Jericoacoara, Brazil
Sand and wind – that just about sums up the day!
First Marcy got a sinus infection a few days ago (on a rapid mend now), and today Ray woke up with a head cold – blah! With all the airports, eating out in restaurants, etc, getting sick on a trip is not that uncommon, unfortunately.
Today we had another buggy tour arranged – it’s not that we love dune buggies that much, but in these sandy places it’s really the only way to explore the area. We got rolling around 9:30 am with our driver, Alex, and made our way past the Por-do-Sol dune, the popular sunset spot. Then we got onto some flat beaches where the sand was continuously blowing across our path in mesmerizing patterns. Take a peek at this video:
The wind was VERY strong all day today to the point we were literally sand-blasted, particularly below the knees. On top of the big dunes, the wind and sand blowing was quite severe and we were terrified about sand getting into our cameras. It would only be a matter of time before the environmental conditions would destroy any camera used outdoors here. The wind and sand today actually got on our nerves a bit because it was so relentless.
But the dunes around Jericoacoara are beautiful – such white sand creating very tall and dramatic dunes – they seem to rise at random on the shifting landscape. On top of one very big dune, there was an opportunity to sandboard, something we both really wanted to try. But conditions were too unkind so we skipped it, as did all the other tourists!
There always seems to be a ferry crossing, or two, when out on a buggy trip, and today was no exception. The first video below was filmed from our buggy as we approached and boarded the barge – always a neat experience!
And, like the ferry crossings, there are always some animal stops. This time we had pigs and parrots!
We continued on and eventually made a stop at a lake with a baraca right on (and in) the water. Actually, this stop was almost identical to the lake stop we made in Genipabu on Day 10. The one big difference on this lake is that it was chalk full of kiteboarders. Some of the guys were very good at it – coming into shore repeatedly to perform their best tricks! Check out this video:
After about an hour of relaxing with our feet in the lake, watching kiteboarding, it was time to make the return trip back to our pousada. The buggy tour today just didn’t compare with the first one we did in Genipabu, for a few reasons. Partly because the novelty had worn off, partly because the wind and sand was just too much today, and partly because our guide wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as Marcilio in Genipabu.
After eating lunch at a restaurant on the sand, we went for a hike to the Pedra Furada, a rock formation with a hole in the middle, about 3 km away. There was a spot along the beach that was a mecca of windsurfers. We were wondering if windsurfing had all but been replaced by kiteboarding, but this spot in Jericoacoara erased any thoughts we had about that. Again, there were some very skilled people on the water, doing some pretty cool tricks. Check out our video:
We continued on our way. Part of the hike was another sand blasting affair, but once we got on the cliff top the views were fantastic! We came across some wild donkeys on the trail, which we’ve seen all throughout the Jericoacoara area. We were sure they were domesticated and belonged to someone, but several locals confirmed they are wild!
After what seemed like walking for an eternity, to Ray’s cold-afflicted body, we didn’t reach the Pedra Furada rock formation. It was probably only another fifteen minutes away, but the sun was setting soon and we wanted to catch that. We found a nice spot on the beach to watch the sunset where windsurfers were doing their sailing, which provided some great foreground for the sunset photos!
