I really do live in Brazil...my trip to Chapada dos Veadeiros

This weekend I realized that I really do live in Brazil. Andrea told me that the first time she left Brasilia, she came to the realization that she was really living in a whole other country. Tambem for me!

It was a weekend of adventure, hiking, singing, fun and not a lot of sleep but it was the perfect way to kick off my travel adventures in Brazil.

The crew was a combined newbie, veteran and Brazilian bunch. It made for some great bonding and language learning. My new friends Mark and Vanessa also have a blog. Mark described this trip as the GGT (Great Gringo Trip). I think that's a perfect way to paint the weekend. The blog is now linked to mine. It's truly a must as Vanessa's beautiful photos and Mark's clever take on our lives here. Check out the Friends I Follow area.

Back to the adventure...Friday afternoon at about 5 p.m., after a bit of credit card difficulty, we were finally able to load up tiny clown cars and begin our camping adventure. On our way out of town, we stopped at the Flamingo gas station/bread store/convenience store/motel to grab a few snacks for our ride. They had delicious pao de queijo and other bready treats. It was the perfect pick-me-up for the long journey which we were about to begin. Flamingo Gas Station outside of Brasilia, yummy bread store in back left corner

We rented 2 cars and then one of Miguel's friends, Rafael also drove. Combined persons on this adventure = 12. In the lovely Chevy car seen below, I rode with 4 other teachers. Miguel, Libby, Sam and Hirsch (one of 3 Erins on this trip - we now officially use last names). Sam, Hirsch and I squeezed into the backseat for the ride there.

Our tiny ride, a Chevy Delta

In addition to all the people crammed into the cars we also had tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, pillows and miscellaneous food and drink. The drive from Brasilia to the Chapadas usually takes about 3 - 3.5 hours. Friday night it took us 5 1/2 hours to get from Brasilia to Sao Jorge. Now, I have no complaints about this part of the trip as it inspired us to add song to the entire weekend whenever possible, many inside jokes were started, lots of fun was had, scantily clothed men were seen and we just really got to know each other in a very close and confined setting.

After arriving to our campground, we had to begin setting up camp. Some of this went very easily, other parts, well you can probably infer what may have happened from the photo.

Sam, Miguel and Baeta working hard to set up "The Palace."

While the boys were working very hard to set up one tent, the girls tried to help but gender roles are hard to break and we eventually sat back and relaxed. The mission was accomplished, however...thanks Hirsch! And they gave her credit too!

2 Erins relaxing while the boys were setting up tents...Erin Hayes (left) and Erin Hirsch (right)

After setting up camp, we all needed a break. We'd been in the car for almost 5 hours, set up a camp at night and had been at school all day. What's the perfect fix for that? Miguel and Rafael began to sing. They both are amazing musicians who play the guitar and sing beautiful harmonized duets. We were serenaded into the night.

The next morning, we woke up, dressed and found some breakfast at a cute restaurant down the street. We wandered around the town of Sao Jorge (St. George) a bit...

Small town. One main drag. It's definitely growing.

The Chapada is said to have many UFO sightings, especially since it's on the same parallel as Machu Picchu. Didn't feel the same mysticism here as there. We were asked by one local while we were out exploring if we'd seen any UFOs. Here's our conversation...

Sao Jorge Purse Stand Owner - "Have you seen any UFO's?"

Gringa Megan - "Not yet. Have you?"

Sao Jorge Purse Stand Owner - "No."

Gringa Megan - "Do you know anyone who has?"

Guy (his other name is getting too long to type!) - "Yes. And you can too."

Gringa Megan - "How?"

Guy -"Well, you just have to have a drink, and then another drink and then another drink and then maybe you will see one. If you don't, have another drink."

Road to our campground

Then we went back to camp to wait for our other gringo friends who had decided to drive on Saturday instead. When we got back to camp, a few things began to happen.

1. We hung out and Miguel taught us a new card game. Truco. Fun and easy game but some great strategy. I'll try and teach you sometime.

2. It rained!

3. The Independence Day refugee camp in Bolbi's (pronounced Bobby) backyard (really truly, it was his backyard - Landon I see a new business for you!) was growing. Our small camp tripled in size. A few statistics to note when camping in the Chapadas...

toilets = 2 (1 boy, 1 girl),

fully equipped kitchen = 1,

plastic lawn chairs = 8,

number of campers by the end of Saturday night...I'll estimate 40 - 45.

After Erin #3 (aka Gallagher) and John and Mark and Vanessa arrived and set up camp, we quickly got our things together and headed off to Vale de Lua. In English that is Valley of the Moon. It definitely lives up to its name.

After bouncing along a dirt-esk road (it's more like a rock road - not gravel, like rock) to another windy dirt road and down away from the dry cerrado landscape, you stumble into a rainforest like area and then suddenly, that changes again. The landscape was almost something out of a movie set on Mars or some type of Land of the Lost tv show.
The wildlife was crazy!

The plants looked deadly.

But then, we heard it. The river.

The rocks look like something straight off the sci-fi channel. They've been carved so much by the river. There are several small falls and the water is very fast moving. We hiked along the top of the river until we found an area where we could go swimming.

I'm usually not a big swimmer but it was very hot and so a cool dip sounded just right. While Vanessa and I lounged in the water, many of the boys and Hirsch jumped off of rocks into the water. They looked just like a group of young boys...exploring, jumping and checking out huge spiders. Yuck! No photos of those. I'm too chicken and really just don't want another Brazilian species to attack.After our hike and swimming, we were hungry and tired so we headed back to camp in Sao Jorge. More exploring and hanging out in the town. The GGT is recognizible by Sam's white hat and John's green trucker hat in the center of the photo.

With it being Independence Day weekend, Sao Jorge, was well jam packed. I would recommend choosing a different weekend to go there mainly because everything was just crazy full and loud. Sao Jorge is usually known for the opposite. People were poured out into the streets, their tiny clown car trunks and doors popped with loud music playing (Brittany Spears to forro).

As you can see, the party was just starting up around 6:30. Literally people were dancin' in the street.

Some of us hadn't had a bite to eat and wanted a quieter atmosphere so we walked down the street to a yummy pizza and crepe restaurant called Lua de Sao Jorge. Funny how crepes are so popular and so delicious in Brazil! I had a delicious cheese pizza and a caiprioska. Yum!

There was another reason to celebrate this weekend though. It also was Mark's birthday. He turned the big 2-9 and was surprised by a yummy Nutella crepe complete with candle and Happy Birthday sung in Portuguese by the waitstaff. One addition to Happy Birthday here is that everyone claps throughout the whole song so other tables joined in the fun surprise.

Mark enjoying the singing and his amazing Nutella birthday crepe of the gods.

It wound up being an earlier night for me. I think lack of sleep, a headache from too much fun and lack of sleep caught up with me so I was the first one down for the night. The campground party ended earlier that night which was nice so there was actually quiet, other than some snoring for a bit.

The next day we took a trip to a local waterfall near Sao Bento. There were several falls to choose from. We took a hike to the falls. Vanessa, Hayes and I took our time on the hike. We let several different categories of hikers pass us...families, young people drinking beer and smoking while hiking in flipflops and just anyone else who moved more quickly than we did. As with most hikes, you round a bend and then, ahhhh, all the sweat and feeling out of shape goes away when you see the view.

As you can see, people rappelled down the waterfall on the right. The pool itself was quite deep. To reach the falls you had to swim across the lagoon. Vanessa and I became rock climbers and ventured down the sides of the pool into the water. It was so refreshing after our hike. She's definitely my waterfall friend. It was pretty crowded but our GGT crew found a quieter area and were able after swimming to sit and watch others so some cliff jumping. It was fun to watch as each of the boys went to the edge of the cliff and how they postured as they prepared to jump. And yes, you can already see the Brazilian male swimming outfit here. It's called a sunga.

After our swimming, we got back into the cars with a little more room this time. Some of us headed straight back to Brasilia, while a small group of us, myself included went to Alto Paraiso for a delicious lunch. It so reminded me of home cooking. Couldn't have asked for something better after a long weekend away.

Hirsch, Sam, Vanessa and I shared the car on the way back. In addition to continuing our serenading, Sam spotted a toucan, we saw a huge grass fire and drove into Brasilia with no traffic. Couldn't have asked for a better end to the weekend.

The Chapada is known for it's biodiversity. Gallagher told me it is the most diverse on the planet. Even more diverse than the rainforest or a coral reef. She's a high school biology teacher so the source is definitely reliable. Why mention this now? That's because the trip was diverse too...hiking, relaxing, listening to wonderful music, eating, swimming in waterfalls, sharing a bathroom with 40 people and just getting to know some of the diverse people that are now a big part of my life. So, I guess it really is true. I do live in Brazil.