this is lencois, a charming small village in the central region of bahia called chapada diamantina. once upon a time this region buzzed with the activities of rich diomand traders. now it is supported by a healthy flow of tourists who search for the beautiful underground lakes and caverns of the plateau, and brazil's highest water fall. lencois is the launching post for the excursions into the wild. i stayed here for a few days before going on a 6 day trek into the plateau in search for the most luminous of the underground lakes.

lencois is about 7 hours from salvador by bus. there are stories of bandits who stop buses at night and rob the travellers, so i was advised to take the day bus. i decided to take my chances and not waste a day, so i travelled overnight, safely if not the most confortably. lencois is also famous for a more unlikely reason: it is apparently the occasional country home of none other than jimmy page, the legendary led zep guitarist. i didnt see him there but did see his autograph in the jam jars of the BB where i stayed - apparently the jams were favourites of his... :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lencois is a lovely little town, charming in nature and gifted with intricate architectual gems. it still reflects the wealth generated by the significant diamond finds in centuries past. thus the name of the region: chapada diamantina. chapada means plateau, and diamantina means diamond-y. 

 

vibrant democracy in the town of lencois: the signs read " mr mayor: where is the municiapl market you promised? its past time."; "mr mayor: why is the health of lencois so precarious?"; "mr mayor: without basic sanitation there can be noinvestment in tourism"