Parque dos Lençois Maranhenses

So here I am in Bolivia and still writing my blog on the Northwest coast of Brasil. Not very good and to be quite honest not really in the mood but the fact is that I am loving Bolivia and got lazy anyway here it goes...hopefully we´ll get to Bolivia sometime today ...hehehe..

So the next morning we woke up to start out way to the remote Parque dos Lençois Maranhenses. The first part of the journey consisted of a 3hr 4x4 ride along pristine sandy beaches, over sand dunes and across rivers on stick propelled barges to get us to Camocim.

Quite an adventure. Parnaiba was the next stop where we got us a 6hr seventies bus ride which got us to Tutoia, where we slept the night. Next morning we headed for an 6hr extremely rough truck ride with a much appreciated stop in Rio Novo to get to Barreirinhas.

The ride was an insight into the way Brasilians live and travel. I felt like i was peeping through a window on these people´s lives as we passed the dust roads through the tiny villages and communities. The poverty in which these people live is striking. Houses are mostly made of wood reinforced mud blocks, covered with palm leaves as a protection from the weather. Most families sleep on hamocks in very bare rooms. The streets are infested with all sorts of animals ranging from cows, goats and pigs to donkeys and ducks. Children still entertain themselves by playing on the streets and rivers with homemade toys, and everyone seems to be amused by passing cars especially when they spot us strangers.

Once in Barreirinhas I headed for a riverside hostel where i got what i seriously call a room with a view...

The park itself stretches 40km inland from the atlanticwhere salt water once washed all vegetation leaving a surreal landscape of sand dunes surrounded by lakes. We went to a day trip to the park itself visiting several lagoas, Lagoa Azul being a clear water lake where we swam. Pictures and my description don´t do the park any justification. It was amazing and definitely worth the long yet interesting trip from Jericoacoara.