Saturday was a travel day. Jimmie and I both had to wake up early to pack our things and meet Valderes for one last round of meetings at Impacta. After saying a few more goodbyes to the faculty we had to go and pick up the the rest of the family across town to participate in the consumption of Feijoada. This is a Brazilian meal that is more like feast which consists of various cuts of pork in a type of stew that is served over rice and beans with other various sides. This dish used to be more custom of the poorer communities of Brazil that would use the leftover parts of the pig that rich folks wouldn't eat but it has become a popular dish across all of Brazil with each restaurant putting their own spin on the traditional recipe. Our last meal with Valderes and his family and one of the best yet.
After the feast it was time to head to the airport to head to Belo Horizonte which was about an hour flight northwest of Sao Paulo. We were to stay with one of Jimmie's best childhood friends and head to Vicosa the following day.
The flight was smooth and we arrived in Belo Horizonte airport in one piece with no trouble. Daniel (Jimmie's friend) was there waiting for us. Jimmie hadn't seen his friend in a couple of years so it was cool to witness the reunion. We gathered all of our bags and headed for the parking lot to Daniel's car which was a vintage 1976 Volkswagen Bug. I can't believe we were able to get all of our luggage in that thing. Nonetheless, it fit. The ride seemed to kick start the weekend and once we arrived at Daniel's apartment to unload the Bug and pick up Daniel's girlfriend we headed out for some drinks.
For me it was nice to sit back and take in the scene. Jimmie and his friends had not seen each other in a long time and had a lot of catching up to do. It was easier to do in Portuguese of course, and though I am picking up a word here and there, I could by no means jump into the conversation. They would go back and forth from English to Portuguese so I could participate - I was happy either way.
The night wore on and we ended up heading back to the apartment. I was beat and it was close to 4am before I had a chance to settle down. Jimmie and Daniel had busted out the guitars and drums and continued on into the morning. We had to wake up around 10Am so we could get some breakfast at a nearby indoor market and needed to hit the road soon after to meet Jimmie's parents in Ouro Preto. After breakfast we went to pick up our things and headed to the edge of the city to a popular overlook to take some pictures and drink some coconut water. The photos will sort of give you an idea of everything from the bug, the market, to why they call the city Beautiful Horizon.
We took off down the road to Ouro Preto to meet up with Jimmie's parents. Next stop, Vicosa.
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| Belo Horizonte |
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