15 days project - São Thomé das Letras - Part 10

 Chapter 9 – Into the flowing waters kingdom

    I woke up around 1 am , saw a sky full of clouds , went back to bed and again fall asleep , woke up few hours later and stayed in bed until i saw some sign of light in the sky (around 6:30 am) , after breakfast and equipped with what i had to protect me from the cold (jacket, hat, gloves) , i left towards the lion’s cave , another famous tourist spot in São Thomé , when i got there , i saw a couple leaving , i imagine that they were about to wait/photograph the sunrise , which was already completely above the horizon. After several photos in the lower part of the cave , which actually looked like a narrow hole on a huge rock , i decided to climb to its roof , with a little difficulty and cautiously , within 10 minutes i was at the top taking photos and looking for a place to rest.

Surroundings of the lion’s cave early in the morning

     I took photos from all angles and made the necessary records , then i decided going into the meditative mood there but without success because with the wind , which was not constant but when it arrived it was vigorous , it gave me the feeling of been moving even though i was sitting (with eyes closed). With this adverse situation i gave up meditation and began to contemplate the fantastic landscape from that point.

Record of the rock that forms part of the top of the lion’s cave

Plaque with information about the lion’s cave

Recording the landscape at the rooftop of the lion’s cave

     The descent , which i imagined would be more difficult , was in fact easier than the ascent , but the tension and adrenaline rush were very present due to the height , my inexperience in climbing rocks and the strong (intermittent) wind , as a tension enhancing factor , during my moment at the top of the rock the cell phone battery ran out so if an accident happened i would not be able to communicate and just reminding the reader , i was alone. I arrived on the ground with sand and clay on my jacket and shorts , but thank God , i was intact. I returned to the apartment and after showering and changing clothes , i went to the supermarket to buy what was needed and on the way back , i collected information about tours to waterfalls with people around the square who work in transportation/tourism business with different itineraries. I returned to the apartment and the question that tormented me was: would it be appropriate to go to the waterfalls today? To situate the reader , it was close to 12 o’clock , the sky was very cloudy and it was 19°C , with moderate wind. I dedicated myself to making lunch and when practically everything was ready for lunch , i felt that regardless of anything this would be the right time to at least try to go to the waterfalls. It was around 1 pm when i put clothes , towel, water and food in a backpack , the temperature was already at 21°C and the sky was less cloudy , eventually with the sun appearing. I went to the square but i couldn’t decide to go there with anyone , i decided to call someone wich number i picked up on one of my “going to the supermarket”. I called and in less than 5 minutes we agreed on the price and destination: in minutes (the time it would take to arrive at the square) we would be heading to the Devil’s throat waterfall complex. When i got there , i paid an entrance fee and the driver of the vehicle would return to the city and whenever i thought it would be the time for leaving , i just needed call him (phone) and he would return to pick me up. The waterfall complex (relatively well structured) had 3 different places with waterfalls (according to the employee) which are in fact 2 waterfalls and a drop in level that provides a small waterfall with a height smaller than a shower. I started my exploration of the place in the middle , between the tallest and the smallest. I chose this one because i wanted to capture a lot of photos and there weren’t anyone there.

Access path to the “gargantinha” ( english: little throat) intermediate waterfall of the complex

    The access path had many stones of different sizes bordered by dense vegetation , however the greatest difficulty i had on this route was moving through the stones in contact with the water , the stones in contact with the water are almost as slippery as soap and thank God after “escaping” a fall on top of the rocks i decided that as far as possible i would step on the dry rocks (here’s my tip for those who want to have fun there) . Just a few meters to arriving at the waterfall i saw a warning , already worn out by time , which reported danger in the well that receives the waterfall due to the depth (approximately 2 meters). That really intimidated me because i was alone in that place and the rocks were above and below the surface of the water, so holding my foot in a dive at that depth was a risk i really wasn’t willing to take. I stayed in a place a few meters from the waterfall with water depth up to my waist (approximately 1 meter) and a gravel bottom.

Caution warning due to the depth of the well that receives water from the “little throat” waterfall

    Even so , diving was a challenge due to two factors: the surrounding vegetation could easily have some venomous animal and the water temperature (it was very cold). The fact that i had come from so far and had waited so long to be there was a great motivator to take the first dive and after that there were several because once completely in the cold water the body minimizes that initial impact.

     I really enjoyed the “well” where i stayed because i had a view of the waterfall without the risks of extreme depth. The return to the access path to the waterfalls was faster and safer as i always tried to walk over the dry rocks

View of the “gargantinha” waterfall from where i was

   I continued going down when i reached the access path until i was at the entrance of the third waterfall, which has a small waterfall and is called the Valentine’s Well.

The Valentine’s Well

     This one really enchanted me because it looked like a jacuzzi , it had two levels of stone below the water in a circular shape, i slowly approached sitting down , to the place where the waterfall deliver it’s powerful waters and received all this energy on my back and shoulders , it was the most perfect hydromassage ever. The water temperature was higher which also provided a comfortable sensation , if it weren’t for the time , i would have calmly stayed there for more than an hour, or better said , i would have happily lost all notions of time there. But there was another waterfall that i wanted to visit , i had the photographic records that were part of my commitment obligations to the project and so i enjoyed the best and most relaxing massage for a period of approximately 20 minutes , took several photos and started the climb towards the first waterfall which was the devil’s throat.

Stones stacked in a pyramid shape near the “Devil’s Throat” waterfall

    Arriving at the access path , i saw that it looked a lot like the “gargantinha”, lots of stones with all sizes and logically i always prioritized the dry stones practicing my learning on the “gargantinha”. The main difference (apart from obviously the height of the waterfall) was in a very wide open area with smaller stones, when arriving close to the waterfall , where there were many stones stacked in a pyramid shape , i took several photographic records. Close to the waterfall i realized that access was much easier and did not involve the risks of the “little throat” as there was no well at the site of the waterfall , just a drop in level forming an accumulation of water few centimeters below the walking lavel on a bottom of gravel and small stones. The waterfall has a 30 meter high drop , it takes place between 2 rock walls covered in moss. Due to the height of the waterfall there is a displacement of air that gives a feeling of cold or colder than the other 2 waterfalls. Depending on the period of the year , there may be a greater or lesser flow of water. Since it had not rained for some time , the amount of water was less , but the beauty was undoubtedly unique.

Devil’s Throat Waterfall

    I walked slowly , supporting myself with my hands on one of the rock walls until i arrived exactly at the place where the water fell , the energy i felt there was intense and with the force of the water falling on the rock, in some places a kind of mist from water droplets , made it difficult to open my eyes. I stayed there for a while receiving all that energy and when i left , once again i felt a feeling of lightness , peace and spaciousness , especially in the cardiac chakra (heart) , a similar feeling to the one i had inside the pyramid but with more intensity. I captured some photos and sat on a huge rock contemplating all that beauty , wich combined with my feeling of lightness and fullness , made me feel completely integrated with the creator. At around 3:30 pm , hungry and the desire for going to the toilette (perhaps due to the cold) hit it’s peak , i decided to go up and return to the entrance , which was the place with facilities for me to wait (chairs and hammocks available) and obviously bathrooms. To get there , there is a large staircase and a somewhat steep ramp that , due to my physical exhaustion , i had to stop twice to catch my breath and overcome these obstacles before feeling relieved to be able to use the bathroom.

Return route to the entrance of the waterfall complex

     I contacted the driver and in less than 30 minutes , we were already in the city center saying goodbye and leaving open the possibility of another transfer to another tourist spot along the week. Arriving at the apartment , after a late and hearty lunch , the tiredness from all the physical exhaustion of the day set in! After selecting and discarding photos , i went to sleep without even having dinner. Tomorrow it was agreed with the owner of the apartment that she would send someone to change the bed and bath linen as well as clean the place, so i intend to leave in the morning (i have no idea what my destination will be) , to leave the person who will work here as comfortable as possible to perform the work.

Chapter 9 Playlist:

    Nando Reis: ○ Album: Voz e violão vol.1

     Daniel Schlappi / Marc Copland: ○ Album: Alice’s wonderland

Fast Waters  -  Acrylic  -   2024

Gustavo H. F. de Sousa - 15 days project (2023-2024)

Sweet waters

    Running waters, clear links, divine fluids anointing body and soul 

    Happy waters, sparkling flow nourishing all shades of green and cooling crystals 

   Waters that rise from an eternal spring, dark mine pouring colloidal gold 

    Cold waters in an abrupt fall, mimicking the sun and air, regenerating steam 

    Rushing, freed waters, trimming edges and providing welcoming envelopes 

    Force-waters, driving energy channeled from passing by without thinking (about being sea)     

  Central waters, here I am in necessary consecration, offering high and low tones of elemental harmonies

   Gustavo H. F. de Sousa - 15 days project (2023-2024)