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Published: April 6th 2016
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How lovely not to be too warm at night - it seems a lot less sticky here and the temperature must have fallen to below 20 last night. On the other hand, the noise oi the traffic has been replaced by barking dogs. Graça appeared to provide me with coffee and breakfast. She was in a hurry to get away, although did offer to cook me a tapioca, but that's fine - really this is a guesthouse or pousada rather than an Airbnb 'proper', where you stayin somebody's house.
I spent the morning doing the churches and the the two most important museums: Museu da Inconfidência and Museu Casa de Contos. Both contain important artefacts relating to what was the first uprising against the Portuguese in 1789. Led mainly by poets and intellectuals, but with some high-up clandestine sympathisers within the administration, it was a complete failure. Its leaders were exiled or executed but were later rehabilitated and are now honoured as contributing to the foundation of Brazil.
The majority of the population at that time, and indeed until much later, were slaves and both museums contained artefact used for restraining or punishing them. A particularly horrendous type of
trap used on fugutive slaves was placed next to a press for making Communion wafers - very evocative of the role of the Catholic Church in supporting the status quo at that time. I've now got used to how bad the English translations are in museums as important as these, and indeed, all over the world. A portrait was described as 'detached' when they meant 'stands out/ is noted for.. and as for a 'table of proping'.... I still don't know what that means. Who does these translations?
Lunched at a LP recommended restaurant supposed to be the best for Minas Gerais food in Ouro. Turned out to be a proper 'by the kilo' restaurant. Luckily most of the food laid out on the buffet table was labelled. I still think it's a strange way of charging - realised afterwards that I could have added a mound of lettuce to my plate and it would have hardly increased the cost at all.
In the early evening went to to a rather grandly named international film festival in the cinema - along with only about a dozen other people, in spite of it being free. It was a programme
Lunch
Note the ubiquitous brown rice and black beans of short films and because these were from all over the world most had English sub-titles as well as Portuguese. I often find the plots of shorts impenetrable and did here but a couple made an impact: one filming the aftermath of a wreck off the coast of Italy of a boat bringing North African refugees across to Europe (possibly a Dutch film-maker) and the other an Iranian film about a young female student who had had a small baby which she had been concealing from her parents. She couldn't put them off from visiting any longer and was at her wit's end trying to find somebody to look after the infant. Very moving.
On the way back stopped at a deserted restaurant for a hamburger and chips and decided it was time to try a caipirinha. This strong cocktail is in effect Brazil's national drink but can be made with different spirits and mixers. Discussed options with the waitress and chose a local spirit, cachaça (made from sugar cane juice) and lime, which is the traditional mix. She did warn me that it was strong and duly came rushing with more ice when she saw me choking on
the first sip. However I persevered and decided I rather liked it. We had a few communication problems when she failed to bring me a knife and fork and I temporarily forgot the word for both, no doubt due to the caipirinha. I was never any good at charades! Rather surprisingly I didn't get lost going home tonight although did have a few problems trying to find my way out of the restaurant.
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Jane Wish
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Love reading your blog
Really enjoying your adventure, sounds amazing and awed by your fearlessness! We missed you last night, another success with Malala, we're really coming on a pace! Linda seems to be staying now that we've pulled our socks up! See you soon, jane