I´m drunk on Uberlândia

I was wrong about Uberlândia. While the city isn´t all that interesting and quite like any city with a small center of highrises surounded by shopping malls and suburbs, the countryside is intoxicating.

I´m posting some pictures with this post since I have some now for the first time (Sidenote: For the first time on my trip I´ve really wished I had a camera here in Uberlândia. I had an itch to have one in Buzios to try to capture what it was like to hike through the jungle to a beautiful slice of pristine white beach. Here, though, I´ve realized how convenient it would be to just have my own camera to capture all the memories of people and places instead of having to beg the friends I make along the way to send them. So, while other Bonderman travelers are pushing themselves to not go to touristy places or travel on tight budgets, I am challenging myself to not take photos. Hmmm..)

I tried to take a few photos on the way into my friends´ family farm, but none that I took could capture the romance of the setting. The farm reminded me a lot of being a kid again--making forts in haystacks, the magic of untouched forests, the musky smell of horses and manure, chickens pecking away--but seemed even richer than any childhood memories I have. Here in Brasil, a farm means long sunburnt red roads cutting through perfect green hills that both roll and steeply tumble into fields of corn and cow pastures. The soil here is heavy and wet, so that everything has a slightly ripe smell as if it were being digested.

The family farm that we visited had a very magical feeling about it. Abacate (avocado), laranja (orange), goiaba (guava) and coffee plants grew wildly all over. The afternoon sun hung low and created curious shadows. The only thing that reminded me I was, indeed, on my friends´ family farm and not in a movie were the two GIANT pitbulls, named Bruce and Sadan, who tore through the place chasing tires and flinging slobber.

The trip to the family farm is only part of the reason I can´t seem to tear myself away from this normal place. The friends I am staying with have taken me to the lake to jet ski and play in the sun and to a private farm with a series of cachoeiras (waterfalls) on the property that they allow folks to visit. We basically played in our own waterfalls all day.

I suppose you get the picture, and if not, I´ve included a few along with this post. I am still trying to figure out how I can convince myself to leave this place, especially since I now have friends in Buenos Aires who are hoping I come. My last chance to make it to Buenos Aires is today, though, so I´ll keep you posted on my whereabouts!