Day 95 - Salvador to Lencois, Brazil

It's a bit of a struggle getting up this morning after not much sleep but we have a bus to catch as it is six hours to Lencois and we want to get the 7am one instead of the 13:00 so we can get there in good time. 

Now it is proving nearly impossible to book a bus ticket over the internet in Brazil without being a Brazillian citizen so we take a bit of a risk this morning by checking out and seeing if we can just turn up and buy tickets for the 07:00 bus there and then. Luckily we can as we would have had six hours to kill with our luggage if not. 

We travel with Rapido Federal / Rapido Express from Rodovario de Salvador. which is about £30 each return. Buses are a lot more expensive in Brazil. 

On the way out we get our first glimpse of some favelas. Definitely up for a favela tour when we get to Rio. 

A stop for ice cream along the way. Now it's been a long time since I have had a Magnum but they seem soooo much smaller now than they used to be. Wasn't like this when I was a kid!

We arrive in Lencois at 13:00. It's a lovely little town but we have a few issues finding our hotel due to google maps which is the worst app ever in South America. I'd be more accurate getting a compass out. According to google maps our hotel is just around the corner from the bus station so we make the trek up a ridiculously steep cobbled hill, having to carry the cases as the road was too rough to drag them. We get to the top sweating profusely and find no hotel. It is in fact the complete other side of the valley to where we are. A local points it out high on the hill the other side. Damn! Maybe should have listened to Nat's request to get a taxi and not insist on walking it.  

Half way up the huge hill...

Last few steps before realising the hotel isn't here. 

What adds to the confusion in asking for directions is our hotel is called Hotel de Lencois but Lencois is not pronounced how we think (ie as the French would say it) but Len-suys. We get there eventually though, managing to find a taxi in the end. 

Our hotel is absolutely gorgeous again, such an unusual place and has a great pool too which after our sweaty walk we can't wait to get into. 

Lovely water feature by the pool. 

Whilst chilling by the pool we meet a lovely couple called Chris and Martine, two English people from Bath and have a good few beers with them around the pool and then meet them in the bar for a drink pre dinner. Obviously they are retired as we only seem hang around with retires now. 

Nat's hair has become almost as unruly as mine. She looks like Liono from the Thundercats. 

That evening we head into the small town for an explore and for dinner. It's a quant little quiet, beautiful town with just enough going on to make it interesting. There are lovely little restaurants which all have candlelit tables on the narrow cobbled streets outside. 

Lencois actually used to be an old diamond town. Interesting fact is that Lencois actually means sheets (as in bed sheets) as when the diamond boon kicked off all the prospectors fled here and camped in the spot where the town now is which made it look like fields of sheets. Also interestingly the diamonds they found here were not of jewellery quality as they were not clear. They were more industrial ones and a lot of them were used to build the London tube. 

The town square. 

The place is full of little cobbled streets to explore. 

We find a lovely place in one of the narrow streets for dinner called Bodaga. Great food and ridiculous value. I had a steak and Nat the salmon and with wine and a large beer it came to less than £19. Other than the transport we haven't notice Brazil being that expensive. I'm sure that will all change in Rio at carnival time though!

We have also managed to book two full days of tours around the Chapada Diamantina national park for the best few days which looks out of this world. Very much looking forward to our first one tomorrow.