Date of Entry:  July 12th 2016

Date of Writing:  September 24th 2016

I wake up early and wait outside the long narrow alleyway that leads into Jeridise hostel.  The heat is already blistering and I lurk in the shadows waiting for the shared pick up truck on my tour to show up.  Unfortunately its about 40 minutes late. Fortunately, despite being the last to be picked up I somehow get the front seat.  Bonus.  The tour costs 60 reals (after negotiation)  or 65 per person if you’re in a buggy for 4 and have at least one other person booking with you. For the record I highly recommend the buggy as it allows a more private tour and a way more awesome way to transit between places.  As a solo traveller I couldn’t book one today, but I’m hoping I’ll get one for tomorrow.

We zoom on out of the little desert town and into the dunes, heading towards our first destination, some sort of rock formation that we need to hike 35 minutes to get too.  I’m looking forward to it, even if the beaming sun up in that deep blue sky is threatening my pale-ish complexion.  We get there after 30 minutes or so in the truck and I hop off, heading off, while our driver waits for us at the truck which suits me just fine.  I chat to my three Argentinean friends from the truck ride to Jeri for a bit before heading off on my own along what is truly a pristine beach.

Walking in the sand is always hard on my damaged right leg and soon enough I’m sweating as I pick my way through some black rocks and edge my way around a point to my first view of our destination.  Truth be told the rock formation with the window through it is not that impressive after seeing the Azure window in Malta, but the whole walk has been filled with incredible scenery, perfect blue waves crashing onto impossibly golden sand.  Little green lizards dash along the beach beside me and I’m reminded of the strange electric blue lizards of the guajira desert in colombia, still one of my favourite places in South America.

Deciding not to wait my turn for a photo in the window as Brazilian tourists don’t seem to respect the concept of lines I climb up onto the rock formation before being whistled down, so instead I head up onto some rocks further on pst the famous formation where almost no one bothers to go and am quickly rewarded with a beautiful view.

Back on the beach I quickly peel off my shirt and clothes and rush into the rough ocean, enjoying the incredibly refreshing salt water as the waves crash over me, only one other person joins me in a swim, the surf seemingly intimidating others.

Then, as I see everyone from my group heading back towards the truck, I hurry out of the surf and re don my clothes and hurry back the way I’ve come snapping photos as I go.

As I approach the final hill up to the truck I’m covered in sweat again and decide I have no choice but to go for another swim.  I don’t want to delay my group so I enter the ocean at a full run for a quick two minute dip then hurry up the sandy hill feeling the sweat starting again as I wait for a pair of stragglers from my truck by snapping some shots of a few donkeys on the beach that I rather enjoy.

Soon enough i’m climbing back up into the truck and we’re zooming off down the sand almost road motoring through bumpy scrubland covered in donkeys and then onto flawless white sand dunes, the sand and skies seeming to stretch on to eternity without ever changing.

After maybe 40 minutes in the scaldingly hot pickup truck e reach the gateway to our main destination, laguna do paraiso or paridise lake.  It’s the place the goes on the post cards, insane turquoise waters with hammocks sitting in them.  The sun is out, the place is full (as the hammocks are hung by a big tourist complex, and the place really does resemble most traditional ideas of paradise, down to the overpriced lobster served by the restaurant..  People swim, and frolic and soak in the sun all around me, forgetting any troubles they may have in their day to day lives and living in this lagoon of peace and pleasure.  I don’t love all the tourists, but I have to admit, it’s insanely beautiful, the hammocks are a brilliant idea, and the fresh water is great to wash off the drying salt from the ocean and still cool enough to be refreshing as the sun approaches it’s highest point in the sky.  Anyway have a look at these snapshots of paridise and be jealous.  I’m not there anymore so I am too.    The good news is a tours not the only way to get here, you can take a local minivan here and get one going back for under 40 reals return trip, any day you want. If only I had more time.

After almost two hours in paradise our driver comes to find us and we climb back into the truck and drive another 30 minutes along the lakeshore eventually leaving it for pure desert before coming to another stunning lagoon, here the water’s are a little less green but there’s way less tourists.  They have the hammocks too and it”s beautiful, but we only get ten minutes so I satisfy myself with snapping a few photos and heading back to the truck, suddenly wishing I’d left enough time for another swim.

After this brief stop we hop back in the truck and drive another 40 minutes or so to our final main destination where we are given the option for a late lunch at much cheaper prices than laguna paraiso.  The heat has drained me of any appetite though so instead I head out along the endless beach fora nice long walk as we’ve been alotted another two hours here.  I walk past collections of small fishing boats both out in the water and further up the beach where groups of local fisherman go through their nets and younger children watch and learn the methods they’ll likely practice later in life.  Despite the tourism boom in Jericoacora in these tiny villages along the coast at least some element of traditional life seems to have survived.

As I continue ambling along the beach I start to get closer and closer to hordes of kite surfers (Jericoacoara is one of the best places in the world to practice this sport)  and tired of walking in the heat and having already swum several times throughout the walk, I decided to try my hand at photographing them.  I wish I could say I tried my hand at kite surfing, but like regular surfing it’s something I’d love to be good at, but am unwilling to put in the thousands of hours it would take to learn.  Still it makes for some fun photos and one of the surfers even notices me snapping away and comes to say hello and checkout my pictures.

Eventually I head back along the beach the way I’ve come, walking into the setting sun now and shielding my face against the millions of diamond like glimmers on the calmer waters of this beach.  I see some kids playing on the beach that remind me of me and my awesome brother back in our childhood summer days in nova scotia.  Getting back to the truck I snap a few photos of the simple town on the beach and some local life before climbing into the truck and heading back towards jericoacora.

On the way back we make one brief stop at a tree so blasted by the wind it has grown crooked.  It’s interesting enough I suppose though I will say it pales in comparison to the countless beautiful places we’ve seen today.

I’m dropped off back in Jeridise hostel and take a quick rest and an hour in the hammock to talk with Renata before heading into town for a delicious dinner at Freddysimmo  and desert at colors churros before booking a tour and through good luck, or good karma, or something a woman walks up to book the same eastern (and baffilingly less popular tour)  allowing the two of us to join with another couple who has also booked for the next day in a buggy. Today was amazing, but trust me tomorrow is even more fun. Stay tuned.