By Cristina Ramalho

      Arizona has nothing like this. In the bush coutry of the Jalapão, Brazilian scenercy is much more cinematographic than of John Ford’s westerns. On the dusty prairies out west, real men searched for gold, while along the paths of Brazil’s back coutry nature gleams like gold. Even the field grass is golden in the Jalapão and makes bags and baskets that sperkle like coins.

      The orange –tinted sand dunes are florescent in the sunlight. And Rock Fumo Hill, wich is almost a replica of France’s Mount Saint-Michel, has a coppery glow. Everything is so bright, as though glitter has rained down from the sky. More than a beautiful place, this is a state of mind. In the vast expanses of the plints of monument Valley, Ford’s cowboys meditate on their own problems, and the moon-like scenercy of the Jalapão touches the soul of even the most insensitive. It’s a beauty that brings tears to one’s eyes. Once can go for hours and hours on dirt roads , through vast areas of plaints, sand and stone without seeing a living soul. This is a absolute freedom. Once could very well become a wandering cowboy, searching for the meaning of life and a place to pitch a tent. Good help is available from the Korubo campgroud, which has the minimun comforts and a staff that is ready to take care of common adventurers, like you and me. Korubo is more like Hatari than a western shootout, reminding one of the camps of African safaris, with open jeeps, large tents, and a friendly bonfire. You deplane in Palmas and stay the night in a cozy hotel. Early the next morning, Korubo’s staff will pick everyone up in a remodeled truck, with comfortables seats, air conditioning, a refrigerator and a sun roof. Seven or eight hours later, the camp comes into view – tents with cots, sheets, pillows and a heavy blanket; a sun-powered hot shower and decent bathroons. The hammoscks are under te trees, facing the cleanand beautiful Novo River.

      Chef Divino lives up to his name with delicious dishes. Guides are either locais or from Lençois Maranhenses, were Korubo sets up from October to March. Fumo Hill – the 900-metertall castle sculptured by erosion-has a panoramic view of the expansive majestic plaints. There are many sand dunes, Formiga Waterfall, or swimming in the river’s mineral water where there once was a sea. Sit by the delicate jalapa flower that lends its name to the place. Sometime in the Jalapão you will understand what the desert means to the soul of a cowboy. And you will feel it.