After Porto de Galinhas, we headed for a town called Jacumã, just a bit short of João Pessoa – the capital of Paraiba, the next state going north. Getting to Jacumã involved a bit of an adventure. First there was a combination of a bus to Recife, subway to the long distance bus station, then bus towards João Pessoa. Then we had to get off on the high way a bit short of João Pessoa, seemingly in the middle of nowhere and wait for a bus to Jacumã. The bus driver told us to not get off right at the road that headed to Jacumã, but instead to go until the next gas station – for “security”. This warning didn’t exactly lift our spirits. The local Jacumã bus did show up soon, took us half way to Jacumã and then died somewhere between two small villages. Mind you July is winter in Brazil, so even though it was only 7 p.m. or so it was already pitch-dark. They then told all of us to wait a bit, and another bus did show up. Finally we got to Jacumã itself. It was supposed to be a touristy beach town, and perhaps it is during high season. When we go there, however, it was totally dead. We did find a hotel to stay and a restaurant to eat. Someone even pointed out to us a local who had studied Russian. She was getting an ice-cream across the street from where we were eating and we were tempted to go and talk, but were to tired.

Next day, however, we got to explore the beaches around Jacumã and they were very much worth the adventure. The interesting thing about this stretch of Brazil is how quickly the coast changes. Less than 200km to the south we were looking at reefs, and now there was a canyon.

The day also brought us a sighting of a large group of not particularly shy micos