Lencois

The river that runs through Lencois. Feels weird to type "the river" and not capitalize it.

We didn't waste any time basking in the completion of our river journey. Twenty-four hours after arriving in Belem, we had already left on a plane for Salvador.

After traveling almost exclusively on boat and mototaxi for a month, getting on a plane felt strangely unnatural. Reaching our next destination by bus and mototaxi would have taken too long.

The next destination on our itinerary was the charming highlands town of Lencois, located in the state of Bahia. The flight took about two and half hours. We got to the bus station in Salvador with enough time to buy our ticket, walk around the neighboring mall, and eat lunch before our 1:00 p.m. bus. 

Because of construction on the highway, we pulled into the Lencois bus station at about 10:30 and were promptly greeted by an entreprenuring guide trying to get our business. Paolo whisked us from the bus, and we were haggling with a hostel owner over the difference of R$5 per night within minutes.

Once we found a hostel that fit our needs (free wifi, big breakfast, kitchen access) for $15 per night, we got a good night's sleep at Pousada os Mineiros. It's three blocks from the main square on a charming, narrow cobblestone street (all the streets in Lencois are charming, narrow and cobblestoned.

I can't tell you how nice it felt to sleep on a bed. We realized it had been six nights since we had slept on bed (five on hammocks and one in airport terminal).

The next day, we walked around town and asked about hikes and treks that we could go on. We had told Paolo, the guy who took us from the bus station to the hostel, that we would find him the next day to see about going on a trek with him. 

Apparently, we didn't look for him soon enough. Above, you see him, on his bike, tracking us down in the main plaza.

We found that the best way to learn about the different hiking and trekking options in the area was to go to the different tour operators and see what they were offering. Then, we cross-checked this with information on the Internet. What we realized was that prices listed on the Internet and in the guidebooks were a couple of years old. In that time, Lencois experienced a bit of a tourism boom, and prices jumped quite a bit.

Many websites said that it would be possible to find a guide to lead you on trek for $20 per person per day. We found it difficult to find anybody willing to take us on a trek for less than $50 per person per day.

We decided that the best option for everybody was to take it easy that day. Our legs were jelly after spending a month on The River, and our minds were jelly after sleeping only a few hours the night before.

We walked around town and took in the calm atmosphere as our bodies recovered from a couple of hectic days.

I've heard of tire gardens. I've never heard of tire chairs before.