Chapada Diamantina - BA
(May, 2001)
Fernando, Alex, Angélica and Caíque
Angélica and I got to Salvador around 6PM (May 1st). Since our bus
to Lençóis only left at 11:30PM, we left our luggage at the station and went downtown (Pelourinho).
We had dinner and went to an Olodum (a famous drums-only band of Bahia) rehearsal.
Back at the bus station, we left towards the Chapada.
We got there before dawn, tired and sleepy (the road is terible! It is impossible to sleep). We
slept a little at the hotel and soon left, so we could get a local guide to take us on a tour
nearby the town of Lençóis.
After being through the "colored sand saloon", we got to a little waterfall (the top
picture of this page), and later on we got a larger one.
We had lunch and soon afterwards we tried to go on another hiking tour, but the rain
started pouring and we had to stay at the hotel. There, we met Caíque, who had just arrived
from Praia do Forte. As soon as the rain gave us a rest, Angélica showed Caíque the trail where we
had been in the morning. At night, we met Fernando, Caíque's friend and our official guide. We had dinner
and went to sleep.
The next day, we rode with Fernando, towards the Cachoeira da Fumaça (Smoke Waterfall). In the way, we've drove
nearby Morro do Pai Inácio.
We left the car in a bar at the side of the road and began our hike. Fernando and Caíque were nice enough to
go slowly, respecting the Chermans' poor physical condition. We went uphill for almost a mile, which is a lot
when you weigh 250lbs!
At the top, another 3 miles of an easy hike.
Since it had rained, some parts of the trail were flooded!
Cachoeira da Fumaça is simply indescribable!
We only got back to the car by nightfall. We slept in a little B&B nearby. The next day, we headed
to another town, Mucugê. From there, Angélica and I were supposed to get the bus to Salvador. But the
bus schedule would make us miss our flight! Fernando took us back to Lençóis, taking another road.
With this, we got to know all the towns in the Chapada (including a ghost town where Fernando lives).
Angélica and I took the bus in Lençóis that night, and woke up in Salvador. We were tired, dirty, hungry, but happy.
Our plans were to go downtown to kill sometime and then head to the airport. But, to our luck, my
father was in Salvador and showed up at the bus station. He took us to the airport, where we
changed our tickets to Sunday. We went to the ship, where we showered, ate and slept.
On Sunday, we went to the market and some other tourist places. We had lunch with my father and
headed to the airport. We got to Rio at night, happy with the whole trip, since
everything had worked out! And sad, for it had ended...