Pirenópolis, Goias

 I just got back from a long weekend spent in a city called Pirenópolis- a city that I fell in love with.  It is located in the Goias state, a neighboring state of SP.  Goias is where the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, is located.  Although I will visit the capital later in my exchange, this trip to Goias didn't land me there.  I went with my host sister who was traveling to Pirenópolis to take a test to enter the college there.  She wants to study culinary arts and if the food she's made me and the extra few kilos I've packed on have any say in the matter, she will make an excellent chef.

We took the overnight bus from Catanduva to Goiania, the capital of Goias.  The bus was cold and the ride was long, but the seats were cozy.  When we arrived there we got a taxi and to take us to the house of a friend of ours, who lives in the city.  After sleeping for about three hours on her couch, we took off again, this time for our final destination.  As we started to get closer and closer to Pirenópolis and farther and farther away from the metropolis that was Goiania, the road got a little narrower and the trees more abundant.  After about a two and a half hour drive we knew that we had arrived in the city when the tires of the car started bumping  a little across the now cobblestoned streets.  Pirenópolis is a historical city in Brasil because of its well cared for and preserved colonial houses as well as natural beauties.  It is a huge tourist attraction, so mixed in with the authentic restaurants and stone age palm trees you will find the occasional touristy shop.  But it is created with grace.

This city also has an overabundance of old bug cars (one demonstrated in the photo below), which I think is truly lovely as this is my dream car.  Plus, turns out they play the "slug bug (color of car)" *pow* game in Brazil too.  Unfortunetly for my sake, I can never remember what it is that they say along with the punch, so I'm usually the one getting hit.

For those of you who have been to Ashland, Oregon (a.k.a. my future home) you can imagine that, Braziliazed.  Its the same feeling that Ashland has plus palm trees and Portuguese. 

 We went for an adventure to find a waterfall (one of the natural beauties about this beautiful place) and first found a road side stand selling coconut water.  And what makes me more happy than fresh, cold coconut water?  Basically nothing.

And of course: waterfalls.  When we arrived it was midday and very hot.  After hiking a little ways down the trail we found this beauty and everyone jumped in.  The water was icy cold, but the warm Brazilian sun had no problem warming us up as soon as we stepped out of the water. 

This parrot is named Rosa.  After an extensive photoshoot with her, I read the sign which translates to say "I like to make friends, but my beak is very sharp!"  Needless to say, I fled the scene.

And here we have me, starring as a namoradeira.  In many shops, and some houses as well, these wooden statues stay gazing out at the streets.  The story behind them is that back in the day many young girls wanted to go out at night, but their parents would not let them.  So instead, they stood at the windowsill, looking and wanting to go out on the town.  Fortunately, I don't have the same problem.