We bumped into Kurt and Madelon again on our bus to Jijoca, and gave them a ride in our 4WD to Jericoacoara. It was a scenic ride as we drove through the sand dunes, and then on the beach, with 2 ferry rides in between - the second one involved 2 men poling our vehicle and the 10 of us on a raft across a stream. Jericoacoara is surrounded by beautiful sand dunes, and made up of guesthouses, sandy streets, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and kiteboarding / windsurfing rentals - it is very touristy but in a laid-back, unspoilt sort of way. We walked up to the top of the large sand dune which borders the town to enjoy the sunset, and descended to the beach to watch a group perform the capoeira. The capoeira has its roots in African slave history, where a pair of dancers simulate a fighting scene, accompanied by local percussion instruments, drums and a vocalist - not the most tuneful melody, but it has good rhythm.

Street vendors lined the main street after dark selling a good variety of cocktails which they hand blended by mashing your choice of fresh fruit (pineapple, cashew, strawberries, mangoes, lime, tangerine, banana, etc) with a wooden pestle in a recycled jam jar, which also serves as their cocktail shaker - the cocktails were absolutely divine, and we felt very virtuous as we thought through all the vitamins we were imbibing with each glass!

I had planned to start my 2nd morning with yoga on the beach, but I was put off by stories of paraistes in the sand, which bores through the soles of your feet, or through your toenails to take up residence in your body. We have been cautioned to always wear our sandals in the sand .... although we have noticed that half the folks go around barefeet. I am not taking any chances ... and am not liking the idea of some organism making its comfy nest inside me!

Louisa, Scott, Katy & I went horse riding in the afternoon - taking a ride along the beach, then cutting across the hill where the tide had come in to wash over the beach. At the top near the lighthouse we tied our horses to the bushes and walked down to the ocean to see Pedra Furada (a rock in the ocean with a hollowed arch through it). We rode the horses in a large loop behind the town, up and down the dunes before returning to the village after sunset.

Peter, Tracey & Katy had taken kite boarding lessons for the last couple of days, and really enjoyed learing the new sport. I on the other hand, had spent an entirely lazy day reading on the beach, and fending off the continual stream of street vendors.