Black Gold

City - Ouro Preto; Inhabitants - 70 000 (ouropretano/a); Altitude - 1 179m; Distance - 413km; Travel - 7h of bus

   Here I go for my first small trip on the Brazilian soil. I have four days with a red Monday and a skipping class day ;)

With four days, I can finally manage to get out of the State of Rio de Janeiro (name of the State and of the city, which is its capital), towards the State of Minas Gerais (General Mines) in the company of my Argentinian classmate, Paula.

But as this country is gigantic, to say that you go to the MG is a bit vague. So more precisly, I am going to Ouro Preto (Black Gold as the name of this entry... Intelligent !), one of the oldest city of Brazil, but mostly one of the rare colonial city preserved as it was made with the colonial architecture and paved roads. The city was built at the very beggining of the colonisation of Brazil for a very logical matter: they had found gold there ! Or more likely, black gold (before being washed),  because of its high contamination from metal.

Today, Ouro Preto is a small studant city, its first university was built 139 years ago on the Tiradentes Square (the main Square. For more informations about Tiradentes I let you google it, I will just tell you that it means Teeth Puller, and that it was a person ... ;) ). A small city, filled by Repùblicas, houses shared by students, with each one a longue history and traditions. Each Repùblica was built in different years, the one where I stayed was 35 years of age but there are others much older, and they each represent a sort of family for the students who are far from home. Every person who has lived in a Repùblica is welcome back there until the end of his life, has his portrait on a wall dedicated to portraits of former inhabitants, and when someone passes away, a black ribon is put on one corner of the picture, but the photo stays for ever. There is another wall, with the portraits of the good friends of the Repùblica, they are not many, and like the former residents, they are welcome to come visit whenever ! The only thing that needs be done when one is returning to the Repùblica, is to turn his portrait facing the wall.

                                         The wall of Abelinhas - one of them is in the house !

   So I have spent four days in the Favinho de Mel (the Honeycomb) in the company of some of its Abelinhas as well as some former Abelinhas (cute way for saying Bee). One thing important is that we were there on the week end of the 12th of October, which, we learned after buying the bus tickets, is THE yearly week end of celebrations of the foundations of the Republicas and of the School of Mines, founded by a French (!) 139 years ago this year. So: from the Friday to the Sunday night, EVERY Repùblica of men organized parties day and night, with frozen beer (no not just fresh, the brazilians like it frozen - uma gelada means a beer !) and bixo to serve you (a Bixo is a person trying to get in a Repùblica, and therefor who has to prove of his possible usefulness for a little bit of time). And so usually, groups of girls go from Repùblica to Repùblica, to meet friends, dance a bit, drink some beer, and so on night AND day.

But one specificity important in this city to understand here, is that it was built in the brazilian mountains, and PAVED. Might sound like a detail but beware: the use of hills should be prohibited to go out, and no girl wear them there, and of what I have seen, it seems like the stores don't sell much of them either. And as well, the walk can be particularly difficult on these pavements with these streets going up and down the whole time, in an abrupt kind of way. After four days, I can feel my calves as if I had ran five marathons.

                               

                                         One of the many colonial churches ...

   So, parties and beer are good, but you might be wondering what kind of things can be interesting to do in a colonial city in the middle of the mountains...

Well, many things! The city in itself is definitely worth the visit. You can easily feel how different it is as soon as you arrive just by looking around you. I still don't understand how cars actually manage to run there...

One particularity of Ouro Preto are its churches. Colonial churches with beautiful architecture and interiors covered in gold. In fact, there are no fewer than nineteen churches and capels for 70 000 inhabitants... 

Of course, in the Minas Gerais, you have to make sure to eat several times a day the delicious Paes de Queijo, the best of the country (traditionals Cheese breads). So I have been on a special diet for four days, of consuming between two and four Pao de Queijo a day ;)

But there are more things than just the city. As for us, we have been visiting one mine (we are indeed in the state of the General Mines...), with a subterranean small lake and a small train to go down the earth. Very interesting!

We finished the stay with the best, a visit of the waterfalls of the Andorinhas. They aren't the most beautiful, in a region that is full of them, but they were the most easily accessible for two girls without a car on a red day in an unknown State. But I believe that even if not the most beautiful, they were definitely worth it! Especially one that falls inside a cave. The access is not the easiest one, but on warm non-working days, the place becomes the city pool...

There were as well other small waterfalls with pools of water, very nice to relax under the sun, in the clear water, sitting on red stones. But be careful: red stones stain ! I still don't know if I will be able to get my swimsuit back, but to play indians and make war marks on the face, it is perfect ;)

                                       

                                   

                     Red Stones, and the famous Pedra de Jacare, which I didn't dare to step on ...

   To finish on a funny note, let me tell you of some students tradition of the city. There is of course the tradition of the Bixo, that I explained before, which many say that it was their best time as a student. Once the bixo is accepted in a Repùblica, he will earn a surname, which works as a kind a second identity with the other students of the university. The surname are usually quite funny.

Every Repùblica has an anthem. One or two sentences, said during parties in the Repùblica, with everyone raising his glass.

And finally, the best one. The one that I would love to see one day: the rolling.

Yes, rolling. During parties, when they have already drank a little bit, the students can start rolling on the floor. It is considered as totally normal! Well, was, just a few years ago, but the tradition is starting to loosen a bit.

        All this to say that Ouro Preto was tested and approuved. So let's roll on the floor and enjoy life !

                                 

                     I am scared of heights, but definitely not of a cave with a waterfall in it ;)