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Published: October 5th 2009
Church near the Fair
BH is not known for great churches but this one in town is very nice.Saturday
Well, Friday night I was visited by the ghost of Montezuma. I can only think of one reason, the salad that I ate in Ouro Preto. I was already not feeling great at dinner and maybe that is another reason why I did not spend enough time checking the dinner bill.
This is the only day on our trip that I did not take a single photo. I took many on Sunday so I have decided to do a double day blog.
Since I was not feeling well we waited until late morning before leaving the hotel. We walked over to the mall Patio Savassi to do some final shopping. Jackie found some nice earrings for the daughters and herself.
Later, we took a taxi to Maria’s for lunch. There we met Maria, Gilberto, Ester and Gustavo and his son. Maria’s brother Augusto joined us later. Since I was still with a weak stomach, Vera fixed me a nice mix of rice and potatoes. It settled my stomach and increased my appetite. I even ate some ice cream.
During the lunch I raised the issue of the dinner bill from the night before. We even listed
Hippy Fair
Jackie at the top end of the fair. We entered here and walked about a mile along the route. the entire meal and tried to price it. We all agreed that something was wrong. Maria agreed to revisit the restaurant and investigate if a mistake was made.
Augusto gave us a ride back to the hotel to rest and then later we met with Maria and Gilberto for a light dinner at Top Beer. Jackie wanted one more order of Frango na Chapa before leaving. By dinner, my stomach had recovered enough to have another caiprinha.
Sunday
It was time to pack for the trip back. Our flight was scheduled for departure at 9:30pm. The flight was from Belo to Miami then to Atlanta, arriving at mid-day Monday.
Since we packed light it did not take much time to repack. By 9:00 am we
Hippy Fair
Sights and sounds are incredible. were finished and ready for breakfast and a walk to the Feira do Hippie (or Hippy Fair). This event occurs every Sunday in Belo Horizonte. It is located on one of the city's main thoroughfares, Alfonso Pena. The fair stretches for many blocks on this avenue in the heart of the city, adjacent to a beautiful park.
It was about a 30 minute walk from the hotel to the fair. The weather continued to be perfect with temps about 75 degrees (24 C), clear sky and light breeze. As we approached the fair we noticed large busses lined up bringing folks from all over the state. At the fair you can find anything…clothes, leather goods, art work, etc. The price here can’t be beat. The only issue is the crowd. If you don’t get there early (7am or so), you are engulfed in the crowd. With my claustrophobia it is really hard to shop or even walk through the mass of people.
So, what I usually do is to walk along the border as Jackie attacks. She loves the whole thing. My favorite at the fair was always the artwork. This is where we first met with Alfredo
Hippy Fair
Jackie is checking the sizes for her only purchase. She brought back two pairs. Vieira. Today, we searched for him without success. I think that he has overgrown this forum for selling his work. His work would have been the best of show, if displayed here.
My strategy of only bringing about $80BRL worked. Most of the vendors here only accept cash and when Jackie zeroed in on the jewelry, I told her that we didn’t have the cash for it. So, she accepted the challenge to spend what I had. She accomplished this with the purchase of two pairs of shoes.
Leaving the fair we took a taxi back to the hotel. Our last event was to be a meal at a churrascaria de rodizio, or a Brazilian barbeque. Maria chose the restaurant “Porcao.” It is located on the ridge over Belo with a great view. We arrived in the early afternoon. Maria, Gilberto and Ester Maria joined us.
Thank goodness that my stomach was feeling better because there is nothing better than a good churrascaria. There are now several in the Atlanta area but when we lived here I had never seen one. The focus is on the meat. The crew brings out freshly cooked meat on skewers and
it is craved for you at your request. Each guest has a two-sided card that is used to signal whether you are ready for more. One side is green, the other red.
Inevitably, you try to pace yourself to eat as much as you can. But it always fails. Lamb, steak, pork, fish, more steak, more pork….Then you bust.
After this great meal we returned to the hotel for the last time. Fortunately, the hotel allowed us to have a late check out. Maria and Gilberto picked us up at 5:00pm for the ride to the airport. They stayed with us for more than an hour before we passed through security to catch our flight.
Thanks Maria, Gilberto, Ester, Augusto, Gustavo and all our friends for a wonderful reunion. We love and already miss you. Ate logo e Saudades! Abracos.
Tom and Jackie
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hilary and pete
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Thanks
Thanks for the blogs Tom! You obviously had a great time apart from the 'revenge'. Never made it to South America -Mexico City was the nearest I ever got. Hil and I are both well -we now have our grandkids living with us after problems with their stepmother so our global adventures will be curtailed for a few years! Sarah is. 16 and James is 14 - crash course in modern day parenting. Love to Jackie - you know where we are. Cheers, Pete