"Jeri" by Madeline

***Sorry for the delay in posting. We have had very limited internet access, but don't worry we are keeping up-to-date in our journal and will post whenever possible.***

Jericoacoara is a cool bohemian get-away for people in Fortaleza. However I would not call it a must see of Brazil. It is amazing for kite surfers, as there is lots of wind, but in terms of beach going one could probably skip the 6 hr bus ride. The town is very cute with only sand roads, 4x4 access only, (not so handicapped friendly) but I managed. There were some very charming restaurants appropriate for couples honeymooning hahah. We kinda felt as thought the tours they offered were a bit of a stretch as to what was considered "tour worthy." An ecological hike translates into a jaunt over a grassy knoll in flip flops. Not sure a "guide" was necessary. Vast lakes were the highlight of the excursions with hammocks suspended by sticks on the shoreline submerging you in the refreshing water. Vans got to sled down some dunes for $5 reais as I watched jealously from the top.

Jeri is a very over priced lil town and does not have any ATMs- go figure. We met some cool people on the tours, Vans had some Portuguese relief with the American siblings, Sam & Melissa, we met from Ohio. Nightlife exists, and starts around 11pm hitting its peak at 2 am. The club there was fun, I couldn't resist dancing samba even with my boot on. Thank god they only played it for about 10 min or I would have been on my ankle all night! Jeri is full of backpacking tourists from around the world. Pretty much a hippie town selling 35 dollar t-shirts.Vans could not resist a photo opp with an adorable 2 year old at the bar which thus roped us into buying overpriced earrings from her father. All in all the night was more exciting than the day because we got to eat at romantic restaurants and meet interesting foreigners and dance under a beautiful moonlit beach.

Parque Lençóis Maranhenses

The name of this national park refers to its immense expanses of sand dunes, which look like lençóis (bed sheets). During this time of year rain filters through the sand to form crystal-clear pools and lakes. A 4x4 Toyota truck took us through thick foliage and rivers to the base of the dunes. Mads kept saying the drive felt like a ride at Disneyland, which led us to sing the Indiana Jones theme song every time the ride got rough .

Once we arrived to the dunes we were taken aback by their beauty. We kind of felt like we were in the Sex and the City 2 movie, when they visit Abu Dahbi, minus the fabulous clothing and camels of course. Mads and I had so much fun running around taking pictures and playing on the dunes and in the water. We desperately attempted to take photos of us jumping off the sand dunes - which was quite a difficult feat. After what seemed like 100 shots (probably closer to 20) we were quasi successful. It is really difficult to capture a person mid-air! I don't get how some people do it so well (Anna this comment is mainly for you). Being the kid at hearth that I am, I thoight it would be a really fun idea to roll down the dune into the water below. Fun idea in theory... in reality I got a lot of sand in my eyes and mouth and the friction of the sand stopped my rolling far before I reached the water. It's ok thought because Mads got some great pictures of me looking like a beached whale (haha).

On the second day we took a boat tour along the tall-mangrove lined Preguiças river between Barreirnhas, Caburé and Atins. At our last stop we ate a ridiculosusly expensive lunch and then took an hour nap in the hammocks along the beach. We returned to São Luís on the night bus in order to be back for the game the folllowing morning (see prior post). Though we only spend two days in Lençóis it was well worth the trek out there!

**Note: this post was penned in the Fortaleza airport at 6am while Mads is sleeping on the floor. See next post to understand why.