What a difference a day makes or rather a night. We passed a peaceful and uneventful night in the Villa Carmo. I used my mosquito net the first time and felt like a world traveler. It didn’t stink of repellent, and it didn’t really fall on my face (just a bit). I am also starting to use repellent during the day. The mosquitoes are, as proven, only after me and I don’t want to give them any feeding ground.
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast and the so-so view we were undecided on how to proceed.
We had originally planned on taking the bus to Lencois at 4:30pm to arrive at 10:30pm. But we both agreed that we have basically seen the best that Salvador has to offer, so decided on leaving with the 1pm bus.
Our foremost problem is money. In Rio we only got money from the ATM at City Bank (and they are charging 12 Real extra per withdrawal, robbing us blind). In Salvador no ATM was working for us as well (either exceeding the limit, or the card was not recognized), so we hoped for better luck at the bus station. Also the agency in the center asked a bit more for the bus ticket and wanted cash. All these reason made us go to the Rodoviaria earlier. We arrived shortly before noon and as luck would have it, we got the last two tickets for the 1pm bus. And we could charge it to the credit card. Which was all the better since the ATMs were still not working for us. I have a feeling that Sylvia is not used to this kind of problem.
The 7 hour bus ride itself passed uneventful. We met 2 German girls who were sitting beside us and who didn’t shut up the whole time. Also an older man who sat in front (and thank God for this), who left his sweat stink behind every time he went to the bathroom, which was quite often. Sylvia wants me to mention that she saw a car accident which left one person dead (the guy was still in the car while the road was cleaned, therefore she assumed he must be dead). So much for the safety on the road.
We arrived almost on time in Lencois. Lencois is a small, former miner town in the Parque Nacional Chapada Diamantina.
The hotel lady from the Pousada Canto No Bosque was already waiting for us at the station and giving us a lift to our home for the next two days.
The Pousada was lovely, we had a nice big room and there was a pool right in front of our door and some hammocks to chill. We had a quick shower and then asked for a lift to the center again. She brought us to an agency where we booked a tour for the next day and then had an excellent dinner at a restaurant called Lampio (we could pay by card).
Some more impressions from Lencois, a real gem. If you go to Brazil, don’t miss it.
Yours, Pollybert
PS: I finished ‘Beautiful Darkness
