One day into my Brazil trip, and I'm already thinking about staying another week. It didn't take long for me to get into the travel groove. On the flight down (which was only 75% full, allowing me to lay out and sleep the entire 8 hour flight), I met a Brazilian woman who offered to take me to my destination. She wasn't a scam artist (mom, don't worry) - things like this happen in Brazil... very friendly people, especially in Minas Gerais. But it was easier for me to take the bus, so that's what I did. I expected to be able to use my Spanish to compensate for knowing no Portuguese, but it has helped minimally so far. At the airport I had a few stare downs with Brazilians at ticket counters, and had to resort to hand gestures and very simple words. I was immediately reminded of how travel oven equals failure (I think I posted about this yesterday). Because travelers are naturally ignorant, they make mistakes. The key is to be resilient and resourceful. For me, that's a hell of a lot of fun.
Dave and Cassia picked me up from the bus station, drove me to Cassia's house for a quick shower, and then we (plus two of Dave's friends) went to an outdoor modern art museum/park in the middle of nowhere. The three friends walked around while Dave and Cassia took wedding photos. Really cool park, and we got to see a very local (and somewhat country) side of Brazil.
We left the park in early evening and drove through a few small towns on our way back to Belo Horizonte. Thirsty, we stopped for some coconut water (straight from the coconut) and some of those cheese-tasting onion ring-looking snacks that are everpresent in South America. Driving through the towns reminded me of one thing I love about Latin America - how everyone is out walking in the streets when the day ends. There's so much activity - schoolchildren, people getting off work, people heading home or to bars. Of course, tonight the temperature was about 75 degrees farenheit all day, so the evening had a pleasant feel.
We decided to spend the evning at Cassia's house to rest up for the next few days. For dinner (really a "merienda"more than a dinner) we had ham sandwiches, a fresh fruit salad, and some local cheese + dulce de leche. The house reminds me of where I lived in Mexico - it's nice, simple, has a small patio, and is very "open air." I've got my own room, and it's very comfortable. I brought a photo book of Alabama and some BBQ dry rub for Cassia's parents, which they seemed to appreciate. A rooster will wake me up tomorrow (in Mexico, I was woken by the guys screaming "gaaaas"and "aguaaaa" before the lazy roosters, which usually started crowing at 9:00am). Tonight I'll read a bit of the Keith Richards autobiography (hilarious thus far... that guy did a lot of drugs. Seriously. A lot of drugs) then go to bed early. Tomorrow we'll drive to Ouro Preto, an old colonial mining town in the hills. Dave and Cassia had planned to spend the next two nights with us, but Dave has to take care of some stuff in BH. So, I'll either tag along with Tim and his girlfriend Caitlin, or go off on my own - either to Rio or to a random small town. Minas Gerais (the state we're in) has a bunch of small mining towns that are probably all similar. I think it would be cool to pick a completely random place to spend a day - probably just walking around, eating, reading, and feeling anonymous.
Oh, and I want to extend my trip in Brazil. I miss traveling. I'm good at it. It's invigorating. At this transition point in my life, I want some time away to experience something exciting, and to have the time and space to reflect on my transitino. Just as important, when else am I going to be in Brazil?
No comments:
Post a Comment