Change of Scenery

Sometimes the best way to find respite is to break up your routine and get out of town for a weekend. We took advantage of the MLK holiday and took off for the nearby town of Pirenópolis. The short two-hour trek from Brasília (150 km) is a beautiful drive across the cerrado or wind-swept savanna. The Portuguese colonial town is clearly an accessible escape for weekenders from the capital city, and it was particularly full of visitors on Saturday evening. The cobblestone streets are lined with vendors, restaurants, and guesthouses. We were tucked back from the party zone for the evening and choose to put our energies towards exploration of the terrain. We joined a guided trip through the information office to the State Park -- and it was lucky we did as our little car could not have possibly handled some of the rough access roads. We swam in waterfalls, awaited a rainstorm under shelter, walked to rock outcroppings and viewpoints, and breathed in the fresh air and surroundings. In less than 48 hours we found total escape from reality, and it felt rather good! 

18th Century Church

Side street in the town

Ahhhhh! The Cerrado!

First waterfall of the day

And the second 

Swimming in the cool, clean water (right before the rain)

Rocks!

Pretty spot for a selfie

Third waterfall where we swam (and got bitten by little itchy bugs)

Vista point - one of the highest in the state of Goiás at around 1,300 meters (4,500 feet)

Sunset -- and rain

Waterfalls are the Brazilian Mountain

Context is everything, right? I love to hike and, if given a choice, I spend my free time outdoors. For me, as a Wyomingite, a hike means an ascent, a sense of accomplishment, and a view. With my husband, we have had many a debate between my concept of hike and the German sense of wanderung. Basically, my version involves a mountain and a scramble to the top and his version involves more of a walk... I remember when I was a student at Augustana and meeting fellow students from Minnesota who went camping at lakes! (Yup. For me, camping involves mountains.) In Indonesia, I understood that hiking might mean walking on a trail in town or climbing up a volcano, probably in flip flops.

Here in Brazil, it seems that the attraction that pulls people out of their urban lives and draws them to nature is the waterfall. Or at least that is the case around Brasilia. And it probably involves proper hiking gear -- you know, a bikini or speedo and flip flops.

My fellow hiking friends and I headed outside of town last weekend to a waterfall trail head about 40 minutes away. We saw four waterfalls, including the Spanish waterfall, Indaia, the Bride's Veil, and the backside of Itiquira. It was not a mountain, but it was beautiful. Take a look.

Post #14: Hiking

Today, we were lucky enough to head out of town to a nearby hiking and water hole called Poço Azul, or Blue Well. Bumping along unpaved roads about 45 minutes from Brasília, we came to the park entrance and began to make our way down a dusty, red path towards the valley and waterfalls. The baked soil of the high plains made way to surprisingly blue waterfalls and a running river. We hiked through and up and around, catching views of the landscape and also stopping to watch the locals dive from some of the cliffs into the water. It was a great trip out to see the area and get a sense of place, even if we all came back a bit dehydrated, sunburned, and spent after traipsing around in the full heat of the unrelenting "winter" sun.