Hoarse Speak

This is the last stop for us, we managed to crawl along the coast all the way from Penedo in Alagoas state to São Luis in Maranhão – sometimes literally driving on the beach.  I’ll try to get some pictures up in the next week or so (Ana has been much better than I have).  São Luis itself is really nice, the colonial area is quaint and not over touristed – though there does seem to be a growing prostitution/old white men on sex tours of developing countries (particularly older French men) scene developing.  Lots of good outdoor bars with live music (sometimes good, sometimes cheesy) and great museums in old preserved colonial mansions.  Unfortunately, we weren't here during the June festivals which feature the many different street celebrations of Bumba Meu Boi .

Ok, since I haven’t been particularly good at updating, I’ll just start at the end and work my way back eventually.  Alcântara was our last stop before heading home to Sobradinho.  Just across the bay from São Luis, the capital of Maranhão state, Alcântara was the richest town in northern Brazil at one time and the capital of Maranhão.  The capital was moved to São Luis some time in the 17th century and it seems that since then it has been gracefully falling apart.  The two claims to fame that Alcântara has are pretty decaying colonial buildings from that time period (including the oldest surviving whipping post in Brazil – put up in 1647) and the home of the Brazilian space program. 

Here’s a few pictures of the town: