We’re down to one more contribution, and then the tank runs dry. Please send in your GOOD photos, preferably a related group instead of singletons.
Today’s penultimate photo-and-text post comes from Athayde Tonhasca Júnior, and is part III of a series of his visit to a park in Brazil (see parts 1 and 2 here and here). Athayde’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.
Chapada Diamantina – III
About 70 km from Lapa Doce, we arrive at Lençóis (len-soh-iss), the main gateway to Chapada Diamantina National Park.
The village of Lençóis was established around 1845 with the discovery of diamonds along the Lençóis river (pictured) and other watercourses in the region. This was a magnet to adventurers, deserters, runaways, visionaries, petty criminals, big criminals, women of ill repute, preachers, government officials and other ne’er-do-wells. Like any hard work carried out during most of Brazilian history, diamond panning was done by slaves, who built the bridge over the river:
Between 1845 and 1871, Lençóis was the world’s largest diamond producer. At the height of its wealth, the town had a cinema, two newspapers and a French vice-consulate. Here, the former residence of a local nabob:
Things become to unravel in the 1860s, with the progressive depletion of diamonds. But the death knell came in 1865 with the discovery of diamonds in South Africa. Most people left and the town quickly fell into decay. Fortune turned again in the 1990s when outsiders discovered the region’s natural beauty. Today, luxury hotels, B&Bs, dozens of tourism agencies and restaurants cater to national and foreign tourists:
A view of Chapada Diamantina National Park. The 152,000-ha park was created in 1985 with the help of American biologist Roy Funch, who arrived in the area in 1978 and still works as a local guide. The park comprises caatinga xerophytic formations, cerrado (a type of tropical savanna) Atlantic Forest vegetation, meadows and rocky plateaus (chapadas):
Detail of lithophytes (plants that grow on bare rock) on a plateau top. This local flora has high degrees of diversity and endemism, but it is still poorly known. An open field for a beginner botanist:
Most park visitors head for the waterfalls and natural pools (of outstanding beauty), but we wanted to explore the caatinga, a UNESCO designated biosphere reserve and one of the world’s less studied biomes. All the ‘dead’ vegetation in this photo will spring to life at the first seasonal rainfall:
These two cacti are some of the caatinga‘s most ubiquitous sights: mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru) on the left, and xique-xique (Xiquexique gounellei). They both look disagreeable desert denizens to be kept at arm’s length, but there’s more to them than their sharp, painful thorns. These cacti are important fodder for cattle, goats and sheep in times of water scarcity (they are scorched slightly before being given to animals). Mandacaru‘s fruit feeds humans and wildlife, and its woody stem is valued in carpentry for its resistance to termites. Xique-xique flour can be added to goat’s milk for the production of yogurt with supposedly better probiotic quality:
This ‘stone’ is a tuber of a umbuzeiro tree (Spondias tuberosa), a natural water reservoir. The tuber network of a single tree can store up to 3,000 l of water during the dry season. The umbuzeiro fruit is consumed by wildlife and humans, and it’s sold in local markets:
We wrap up with a moqueca (moh-keh-kah), a seafood stew (fish or prawns) that is a must in the Brazilian cuisine and that best reflects its African, native American and Portuguese heritages. There are regional variations, but this moqueca was made with fish in a base of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, palm oil and coconut milk. Urucum (Bixa orellana) pigment was added for colour, and chopped coriander sprinkled on top. Served with rice, pirão (a thick cream made with cassava flour and fish stock) and farofa (toasted cassava flour, onions, spices and nuts from a local palm tree). A fabulous dish from Nega and Jéssica, owners of Duas Irmãs (two sisters) restaurant.
After a gruesome 420-km drive dodging colossal potholes and nihilistic, homicidal motorists, we arrived back to Salvador, Bahia State’s capital and Brazil’s capital until 1763. The city is rich in cultural traditions, but like in any of the country’s big cities, you’d better mind your wallet, phone, empty alleys and overtly friendly strangers. As the natives say, Brasil não é para amadores – Brazil is not for amateurs:
