Lençois and the Chapada Diamantina

So my latest stop, solo, is Lençois, and it is where I currently am! And it is absolutely gorgeous and megical! The town itself is very neat, and actually reminds me of Vashon, there are lots of hippies, a population of about 12,000, no chains, just local stores and restaurants, it is all very peaceful and nice. As it turns out I arrived one day after the beginning of a two week long festival here, so there is a street that is filled with stands and games and toys for the children, a little reminescent of Strawberry Festival, and there is also a concert every night, which I have yet to attend, due to the very hiking intensive days Ive been having that just tire me out way too much! But I arrived on Monday night, almost didnt get my luggage from the bus because the man who took my luggage and put it on the bus in Salvador didnt give me the slip so that I could pick it up when I arrived, so I was screwed, but luckily the cousin of my host family from Salvador was there to pick me up so he could help me, and after a lot of hastling I got my bags! The next day we went on a hike to two different waterfalls, and then do this river, it was all very beautiful, and its interesting because the water is really orange because of the sediments, mostly iron, so it makes the water look kinda dirty, but it isnt. Then I had a realzing night in preparation for the many hikes I was gonna do the next day. So yesterday I got up nice and early and set out on guided tour of the Chapada Diamantina. The first stop was a hike to this beautiful waterfall and a place to swim, which was very nice, seeing as it was hot and the hike was a bit trecherous! There were also people ziplining into the water, which was entertaining to watch. Then we went to this cave, which was my favorite part. We hiked really far into this huge cave, guided by a man holding a gaslit lantern, and halfway through the cave we all sat down, and he turned out the light, and we were plunged into absolute darkness, I don't think there is anywhere in the world where you could find a place so dark, your eyes never adjusted, it was just pure blackness, it was quite an experience, very interesting and a nice two minutes to think in silence. The next stop was another river for swimming in, the water was super blue and clear though and it was very beautiful, although there were a lot of little fish that followed me around and I definitely felt a few try and take nibbles outta me! So we got to relax there and eat lunch, very enjoyable. Then we headed to this cave where the water is supposed to be very clear and blue, which it was, but compared to what I had seen in Bonito it wasnt that impressive, but it was still nice. The last stop was a hike up the mountains and a view of the whole Chapada, which used to be an ocean millions of years ago, so it was very nice, but I was very exhausted by the end of the day and took a little snooze in the car. And today Im going to this big natural waterslide, so that should be cool, than I am heading back to Salvador!! I cant wait for that, and in a few weeks its Carnaval!!! Then the madness really begins!