Viçosa and Caparaó
- Ronja Clementina
- Dec 4, 2019
- 10 min read
First of all, thank you to all who donated yesterday! We raised $11,365! If you did not get a chance to donate yesterday, you can still do so any day of the year, and it will be greatly appreciated! And thank you to everyone who shared out the link on their social media or forwarded the email! Reaching a wide audience is incredibly important for successful fundraising, or so I've learned.
Anyway, to continue where I left off yesterday: Friday morning we drove with our host to a part of the University of Viçosa where we would be doing capoeira that day. It was a covered concrete surface in a beautiful park with tall trees and picnic tables. We ate breakfast that people brought there together before our first workshop.
The workshop was given by a woman named Lara. I very much enjoyed her style, and although it took me a little bit to get back into the movements, by the end I was doing pretty well. I had been talking with Lara for a bit before the workshop, and it turns out that she will be arriving at Cabelo's a few days before I will be, and staying through January! It was neat to meet her before going there, and nice to know someone I will be spending Christmas and New Years with!
For lunch, the whole capoeira group went to a classic Brazilian buffet. It may have been one of the cheapest meals I've ever eaten: 7.50 reais (less than $2) for a yummy all-you-can-eat buffet. Money goes a lot farther in Brazil.
In the afternoon, we had a capoeira music workshop with Professor Tucano, a teacher who had been invited to teach at the workshop. Now, about Tucano. Brazil has a variety of different accents, some of which are easier to understand than others. I could hardly understand a word of Tucano's accent; something about the way he spoke was a bit mumbley, and all the words sounded slurred together. I soon gave up even trying to understand him. Another thing about Tucano: he liked to talk. And talk. And talk. And talk. For hours. At the roda on Thursday night he had talked for at least an hour and a half. The music workshop took place right after lunch, but Tucano prefaced it with at least an hour of talking. I can't tell you quite how long he talked, because I went to sleep sitting on the floor listening to him. The workshop however, once we got to it, was decent, although a bit frustrating for some because he didn't explain the rhythms he was doing, or how to hold the instruments to Alex and Piotr.
Once we finished the workshop and Tucano had talked some more, it was time for dinner and another roda. Alex, Piotr, and I decided to head off and explore Viçosa for a bit on our own instead. I had also begun to have some issues with my stomach that afternoon, and wasn't feeling up for more capoeira that evening on account of that.
We got pizza at a bar for dinner, of which I ate very little. We had to walk pretty far to get there, and I was glad to be in the company of Alex and Piotr, two tall men. I would not have walked that far at night in a big city on my own.
Our host had told us that the roda would likely finish around 9:00, at which point we would go back to his house. We arrived at the designated meeting point promptly at 9:00, only to find that the roda was in full swing. We decided to wait on the porch of a nearby house, which I'm sure the residents found a bit strange. They made no remark however, and we came to feel a bit at home on that porch.
Around 10:30, the roda finished and our host graciously drove us home. He and other members of the group went out to a bar afterwards, and he did not get home till 3:00 am. I took a very nice shower, took some medicine, and went to sleep at a decent hour that night.
The next morning, we had another movement workshop with a woman named Priscilla. I ate a bit of breakfast beforehand, but having effectively not had dinner the night before, I did not have enough energy to participate. As we were standing listening to her introduce herself, my hearing went fuzzy, my vision began to go black, and I was seriously concerned I was going to faint right then. I went and sat down for a bit and had some water, and was able to rejoin the group in a few minutes. I participated in the workshop for the stretching and warm-up, but every time I stood up, my vision would go black for a second, and I decided it would be wise to play music for the rest of the workshop instead.
We decided to leave the capoeira workshop at that point; I knew I wouldn't be able to participate, and Alex and Piotr had had enough capoeira by that point to last them for a while. They had done admirably, considering it was their first experience with it.
We got a traditional Brazilian lunch, and I managed to eat a good amount of food, even though it took me more than an hour. I knew I needed to though, if I was to regain my strength. We then went to a nearby park, and I lay down and slept while Alex and Piotr went to the city to find an ATM. I was laying facedown on my rain jacket with my flannel over my eyes and my backpack strapped to my legs (so no one could walk off with it).
Evidently, I presented a concerning picture, because at one point a security guard/park ranger came up to me and asked me if I was alright and if she could do anything for me. I was glad to have the ability to explain to her what was going on in Portuguese. Around 6:30, we met Marcos (our taxi driver), and he drove us back to Rosario da Limeira. There, we got dinner and met Deivid, Arielle, and John, because we had planned to go straight to Caparaó that night. We started driving around 9:45, and reached our destination around 1:30 in the morning. I have developed the ability to sleep incredibly well in cars these days, which has come in so handy in the last week. Needless to say, I slept the entire way to Caparaó, waking up long enough to ask what was happening when we stopped at gas stations, and then going straight back to sleep.
That night, I decided to charge my portable charger instead of my phone, with the result that my phone died and I was woken up at 8:00 (instead of 6:40) by Piotr pounding on my door, saying "Brrreakfast Rrronja!" (he's Polish).
We were staying in the city of Caparaó, which is adjacent to Caparaó National Park, a big, beautiful park that contains the third-highest peak in Brazil, the Pico de Bandera. Deivid lived here for a year and a half and worked as a guide, so he knew all the best spots and was able to take us there in an efficient way. He helped us make the most of our 2 day trip there, and we were able to see things we otherwise wouldn't have, as well as talk to local people there and have a less touristy and more genuine experience.
After breakfast, we drove to a river called Rio Claro, named for its crystalline waters. It had poured rain the night before, but the river still lived up to its name, crystal clear water swelling its banks. This was the first of many beautiful rivers and waterfalls we would see in the next two days.
(slideshow)
We took off our shoes, crossed the river, and went up a trail with some neat sculptures. Following the trail, we met the artisan who makes the sculptures and were able to see some of his other artwork, some of which was absolutely stunning.
(slideshow)
We had a yummy Brazilian lunch at a local bar. This is a more touristy area, and so some of the restaurants can charge up to 40 reais for a meal! We ate a meal that day that was 12 reais and just as good as anything we would have gotten at an expensive restaurant.
(slideshow)
After lunch we drove to the Minas Gerais entrance to Caparaó National park. The park sits on two states of Brazil: Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, with one entrance to the park in each state. We drove up the mountain, arriving at a high valley called Vale Encantado (Enchanted Valley). This was one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen, the water having worn down the rocks into flat expanses and deep pools. There was a chilly wind blowing, but I had never wanted to swim anywhere more, so I stripped down to my bathing suit and jumped into one of the pools. There was a natural rock slide from one pool to another, and going down it was incredibly exhilarating. We were also very lucky, because while we were there, there was almost no one else there. Deivid, who has been to this waterfall 14 times, said that he had never seen so few people there, and that sometimes there could be as many as 150 people! However, because it was a Sunday afternoon and had been raining, we had the place nearly to ourselves. I felt very fortunate and thankful to be in such a beautiful place.
(slideshow)
On Monday, we woke up early and drove to the Espirito Santo entrance of Caparaó National Park. I slept most of the way there and was glad I did, because driving in the combi can be absolutely terrifying. However, when I'm asleep, I don't notice :).
We stopped at the entrance to the park and Deivid had a long conversation with the gate keepers. Brazilians are very good at having long conversations wherever they go.
After a harrowing drive up into the park, we stopped and took a hike in one of the most beautiful and interesting forests I've ever seen. We were about 2000 meters above sea level, and that morning, the mountain was completely shrouded by a thick cloud. This meant that there were no views, but everything felt muffled and peaceful. This forest had never been destroyed, and as a result there is a feeling of right-ness about it that can be difficult to find in Brazil, I have found. I let the others walk ahead of me and walked slowly and silently through the forest, listening to the birds and the plants, looking at the lichens and ferns and spiderwebs filled with dewdrops, and simply soaking in as many impressions of this forest as I possibly could.
(slideshow)
We had to continue on far too soon, I thought, and I grudgingly got back in the combi for one of the most terrifying drives yet. In Portuguese, when something is beautiful, you say it is "lindo demais" (leen-doh djee-mighs). The views now that the clouds were lifting were lindo demais, but the roads, I can tell you, were not lindo demais. We were driving up the mountain on the highest road in Brazil: a dirt road winding along the edge of the mountain, with a steep slope, tight curves, and potholes big enough for a car to fall into. However, Deivid is an impressive driver and I believe the combi could fly if we asked it to, and together we made it up the mountain. At the end of the road there is a campground, with surprisingly good facilities including bathrooms and running water. When I went into the bathroom, I saw that a hummingbird had become stuck in the bathroom. Only ever flying upwards to escape, it hit its head on the ceiling continuously, unable to find its way out through the door. Using my hat, I shooed it towards the door and finally out. It felt a bit symbolic, rescuing that hummingbird; I wondered how I played into the story of the hummingbird flying towards the fire with a drop of water in its beak.
(slideshow, views from the high campsite)
We headed back down the mountain for lunch, Deivid joking about the brakes giving out and me beginning to think about joining a religion so I could have someone to pray to on these car rides. We stopped at one more waterfall on the way down, and Deivid took some nice pictures of me with his impressive phone camera.
That afternoon, we went to one last waterfall. Usually, you can slide down this one for 10-15 meters like a waterslide. It had rained so much in the last few days, however, that there was much more water in the river than usual, and although Alex attempted to slide, he realized it was unsafe and thankfully gave up. I somehow managed to go back to sleep... When they woke me up they told me I had slept for 2 hours but that can't have been true... I still do not know how long I was asleep for though. I have developed the reputation of sleeping anywhere and everywhere, which is not something I would have ever thought I'd be known for.
We drove back to the hostel, drank some coffee, and then drove up a very steep road to watch the sunset from a hill near the town of Caparaó. This was the first time Deivid actually asked us to get out of the car while he went over a rough spot.
(slideshow)
Some of the best coffee in Brazil comes from this region, at the cost of the rainforest. We discussed coffee production methods at length while watching the sunset.
That night, we had dinner at the hostel. The 8-year-old daughter of the woman who owns the hostel and a friend of hers had gotten a hold of some lipstick, and decided to give all of us makeovers. This provided for a very humorous evening.
(slideshow)
After a very necessary shower, I went to bed at a decent time, only to wake up at 4:10 to have breakfast and drive back to Iracambi, because we had to be back at 9:00 to help with Giving Tuesday! Thankfully, I slept the whole way home, and the rest of my tiredness disappeared with the help of some coffee.
Overall, it's been an incredible week and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to go on trips like this. I am continually learning how far I can push myself, and what is really important in order for me to be functional and enjoy myself. Lessons from this trip included learning that I should not, under any circumstances, skip a meal; that if I am tired enough, I can and will sleep anywhere, and that this sleep will help me be more functional; that bringing your own sheets is a good idea in Brazil; that going up to people and asking them for help is not always as scary as I make it out to be; and that sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to have a good time.
Comments