quick post from the bahian interior

I'm in lencois now, about to return to salvador. Lencois is a small town of about 5000 people and sits on the edge of Chapada Diamantina, a huge national park. I went on a two day trek into the park and saw some of the most beautiful places i've ever seen. Many lovely waterfalls with pools in front where we swam and let the streams of waterfalling massage our bodies. The hiking itself was extremely challenging: climbing up the face of waterfalls and over big wet rocks up a river valley. There were a few moments whe I sincerely feared for my life. But what allowed us to survive was our guide, Mio, a cross between yoda, rambo, and a monkey. The man could do anything on the trail and seemed to know every in and out of the park.

Lencois itself is a very charming and quaint town. It sees a large number of tourists but still feels essentially brasilian and local. It is safe to walk around at night by myself which is a first for me in brasil and feels incredibly nice. I'm off to quite the opposite today, Salvador, to attend Carnaval. My concerns about carnaval have not abated. Everything I have heard has been about how expensive and unsafe it is. It is also supposed to be the best. We shall see.