The farewell gift

Brazil had a parting gift for me, just so I could experience all that it had to offer ... My car got broken into. It wasn't at gun point but it still cost me (rather my company) some serious money.

I am glad that they only decided to steal the GPS and the spare tire, costing me 2000 Reals and not the car itself! To compound all this, the rental agency apologised to me as they told me that the insurance does not cover, inspite of me taking the full coverage. I don't know why I bought the insurance as it doesn't seem to cover anything in Brazil!

Other than this small pin prick, driving was fun in Sao Paulo. All you have to do is watch for the two wheelers that wiz by and the not stop at red lights in the night.

The car is the one in the picture!

The hippies are alive

The last weekend was spent in a small village called Sao Thome das Letras in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I was there to do some trekking, visit some surrounding waterfalls and take in a little bit of rural Brazil. But I had the shock of my life to find that all the hippies of the world had decided to retire to this piece of land.

The rumor around Brazil is that this place has accounted for more UFO sightings than for the rest of the world. After you have been there for an hour you would understand why. Some parts of the mountainside had a strong marijuana smell that you would see stars in daylight. The village that I stayed at was an eclectic mix of Hindu symbols, spiritism and mediums. I was hoping to buy some Brazil artifacts but was instead shown a lot of Indian ones (atleast with Hindu symbols and gods) and when was given a discount at the gift store when they found out that I was India (I don't get the hippies!).

That being said, the place was wonderful, the terrain not for the faint of heart, the food mouth-watering and the people as always great! Special thanks to Monica and her Family for the trip!!! Below are some pictures ... will probably add to it!

Brazil