Manaus

Whereas Brasilia is a functional city, Manaus is a place of progression. In and around the colonial buildings built by the European settlers during the rubber boom period of the late 1800's/early 1900's are shops selling more building materials than you could imagine, forecourts offering a menagerie of brand new cars and over 500 warehouses manufacturing products for global companies such as Samsung and Volkswagen. The city itself is a huge contrast to the Rio Negro it is situated on. This river runs directly towards the Solimoes river, where for 12km they run along side each other before joining to form the Amazon river as we know it. I had never heard of 'Solimoes' but the two rivers actually have six different local names before they become the Amazon. 

The riverside is dominated by shipyards enabling the two way flow of goods from land to river and vice versa. The Amazon is Manaus' lifeline providing a constant supply of products from all over the world. 

During the rainy season the weather changes in an instant and our speedboat today heads into the centre of a storm. The horizon disappears behind grey dense clouds and only the methane-burning fires from oil plants break the bleak outlook. Lighting breaks above our heads as if a whip is being cracked in the clouds and thunder rumbles loud enough to shake your bones. Our guide Milton simply shrugs when we question the days weather and vaguely says "this is the Amazon, there is no forecast." Downtown there is a real hustle and bustle around us, with every street lined with clothes shops, opticians (and lots of them) and electronic stores. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck and they seem to have just the knack for it. I am in awe of the city's people working in the withering heat and humidity. Milton says the South call the people here lazy as they work at a more relaxed pace, but there is a method to that else otherwise "we would all die from the heat," he muses.

Life here is adapted to benefit as much as possible from the river. Floating supermarkets are everywhere selling an abundance of freshly caught fish, whilst the justice system has even extended to the water with floating prisons and courtrooms. Palafitas, or houses on stilts, line the river bank prepared for the inevitable rise of the water, a yearly occurrence which brings with it both good and bad. The land surrounding the river is dry and infertile for most of the year, but once the tide rises farmers can move their cattle to lower ground to make the most of the rich soil. However in 2012 the water rose so high the city was flooded and many people were displaced from their homes - hence the need for Palafitas. 

Manaus has literally gotten under our skin thanks to the anti-malarials we are taking. Although the locals we have spoken with ensure us malaria is no problem here, our daily pills bring with them sleepless nights and minds that can't shut down. Hopefully we will become accustomed to them or else the next couple of months will be fun! 

Brasilia

After Lencois we travelled back to Salvador in order to catch a flight to Brasilia. Even though we were doubling back on ourselves twice it was still quicker than getting the bus over 1000km from Lencois to Brasilia. Luckily Max has friends here in the capital so we are staying in complete luxury, the complete opposite end of the scale to our shack in Lencois. Brasilia was built in the 1960s in order to replace Rio de Janeiro as the centre of government. At the time, the city was seen as futuristic and even 50 years on it is still an impressive monument to national initiative. The whole city is designed to look, from above, like an aeroplane so all the suburban areas are identical blocks broken up by commercial streets which appear to be the centre of the local areas. Thankfully we have our friends playing the part of tour guides, otherwise we would have been furiously studying the map every 10 seconds. 

In the 'fuselage' of the aeroplane are where the government buildings are, a long strip called Eixo Monumental. Spread across a 5km stretch is the Congresso Nacional, Palacio de Justica and the Museu Nacional, to name a few. Between these iconic buildings, a retro-futuristic vibe is given off thanks to the architecture of each building, designed by the famous Oscar Niemeyer, who the city's utopian layout is hailed to.

However impressive the buildings are, the word of warning from others Brazilians we have met previously seems to ring true. Apart from the governmental buildings and shopping centres, the city appears lifeless and dull. The Metro is abandoned, the streets are empty and it feels like a lost city. Brasilia didn't even celebrate carnival this year due to austerity measures (of which other city's took no notice). 

But that's not to write it off completely. In the cosmopolitan Asa Sul area, the new rich elite show off their wealth at the expensive chic restaurants that line be Lago do Paranoa, the artificial lake formed in the south of the city, lined with the University of Brasilia, the Olympic centre and the Palacio de Alvorada, the home of the Brasilian president to name a few. 

I wasn't sure what to expect from Brasilia. My purse is definitely stinging from our time here; it is not a cheap place to visit and for budget it definitely presents numerous financial challenges, like most capital cities do. I am glad to have been, however I wouldn't come back in a hurry. 

Lencois

We have been in Lencois now for three days, a city 9,000 strong around an eight hour drive west of Salvador. This area is known for its national parks and more specifically it's gold and diamond mining heritage. We are staying in a small shack in the forest with bare brick walls, open gables in the ceiling, a mezzanine sleeping area with draping mosquito nets and a relaxed hammock area outside; it's also wifi free which is great. 

On the first day we went to The Serrano, a short stretch of the Lencois River where the river bed is a smooth rock surface where nature has hollowed out some swimming holes, or Calderioes (cauldrons/pot-holes) which we jumped in. The water in this area is tinged brown and some deeper parts look totally black, a colour which comes from the plants by the river beds. According to the locals, the best colour is when it looks like black tea! We explored some sand caves which seem to defy gravity with the overhanging edges and preciously stacked structures. After a walk through the town which is all cobbled streets and brightly coloured buildings, we went back to our Casa with some friends and experimented making our own Caiprinha cocktails! 

Day 2 was more full on as we had organised a group guided tour. Six of us, all of whom had met in Salvador, and Levy our guide set off for a waterfall first. In comparison to the place we visited yesterday, this waterfall was more of your typical kind: a rock face which water cascading down into an open pool surrounding by huge boulders shaped by the weight of the falling water. Because of the depth of the pool the water was so black we couldn't see our hands infront of us - a very weird experience! Combine this with the spray from the waterfall and the overcast skies it had a prehistoric feel to it which was amazing. 

After here we drove to Gruta da Fumaca, a natural cave part of an underground system comprising of over 300 other caves. The six of us donned our hard hats and torches and made the steep descent underground until we were 50m below ground level.

After a great buffet lunch of local dishes served in a mud shack in the middle of nowhere, we headed to Pai Inacio Mountain which is another main tourist spot in the Chapada Diamontina Nacional Park. 

Translated as the Diamond Highlands, this vast area covers 15,000 square miles and is bigger than Holland. In the 1700's settlements became aware of the diamond and gold under the surface and the mining began. 

At one point there had been water in the gruta so where the stalactites and stalagmites had joined together there was a completely horizontal line severing the connection where the water had flowed. We were able to get up so close to these natural wonders which was so fascinating to see just how they formed so many millions of years ago. At one point Levy had us meditating in a circle in total darkness and as strange as it sounds, the silence was absolutely deafening! 

After we had climbed the 1150m to the top, we just sat and enjoyed the natural beauty of the surrounding area and also the unique flowers and plants growing atop the mountain. The surface was made up of small craters, one of which was naturally heart shaped - a great picture opportunity! 

Day 28 - Salvador

Yesterday we arrived in Salvador, the capital of Bahia state dubbed 'Africa in exile' for is mixture of African and European heritage. On the journey via bus and ferry, I reflected on the comments and advise given by fellow travellers who had already visited Salvador; that it was not a safe city and if there was anywhere you'd get mugged, this would be the place for it. However as we were crossing the Baia de Todos Os Santos, the bay which creates the broad peninsular on which Salvador is built, all I felt was excitement to explore the city and see what it has to offer. 

As soon as we arrived at the hostel, we were invited to a jazz night across the other side of town and for R$6 we couldn't resist. Around 800 pessoas (people) turned up to Jam No Mam, an event where musicians turn up and make really cool music. 

The atmosphere was great with a real mixture of people who were relaxing with the continual jazz sound playing smoothly in the background. After a couple of hours jamming, we headed to the 74m-high Lacerda lift which connects the Cidade Alta (Upper City) with the Cidade Baixa (Lower City) which after a short lift up, brought us out near to the hostel in the Historical Centre, a UNESCO heritage site. 

In this area the Portuguese built their fortified city where today stands some of the most important examples of colonial architecture in the Americas. Walking through this area, we weaved between Bahiana selling a wide variety of local snacks and live music spilling out of the bars on every corner. The area still has extravagant carnival decorations up which are amazing. We didn't stick around too long however as it's not recommended to walk around after dark, regardless of which part of the city you are in but our next few days will be spent exploring so we will get to see the sights! 

Day 27 - Itacare

On Wednesday we arrived in Itacare, a small town in on the east coast after a nine hour bus journey from Porto Seguro. Our hostel was located in the middle of a buzzing street where boutiques and souvenir shops sit beside restaurants and clubs. The main pull of Itacare for us was the beaches so for the next two days we spent time exploring the area and the many praias on offer. We made some friends at the hostel so our evenings mainly comprised of dancing and alcohol! On our last night we visited a capoeira club and saw men, women and children of all ages showing a variety of skills to loud music played by a local band. After the Capoeira, we joined in the salsa classes - needless to say, the Brazilians are much better at it than I was but thankfully my dance partners were patient and didnt mind their toes being stepped on too much!

Day 22 - Trancoso

Our journey to Trancoso today took us back on the route we made on our original travels from Europolis back through Fazenda (plantations/estates) territory and Vale Verde which as the name suggests is a vast valley of lush green trees topped with blooming flowers, neighbouring the grazing cows; the reason for the ranches being here feeding the nations meat tastes. The Bahia state is quite consistently green with lots of eco trails and conservation areas protecting wildlife and the forestry. The 40km journey seems to consist mainly of sharp downhills and steep inclines which is interesting in a rickety old bus but we made it and headed straight for the praia where restaurants spilled onto the sand, Brazilian football was played at its best and children rode up and down on horses - slightly more exotic than England's seaside donkeys!

 After a couple of hours soaking up the sun we strolled to the Quadrado, a vast open space lined with stalls selling homemade musical instruments, bracelets and general tourist gifts. 

Further along, the area becomes more sophisticated with beautiful restaurants showcasing their expensive menus, all with a bohemian theme which adds to the atmosphere. We tasted some local gelato which was the perfect both in taste and to cool us down. We paid the R$6.50 and returned to the hostel to prepare ourselves for the Uiki Beach Club carnival party tonight! 

Day 21 - Porto Seguro

OToday we set off for Porto Seguro. This is Arraial d'Ajudas big sister, the name meaning safe city following its history as one of the first settlements. After a short bus trip from Arraial d'Ajuda to Balsa, through neighbourhoods full of grand casas with high gated walls and fancy-looking beach clubs, we arrived at the ferry port. Porto Seguro is located across a sea inlet which has made into a peninsular of sorts. The ferry was crammed with people in high spirits and cars blaring Brazilian funk music as everyone is continuing the carnival party. 

Once on land and a quick taxi ride later we arrived at the Rodoviario to book our bus ticket to Itacare on Wednesday (our forward planning is the result of two very organised travellers!). After this, we walked to the historic centre which although a little run down is beautiful with its brightly coloured church houses and colonial museum buildings. We're not entirely sure as to why this part is particularly historical due to the language barrier but our Lonely Planet guide assures us that ALOT happened here! None-the-less we wandering amongst the other tourists and the selfie stick made an appearance. Later on, we followed the coast back in the direction of the ferry port and came across the Carnival preparations taking place on a street whose translation means 'street of alcohol'! We will be visiting the celebrations there on Tuesday night! 

Interesting fact: the world Carnival comes from the Latin carne or farewell to meat because carnival time is the period just before Lent when Catholics have traditionally fasted.