Don’t Care About Us” in the historic Pelourinho district. Directed by Spike Lee, the performance featured 200 percussionists from the Afro-Brazilian group Olodum. The, event brought the city to a standstill and highlighted local culture” (AI generated summary)

The rest of my days here were spent wandering the cobblestone streets in the rain or the blazing sun. I enjoyed coconut lime juice from a street vendor who has been making it for 20 years. I walked many kilometres; Sweated a LOT. I went up and down the funiculars and an elevator to low town. Spent some time at the light house and beach, etc. and even swam in the ocean.

Several in our group visited many of the museums. There was an art museum I really enjoyed. Palacete Das Artes Rodin Bahia is fascinating and worth a visit.

One evening 5 of us took a cooking class. Carla welcomed us into her home and showed us how to make several Bahia, Brazilian dishes as well as different varieties of caipirinhas which are delicious

March 7-10.
Day 18-21

We left the beast in Salvador and took a public bus to Lencois. I think we finally learned to pronounce it. “Len soys”.

Our accommodation, Pousada Bons Lencois, came up with several options for tours of Chapada National Park. We could definitely spend more time here and are glad Roseanna worked with the itinerary so we don’t have to lose a day here. We also had an extra day in Salvador.

The tour I opted for had several options for swimming, a snorkelling stop and a short hike. I highly recommend Chapada backpackers if you’re in the area. Our tour, the 4 P’s was great and we saw a lot. The hikes were short but not “easy”. There were some tricky bits for those who aren’t experienced hikers. The last stop is at least 20 minutes straight up a rock strewn path with a few odd sections of stairs.

I had planned on wandering on my own but ended up joining David, John and Josephine for an “easy” hike. Again. I think I’m a wimpy Canadian as I didn’t find it easy. There were river crossings that involved rocky jumping and some scrambling over large boulders. It was fun though and I loved the swimming stops. 13 km later we were seriously overheated and found a place for a nice cold beer in town

The town is adorable and there are a LOT of places to eat and drink. It doesn’t wake up till late afternoon though.

Roseanna booked us a private bus and we departed at 6 am. We opted to push through and do a full 1,055 km in one go. That gives us 3 nights in Taquarucu.

March 10-13

Day 21-24

That was one brutal bus drive. 2 flat tires and some bad roads made the trip take close to 18 hours. We arrived in Taquarucu around 2 am to mass confusion at the hotel. Somehow they got the reservations wrong and poor Roseanna was scrambling to find all of us plus the bus drivers a bed. Eventually it worked out. 4 of us ended up sharing a room. The next day she found us other options but we were all too lazy to move and decided we were fine together.

Of course I was still up stupid early. I envy those able to sleep in. Breakfast at the Pousada Lirios do Campo made up for the previous night’s mess. Really good coffee, lots of fruit, eggs and delicious cake was a great way to start the day.

Catherine, Pascaline, Joanne and I headed off to find a waterfall. We walked the 3 Km uphill and were dripping with sweat by the time we reached the entrance. The Cachoeira do Macaco and Roncadeira were both gorgeous. The latter had a wonderful swimming area we thoroughly enjoyed.

The walk back was even hotter, despite being down hill so we cooled off in our rooms before looking for something to eat. At 3 pm nothing appeared open. A lady in front of her house greeted us and we asked where we could find something to eat. “Aquí!” So we did. She made us wraps with casava flour. ‘Twas yummy.

Thursday after a leisurely start we walked to the starting place for those who wanted to zip line. Pascaline, Catherine and Angela did it while Joanne and I played photographer. They loved it!

On the way back to town we noticed a fancy looking hotel that appeared to have a pool. So we stopped and asked if we could use it. Yup, for a price. So we spent the afternoon pretending to be “fancy” and enjoyed the facilities, including an expensive drink.

Back in town I met Josephine who also wanted fish. She had scoped out a restaurant. We sat down and discovered more of our travel buddies there so ate with the group. We had pirarucu, the Amazonian dinosaur fish. It’s tasty and very weird.

Next stop; Carolinas. That post is coming.