To put it mildly, Serro is rough around the edges. Arrival into this mountain community, as its namesake infers, is a rude awakening. Ninety kilometers, but a three-hour bus trip from Diamantina, its backdrop could not contrast more starkly to the sparkling movie sets of Diamantina, Ouro Prêto, or Tiradentes. A curly haired ten-year-old and I rock and yaw in unison as the bus navigates the few portions of road that are paved. Housing is abysmal and hard to distinguish from scurvy storefronts in the outskirts. Only around a sharp curve in the distance does the view improve. The center of town is now a half mile off. The hopeless and repetitive scene of block concrete buildings connected by sagging electrical wires in time appears more in line with the 20th century. Moreover, there is a ... read more

Mariana is Ouro Prêto’s modest colonial neighbor. It most enduring quality is that it is not Ouro Prêto, nor will it ever be. A half hour bus ride for students whose studies revolve around the arts and sciences, its feel is a more agreeable marriage between old and new than the abrupt demarcation in São João del Rei. A few hundred steps above the booths and vending stands by the bus depot, continuous rows of colonial housing run up and down past ladies carrying home the morning’s groceries. Men on step ladders touch up window sills in high gloss white paint. I am the lone American visitor who occasionally pulls out his camera to take a snapshot and stands in the middle of a bumpy road. He is spellbound by the simplistic beauty that surrounds him. ... read more

Brazil’s national soccer team has claimed the World Cup five times, setting off a national celebration that would make Carnaval come across as a family backyard barbecue. All the heavenly bodies were in perfect alignment for “Germany 2006”: The Green and Gold of Brazil had not lost an important international contest for ages. Their reserves are the envy of wishful sides like the Americans, Danes, and Colombians. In fact, the Brazilian bench would not only qualify for the World Cup if it were its own entry, but I would argue it would advance deeply into the second round. Nothing on earth compares to world dominance in soccer for a Brazilian. However, a distant second would be a heart-smashing, last minute loss for Argentina, sending their southern neighbors home in disgrace. Brazilians speak almost as passionately of ... read more

The echoing sound from an approaching galloping horse splits the tranquil night air in Tiradentes. I doubt there is a more striking sensation than the thundering clap of iron horseshoes fiercely striking hard slabs of red and grey cobblestones. The riderless animal disappears ahead into the mist as quickly as it approached, leaving in its wake only a fading echo. Tiradentes is a carefully preserved, colorful, and bumpy colonial showpiece of Minas Gerais that not only lives up to, but surpasses expectations. It is concealed among craggy hilltops often enveloped in morning clouds. Its perfectly situated churches framed by flowering trees and courtyards create a supremely blissful scene. There is no need to explore further; the setting has already delivered its full impact. I casually dismiss the art emporiums, French restaurants, boutiques, and horse-and-buggy tours. Even ... read more

Few cities intimidate like São Paulo. Its reputation for both its enormity and threatening nature should not be taken lightly. Arriving at night eliminates any doubt that it is not in the best interest for the casual visitor to South America’s largest metropolis to immediately start exploring poorly lit and ominous streets around the Praça de República. Shady characters abound. Even as I stepped off the airport shuttle, it was apparently clear that I should take a taxi to my hotel even though it was but five blocks away and less than a ten-minute walk. As I looked up from putting my luggage on the ground, a face was in mine. I could smell his pungent breath. This is the same man, who to ensure he would get a fare from me said my upon getting ... read more