If you go to Alcântara, state of Maranhão, you have to eat one of the most scrumptious sweets prepared in Brazil: the doce de espécie. It is a coconut cake so good, so delicious, that it itself it becomes a reason to visit Alcântara. You will also find the delicacy in São Luís, but it is made in Alcântara.

In Alcântara it is the kids that go after the tourists carrying the doces in large tupperware containers. If you are lucky, the sweets will have just left granny’s oven. If you make the mistake of buying just half a dozen, you must know that shortly after that you will be running after the kid to buy another half a dozen. Do yourself a favour and order the dozen from the start.

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Destination: Alcântara
Destination: São Luís

Alcântara is located less than 20 kilometres from São Luís, capital of the state of Maranhão. During the colonial period it was an important commercial centre. Walking along the town you will be able to see a substantial collection of historical heritage, from the times of the French occupation, first, and the Portuguese occupation after that.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the architecture, the small-town spirit that permeates the place, the delicious doce de espécie.

WE LIKE THE LEAST: as elsewhere in Brazil, the state of abandonment and neglect of the historical and cultural heritage; the negligible tourist infrastructure.

HOW TO GET THERE: by boat, from São Luis. The crossing takes one hour and the truth needs to be told: with a rough sea, a sick bag becomes an essential item.

CAREFUL WITH: wandering around beyond the limits of the village; the boat crossing mentioned above. Unfortunately, there is no alternative means of transportation.

FAVOURITE PLACES: the ruins of the Igreja Matriz de São Matias, the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Mercês, the Baronesa beach.

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• Alcântara is the perfect destination for a day trip from São Luís.
• at the pier from where the boats to Alcântara leave you can find out the schedule of crossings; be careful, don’t miss the last boat back to São Luís or you’ll have to spend the night in Alcântara.
• in fact, if you want to stay in Alcântara, there are three or four pousadas.
• the Baronesa beach and nearby area are an excellent location to spot the incredibly beautiful scarlet ibis

LINKS: Cidades Históricas Brasileiras: Alcântara

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Alcântara for the next 10 days (data from São Luís)

GOOGLE MAPS: Alcântara

PHOTOS: São Luís and Alcântara

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I am presenting my very own personal list of 10 moments lived in Brazil filled with emotion. They do not follow any particular order.

1. a huge turtle (up until then you had never stopped to think how large turtles can be) swimming placidly next to you, in complete silence; suddenly a shoal of fish swims by right in front of you while you approach a sunken ship where thousands of colourful fish rejoice. Diving in Noronha has to be one of the most intense experiences you can live in Brazil.
   
2. up to four or five dolphins jumping out of the water simultatenously, while dozens of them follow the small boat from where you contemplate the amazing display. Encountering dolphins in Noronha is joy at its purest.
3. in spite of the pushing and shoving; of the endless queue of tourists all waiting to take exactly the same snapshot in front of the statue, arms opened; in spite of the awful mood of the professional photographers; in spite of the street vendors; when you reach the balcony of the Corcovado mountain and the whole of Rio unfolds in front of your very own eyes, your heart and mind are transported somewhere else.
   
4. the ceaseless rhythm of the percussion, the tune you will not stop humming even after you’ve gone to sleep, the festival of colours and dazzling costumes, the bumba-meu-boi festival in São Luís is pure magic.
   
5. from the top of the sunset dune in Jericoacoara there is a terrific panoramic view of the sea and the dunes. When the moon is full, it will appear right at the same time as the sun goes down, turning the experience into an unforgettable moment.
   
6. think of the wildest rollercoaster your mind can imagine and then take all safety devices out of the picture. That’s what a buggy ride on the Genipabu dunes feels like. Your stomach will turn, you will bid farewell to friends an family endless times, you will swallow tons of sand, and your heart will be tested to the limit.
   
7. everything in the village is special, but watching the sun go down behind the Serra do Mar from the harbour in Paraty is an unforgettable moment that can open the door to never-ending passions.
   
8. an endless succession of dunes and green lagoons, absolutely no one around, the merciless sun being your only companion. A walk through the Lençóis Maranhenses is intense to the extreme.
   
9. there is something unreal about that intense red colour. Because of that, contemplating the scarlet ibises near the Baronesa beach in Alcântara is an activity where the notion of time quickly vanishes.
   
10. the roaring of the waters and its spray are felt from afar, but the real power of the place is only truly manifested when you reach the mighty Devil’s Throat at the Iguazu Falls. Don’t be surprised should you find yourself leaning dangerously towards, such is the power of the enchanment [the observation deck for the Devil's Throat is actually in Argentina, but most of what you see from there it's on Brazil].
    

I want to close my list with a very special emotion, that can be experienced anywhere on Brasil, but only once in a long while. In terms of strong emotions, few things can compare to the explosion of joy that follows the conquest by Brazil of a soccer World Cup. The last time it happened I was lucky to be here to witness it, it was 2002.

Here are all the Top 10 lists published in the blog so far.

Time does fly! It’s now a year since we went to Maranhão. I’d like to take the opportunity to leave here an index to the information published since then on São Luís do Maranhão and the Lençóis Maranhenses. It is June, after all, a very special month for the region, as it is now when the festas juninas and the bumba-meu-boi festival take place:

• Destination: São Luís
• Destination: Lençóis Maranhenses
• Destination: Caburé
• Bumba-meu-boi
• video: festas juninas in São Luís
• pictures of the Lençóis Maranhenses
• pictures of the ceramic tiles of São Luís
• pictures of Caburé
• pictures of bumba-meu-boi
• pictures of scarlet ibis in Alcântara
• restaurante da Luzia, Atins

The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is one of the most beautiful birds that can be found along the Brazilian coastline. A small crab, present on the ibis’ staple diet, is responsible for the strong pigmentation of its plumage. It is not hard to spot scarlet ibis in Alcántara, state of Maranhão. They are always in groups, and are easily scared. A powerful zoom, absolute silence, and quite a lot of patience is needed to photograph them.

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I have been to scores of places in Brazil where I’ve been able to see and photograph wildlife. These are the top 10 places (in no particular order).

1. scarlet ibis in Alcântara, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: high - at the Praia da Baronesa and a nearby wetland. The scarlet ibis go to the shore to feed when the tide is out]
2. dolphins in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: high - on the boat trip around the island or from the Baia dos Golfinhos viewpoint]
3. turtles in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: medium - snorkelling at the Santo Antônio harbour and at the baia do Sueste]
4. fish in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: high - snorkelling in most of the island beaches and definitely diving]
5. fish in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul [chances of spotting them: high - snorkelling in the Sucuri river and the Rio da Prata]
6. dolphins in Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte [chances of spotting them: medium - at the aptly named Baia dos Golfinhos in the morning]
7. toucans in Foz de Iguazú, Paraná [chances of spotting them: 100% - at the Parque das Aves]
8. monkeys in Vassouras, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: high - there is a forty-odd colony of monkeys living near the huts, ask the locals]
9. scarlet ibis in Caburé, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: medium - near then mangrove in Caburé when the tide is out]
10. macaws in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul [chances of spotting them: medium - at the Buraco das Araras]

N.B.: in actual fact, the toucans at the Parque das Aves in Foz do Iguaçu are not in the wild, they are kept within giant cages.

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