ouro preto

So I got here last night, tired, filthy and a little annoyed because of the scheduling but this place was completely worth the effort.
Its like tiradentes but on a much larger, grander scale. Everything is closed right now but just walking the streets and taking in the views I~m emersed in the town.
My posada is terrific. Wide plank floors, art work, exposed beams. Spectacular.
Make the effort to come here if you can!

rain!

I had to catch a later bus from sao joao to ouro preto. I went for a walk and BOOM! Rain! The clouds have been threatening for last few days but here it was.
I ended up making ouro preto at about 1030PM

sao jiao

I got up early to tour a pewter shop in town. I wandered in yesterday after tiradentes and talked to the guy. He invited me to see the factory and see some of the new pieces they were making. It was pretty interesting.

I went into the main part of sao jiao del rey. The churches here was spectacular. This has been the best part of my trip so far. These little towns are much more relaxing and theraputic than the grafitti riddled bigger cities.

I got back to the bus station and tried to get an early bus to ouro preto but the only bus I could get was at 530. The puts me in ouro preto at about 9pm. Too late for pretty much anything but sleeping.

Hopefully tomorrow I~ll tour the city and off to rio.

I had a great cup of coffee and a small chocolate cake/tart thing. It~s the first really good coffee I~ve had here. I had a terrible cup of coffee after the pewter shop tour and I didn~t want that to be my lingering impression of Brazilian coffee.

No usb port here at the bus station so more pics and video have to wait.

later

tiradentes

the book 1000 places to see before you die says tiradentes was an amazing place.
I don~t know if I had to see it before I die but I did get the feeling about an hour in that I was probably the furthest away from LA that I could possibly get.

the town is hundreds of years old. Dotted with churches and authentic buildings. The govenment designated tiradentes an historic area so the buildings, materials and colors have to be authentic.

So you have rustic buildings, stone roads and sidewalks, surrounded by jungle and mountains. The sound of cars in around but horses walk the streets and kids run around between the buildings. Its difficult to describe the feeling.

I shot a video but can~t load it from my location right now. I may try again later.

I came in by bus from belo horizante where I just flopped for the night. I~m planning on ouro petro tomorrow. Another must see colonial town.

The trip is getting better. The heat makes doing a lot difficult so I~m paring down my itinerary accordingly.

I~m still on track to make the falls on my birthday.

I need a shower and to unload. I^m still carrying my feojada from when I was in rio. I know it~s coming. I~ve been hoping it wouldn~t demand an exit while I was on a 7 hour bus ride.

I have a good spot here in sao jao del rey. I got lucky. It looks like it~s a brand new posada. The operator seemed very happy to see me and to give me a room.

People have been very friendly. I was worried about the crime and I have heard of some but not experienced anything bad.

Because of the heat I~ve only been out at night once and I~m pretty careful in general regardless.

I heard a guy got his camera stolen and he had to pay just to get the memory card back. He was at a whorehouse but still it can sour an evening.

And the general fights and stolen wallets from guys at bars.

I´m pretty sure I miss a lot of the danger since I don~t drink. Alchohol seems to be an important ingredient when things go bad.

I~m off for a shower. I need it.
later

maracana

Flamengo beat Americana 3-1 and I was there. I~ve heard about atmosphere at a soccer game in brazil. this was apparently tame. Only about 10,000 people were there because americana is a second tier team and they really didnt put up much of a struggle in the game.
Big flags waved and there was non stop drumming and singing all over the stadium. It was really pretty cool.
I went with a group from my hostel. The guide kept us in a safe area but it was all pretty much safe since americana didn~t have one fan in attendance as it seemed.
I had a hot dog and coke, as is my habit at a game. Venders were all over us since we were clearly foreigners and loose with our money.
There wasnt a fight and the game was ok.
I~m staying in rio a little longer than I planned so I can arrange my trip to iguazu.
Next stop belo horizante.
later

meat!

Yesterday I got a lot done. I rode three buses. Picked up my Hard Rock pin, Walked on the beaches at Impanema and Copacabana and had dinner. NOt just any dinner. The local thing on saturday is Feiojada. The book said its a local favorite so...where do you go for feiojada, but ...casa de feiojada....
I walked around all day so I was hungry. I knew it would be lot so I paced myself for the experience.
The waiter brings a small bowl of beans ...as an appetizer. This bowl is like a shot. You drink it then the mean comes. Cool, I guess..but then THE MEAL COMES!
A bowl of meats simmered in beans, a bowl of beans, rice, seaweed, fried...potatoes, banana, jicama...I still don~t know what it was but it was all good.
I~ve been watching what Ive been eating for weeks and now...MEAT! Meat of all kinds in this bean-meat war in this bowl. It was all really good but too much for one man, and they kept wanting to fill the meat bowl and the rice plate....I was going to panic, but I kept my calm.
I ate as much as I could...relaxed. Drew a little. and left.
The owner sat me next to two women. New yorkers. After they found out I was from LA, the first thing. "you know you people can walk you know...." People indeed suck.
Anyway, they left...I ate...then I left.
Now for breakfast I had an omlette and fruit and juice and coffee.
When I travel one of the keys to success is managing my digestive system. With the breakfast I had and the freight train of fat and protein moving through me I was in a dangerous situation.
I walked about three blocks to catch the bus and across the street I saw two buses waiting, and I thought....Hmmmnn....should I shit now or wait until I get to the hotel. I realized in this moment, it~s the same question as if you say to yourself, should I break up with my girlfriend now or wait for things to get better.
1) If you have to ask you need to and 2) if you wait things are only going to get messy.
I searched the street. Down at the end ...five blocks or so...Mercure Hotel...5 star...nice shitter....to my left....brazilian hotel....2 maybe 3 star...Id be rolling the dice...but I~m a gambler.
I went to the local hotel and asked in my worse portuese for the toilet...it was clean but so small I had to literally shit sideways. Unfortunately my deposit was so foul I flushed twice and felt like leaving a tip and an apology.
Instead, I calmly left and without making eye contact said...Obrigado....
I^m at a hostel today. This environment is much much nicer than the hotel. Cool people around. NIce music and I~m going to maracana stadium to see soccer! What could be better.
later!

The tram

I just came back from corcavado. The tram ride up was nice but when I got to the top the place was filled with tourists. Dozens of people trying to take their picture with their arms stretched out. It was nauseating. I hung out for a while and headed down. On the ride down there was a five man samba band working for tips. They were pretty good and really picked up my mood. I~m smelly and sweaty again. back to the hotel for a shower. It~s another broiler today.