Think Italian Renaissance painting, think Ouro Preto, a beautiful colonial town nestled in the rolling hills of Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil´s historic mining state. The name of the town itself means ´Black Gold´ and hints at the riches extracted from the area. At the peak of the gold rush, Ouro Preto was amongst the richest towns in Brazil and still boasts the finest Baroque architecture in the country. The UNESCO heritage site started life as a basic mining camp but soon became one of the most attractive cities in the Americas, rivalling Edinburgh or York with its old buildings and breathtaking scenery. By the second day of our visit we were well acquainted with the artesanal chocolate shops, delicious delicatessens and wholesome tutu a mineira dishes (a selection of lentils, meat, spinach and sauces).
To get up close and personal with the town´s raison détre we went to the largest visitable mine in the world, Mina da Passagem. This vast sprawling complex of underground tunnels, some 30km in total, provided the largest reserves of gold in the continent. Bizarrely leased by a British company, the profits from mining 35 tonnes of pure gold were siphoned out of the country. The mine was in operation for 166 years and closed in 1985 after extraction of remaining deposits became unprofitable. As the water pumps were turned off when operations came to an end many of the lower tunnels became flooded. This now provides the fortunate opportunity to cool off in crystal clear waters and swim amongst the cavernous stoop and room workings. The local scuba diving club also undertakes cave diving in the fascinating watery labyrinth. Most fun of all was the method of transport into the mine, a rickety old mining cart which felt like a subterranean rollercoater ride taking you 120m below ground! The whole experience was in stark contrast to the cramped, dingy mines of Potosi with high ceilings and relatively clean air.
Next, we headed to Rio de Janeiro, the so-called ´Cidade Marvilosa´ (Marvellous City). Our first experience of this bustling Metropolis of 6m people was unpleasant as we boarded a rush hour bus with our luggage to Copacabana. The locals constantly shoved us back and forth and refused to help us with our bags, the misery compounded by the muggy heat. We eventually made it to Copacabana and were immediately disappointed to find a decrepit selection of ugly 1970´s style tower blocks a bit like what you would find in Hawaii or Miami. Furthermore, the streets were full of weirdos, small yapping dogs and people down on their luck. However, our mood improved when we went to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches where we spent the afternoon wallowing in the warm waves and taking in the sunset. There is no doubt Rio is situated in a beautiful setting, it is just a shame that there isn´t more character about the place, but maybe everyone was still suffering from a massive post-Carnaval hangover! Most surprising of all was the weather, as it then proceeded to pour down for the next 2 days under grey Edinburgh or Vancouver like skies. It got to the point that we wondered what all the fuss was about and we just couldn´t wait to get out of there. Our only tourist forays were a 0.6 Real tram ride to the Bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, with its collection decaying colonial buildings perched on a jungly hillside with commanding views of the city, and a visit to the strange Mayan pyramid like Nova Catedral built between 1964 and 1976. Also, we were hoping to hanglide over the city but were thwarted by unfavourable conditions.
Unfortunately, we found Rio to be the biggest disappointment of our trip so far, it lacked the friendliness of Belo Horizonte and the beaches were not a patch on those we found in Salvador. Indeed, the main highlight of our time in Rio was seeing Avatar in an air-conditioned 3-D cinema! As you can see from the photo of Lydia above, we were delighted to get our bus tickets for our next destination.
The Costa Verde, with its luxuriant Atlantic rainforest and pristine beaches was exactly what we needed after Rio. This 280 kilometre stretch of coastline between Rio and Sao Paulo must be one of the most beautiful places on earth, and sums up the quintessential Brazilian beach paradise. We stayed in historic, colonial Paraty, built in 1650 and ingeniously designed with self-cleaning sloping cobbled streets that flood during high tides. Twenty km south of Paraty is the idyllic hippie village of Trinidade. We loved the laid back surfer vibe, the beach football and crab shacks and I think we were in serious danger of getting lost in time and never returning to Edinburgh! The natural piscina was particularly memorable, formed by giant boulders encircling a portion of the bay, we lolled like happy sea lions under lush foliage until we shrivelled up like prunes. We also had the chance to spend a day on a schooner touring remote beaches, snorkelling in azure waters and relaxing on deck listening to live acoustic guitar. It was a perfect Sunday!
Thoroughly bathed and relaxed, we were ready to tackle the third largest city in the world, Sao Paulo and its 15 million inhabitants. We arrived to a rainy Sao Paulo but with its energy and friendliness we immediately preferred it to Rio. With the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, it is an Asian foodies dream! We wasted no time getting stuck into the sushi bars conveniently located next to our Japanese business hotel in Japantown. Despite the size of the city, it was easy to get around with an efficient and clean metro system. As well as Japantown, we enjoyed exploring Little Italy with its Soprano like atmosphere and cheerily painted green, white and red buildings. Going up the 32 storey Banespa Tower (free!), we were blown away by the sheer scale of Sao Paulo. There were skyscrapers as far as the eye could see in every direction (or more precisely, as far as the smog would let you see!).
Our final destination on the Brazilian beach coco tour was the immense natural beauty of Iguacu Falls. With nearly 300 cascading waterfalls surrounding you on all sides it certainly made you feel humbled by nature´s raw power. This is one of the most impressive natural sites we have so far seen in South America and was well worth the visit.
All in all, Brazil has been a fascinating contrast to the traditional and indigenous cultures of Peru and Bolivia. At times it feels like a very brash, modern, western country full of economic vitality and consumerism. However, we discovered the essence of Brazil on the beaches of the Costa Verde and in the streets of Salvador. The people have a wonderful energy and on the whole are very friendly and welcoming. In Brazil your taste buds are always tantalized, the variety and range of food was world class and we´ll have to return someday for more sushi, coco verdes and acai smoothies!
