19 February 2011
We have just returned from our five day tour spent in the Chapada Diamantina National Park. It covers a massive 70500square km and it was here I like to think that we saw the real Brazil. The 400km drive from Salvador to the town of Lencois, at the park's epicentre, took us 6 hours. Ivan, our Belgian guide has been living in Brazil for the past six years and as we drove out of the city he filled us in with many of the unanswered questions we had wanted to ask about the country. He could speak eight languages and indeed it was a relief that he could speak such good English as it has been our experience here in Salvador that the local tour guides were very hard to understand. The reason that we have found everything to be so very expensive is that the Brazilian Reais is very strong. The second biggest oil field in the world has been discovered off the coast of Rio. He agreed that the education in country left a lot to be desired but there is an internet programme, English for all, fine for those with a computer or access to the internet.
Leaving Salvador was exactly as I had expected, mile upon mile of slums of little red brick box houses. Once out of the suburbs however the landscape changes slowly and subtly. We saw a little sugar cane cultivation but not as much as I had expected. It is used mainly in the production of alcohol. The Brazilians, they do love their caipirinhas, it would almost appear to be the national drink! Here the sugar cane is still cut by hand and indeed we saw all the buses that transport the labourers from district to district, parked at the edge of the fields. As in South Africa the roads are extraordinarily long and straight and empty except for the lorries, lots and lots of them, nose to tail. There is no rail network in the country so everything has to be transported by road. Every few miles, no matter how small the settlement, a roadside borracharia, tyre station, was operating. Ivan told us of many accidents and burst tyres and indeed we saw evidence of skid marks and pieces of shredded rubber littering the sides of the highways. The landscape became browner and drier, the ubiquitous prickly pear giving the landscape a desert like effect. Gradually brown turned to green. Farms known as fazendas were compact, but neat and orderly. Beautiful Brahman cattle grazed but never did we at any time see sheep. Here famers use horses to round up their herds and oversee their land. There was very little to be seen of any agricultural farming. We stopped for lunch at a 'comida a kilo' restaurant. A huge buffet is laid out and you take your plate to be weighed and pay accordingly. Our first tourist destination was at an orquidario nestling in the valley below the imposing peak of Morro do Pai Inacio. The garden, all the work of one man who came here seventeen years ago, was crammed with the most wonderful and varied specimens. He had even set up a little open air museum with artefacts from the diamond mining era. Now well fortified by our good lunch we set off on the first strenuous hike of the trip, taking us the top of Morro do Pai Inacio but it was all a bit of a cheat for we drove up to the halfway point. We arrived at the summit, a plateau at 1240 metres above sea level, as the sun was setting and enjoyed the360 degree view of the surrounding countryside, bathed in the early evening light. Then we drove the last few miles to our cheap and cheerful accommodation, Pousada de Helia, in Lencois. This was to be our base for the duration of our stay in the park. Ivan, is passionate about nature and the environment. To that end we were taken to the less commercial places which we really appreciated. Chapada Diamantina, translated as 'layers of diamonds' was originally the centre of a gold mining industry, then diamonds were discovered. Now there is nothing save a vast region of high plains, deep valleys, beautiful rivers, waterfalls, caves. On our second day we were broken in gently being very out of condition with a leisurely morning walk up through the town to the upper reaches of the Rio Lencois. There are ten microclimates in this region so plenty of water came cascading down this fast flowing river. Iron coloured the water a rich reddish brown. An afternoon expedition took us to Iraquara and the grotto, Lapa Doce, still under exploration by the University of San Paolo. There are believed to be up to 40 more km of underground tunnels. We all had to sign a disclaimer, there were some pretty impressive rock fall boulders lying around. It was the best cave explorations we have been on. The only people there, our Brazilian guide led us through its marvellous caverns completely unlit. It had a touch of the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' about it! We were all issued with an LED torch and the walking was on pristine fine soft sand (it had once been a river). He gave us his own interpretation of the very many formations, from a nativity scene, to an owl, a lion, an elephant and many more amazing sculptures their crystals glistening by the light of our torches. Finally we switched off our torches and savoured a silence so profound for a full five minutes that you could hear the sound of silence! It was a far cry from the commercial hype of the many other caves we have visited in the world. Emerging into bright sunlight, the exit was so well concealed one would never have known of its existence. We have been enormously impressed by the respect given to this beautiful habitat. Away from the villages and towns there was not the slightest trace of litter, not a single cigarette butt. It really is refreshing to see, especially when it is such a huge problem in the cities and towns. On day three, four of us had a early start, (Irene and Dick opted for a more leisurely day at the pousada), driving into the Vale do Capao. The drive itself was pretty special. Once the town of Palmeiras was reached, the tarmac road ended and we drove on many miles of unmade road to reach the tiny hamlet of Caete-Acu, and the base for our walk. Again we had to sign a disclaimer and pay a donation. We were so thankful for the cloud cover for the first uphill climb, indeed it actually rained a little. Once we reached the plateau it was a fairly easy hike along a dry waterbed to the waterfall. It reminded us of the Scottish highlands, with the heaths and heathers, and many varieties of ferns. Wild flowers and wild orchids and many other unknown plant species lent an exotic touch to our surroundings. At one point we had to take off socks and shoes and wade through watercourses up beyond our knees. I was a little concerned about snakes but fortunately we never saw any. Cachoeira da Fumaca (smoke waterfall) is reputed to be the 2nd highest in the world, with a drop of 420 metres. It was only discovered by a pilot in 1960. It derived its name as the water disperses in the air without ever reaching the base. We sat and ate our picnic, every now and again being showered with moisture as the wind caught the torrents of cascading water. We were so fortunate that there had been enough rain during the past week to make it an impressive display. The hardest part of the whole 12 km trek was the descent, down rocks and slabs which had been made slippery with years of wear and tear and rains, but we all made it back to the car without mishap feeling elated at our day's efforts, particularly Jenny and I, who had been a bit concerned that we might not manage the climb. And we were pleasantly surprised that the next morning we felt surprisingly fit. We had the morning off to wander around the town but all opted to stay around the pousada, doing internet and generally lazing about until it was time for a lunch in our favourite pizza restaurant. Then it was off to the Rio Mucuge Zinho, a short drive away and a more modest walk along the riverbank to another waterfall where John and Dick took a swim. On our last evening we enjoyed a final dinner at the restaurant where we ate on our first evening. I had the most delicious salmon dish with a rich passion fruit sauce. The salmon we were told came from Argentina. Espressos and warmed brandies was the grand finale to our great mini holiday. On the long journey home we stopped for lunch at a Brazilian steakhouse known as a churrascaria. Here you help yourself to a large salad buffet and then the waiters bring freshly cooked roasted meats of every description to the table on long skewers, as much as you want to eat for a very reasonable fixed price of 26 reais per person. Returning once more to the marina we were greeted with the news that James and Annette of Ocean Jasper had announced their engagement! They had met during the stopover in Mackay, Australia. So instead of the anticipated early night, we attended a party held in their honour in the yacht club.
Susan Mackay