The weekend started with an invitation from our colleagues at Instituto Ipe Cultural to join them and their clients for caipirinhas after work. All of us accept. Free caipirinhas is a big draw. I am intrigued by what I've heard of Ipe, and want to see the place. And it did not disappoint. On entering, the first thing you notice is a raised vegetable garden that is bordered by upside-down soda bottles. I spot all sorts of herbs and veggies - thyme, rosemary, cabbage, broad beans, aloe. Then I spotted a large junkyard - the neighborhood houses drop off their recyclables here, and Ipe sorts through it and puts it to good use. Among the uses - making walls out of soda bottles, recycled wood and other thrown-away stuff. Each section of the compound wall is made of a different recycled material. There is a fish pond that is fed off of recycled rainwater. The fish pond also serves to water the garden. The place is used to demonstrate the benefits of recycling to groups of school kids who come in daily for visits.
I meet the head of the institute, Toni, and a few of his colleagues. I get my first caipirinha (very nice) and notice the chandelier made out of plastic soda bottles, the sofa made out of recycled pallets and evidence of creative reuse everywhere. Toni mentors kids who are going through tough times and teaches them to create useful products out of stuff that would otherwise have headed to the landfill. So far, he's put 17 children through college. Toni's team is a bunch of dedicated souls, all seemingly looking to change the world. I talk with a few of them, and they are very friendly, open and welcoming.
On to dinner at Hippo Pizza. Paul observes that Brazilian pizza does not have a base of tomato sauce. Instead, they liberally top their slices off with ketchup. Odd indeed.
Saturday, I decide to tackle the clothes washing chore. I borrow detergent and start hand washing them in the washbasin. Midway through, I realize that I ought to have separated the colors and the whites. Too late now. Then I am stuck with the problem - where do I hang the dripping wet clothes ? Much ingenuity ensues, and I rig up clotheslines across my bedroom, with a drop cloth to absorb the dripping water. Upshot - can't walk across my room - need to limbo dance under the wet clothes. At least, I'll have fresh clothes tomorrow. I Skype with wife and kids. Video chat is much better than a phone call - but I still miss my kids a lot. My kids are the thing I miss the most - not the food, the language or any of the "usual suspects". I head out for a run and then to Cajuba Club for a swim. Nice pool, great setting, feeling mellow. The group dines at Uai Tche, a churrascaria - but I don't have it in me to do justice to the offering. I stick to the salad bar mostly.
Sunday morning, a group of 12 head out at 8:30 to a nearby waterfall, Cachoeira do Furnas, with an adventure sports company, Trilhas Interpretivas. A short 45 minute bus ride takes us to Indianopolis, a nearby town. We jump across a fence and trek through grasslands for a bit to reach the waterfall. We admire the cerrado (the Brazilian savannah), spot Ipe trees, pass dozens of anthills and herds of curious cattle and are warned of rattlesnakes. After we hike down to the bottom of the 60 m waterfall, we could not resist the temptation to jump in the pool. It is very cold, but refreshing as all heck. While we gambol around, the guides set up rappelling equipment. Then a trek back up. Now the time comes to face your fears. We are to rappel (abseil) down the fall. We get our gear, and are shown the basic moves. Gallows humor is rife as we await our doom. The drop is precipitous, and sharp rocks abound at the bottom. The trees that anchor the ropes seem twig-like - I am sure they'll snap under my weight. Douglas, the lead guide, assures us that the ropes can handle 3000 lbs. Joel volunteers to be the first one down.
Joel makes it down in one piece (or so I assume from the absence of screams). Then the group starts going down one by one. Confidence builds up, and when it is my turn, I am actually looking forward to the descent. I peer down the edge - and it is steep. My carabiner is hooked up, and I walk backwards over the edge. After a bit, I get the hang of things, and I am enjoying the scenery. I descent slowly, taking in the view. At the bottom, the crew unhitches me. The group at the bottom is behind the waterfall. We cheer each new person who descends. Finally, Anna and Douglas does a tandem descent, and the whole group has made it down. Quite a thrill.
Trek back up, and on to lunch at a local village restaurant. The crowd there is puzzled and curious about our group and wants to know what we're doing there. The lunch is very nice. I sample some doce de leite (dulce de leche) - and I know I will be seeing a lot more of that in the days to come.
A delightful afternoon nap restores some of the sleep deficit. I meet my team to work on a revised scope of work to present to the client. A terrific weekend, all in all, and recharged for Week 2 of work.
Chandelier made out of recycled plastic soda bottles
The columns have embedded plastic bottles.
I meet the head of the institute, Toni, and a few of his colleagues. I get my first caipirinha (very nice) and notice the chandelier made out of plastic soda bottles, the sofa made out of recycled pallets and evidence of creative reuse everywhere. Toni mentors kids who are going through tough times and teaches them to create useful products out of stuff that would otherwise have headed to the landfill. So far, he's put 17 children through college. Toni's team is a bunch of dedicated souls, all seemingly looking to change the world. I talk with a few of them, and they are very friendly, open and welcoming.
On to dinner at Hippo Pizza. Paul observes that Brazilian pizza does not have a base of tomato sauce. Instead, they liberally top their slices off with ketchup. Odd indeed.
Saturday, I decide to tackle the clothes washing chore. I borrow detergent and start hand washing them in the washbasin. Midway through, I realize that I ought to have separated the colors and the whites. Too late now. Then I am stuck with the problem - where do I hang the dripping wet clothes ? Much ingenuity ensues, and I rig up clotheslines across my bedroom, with a drop cloth to absorb the dripping water. Upshot - can't walk across my room - need to limbo dance under the wet clothes. At least, I'll have fresh clothes tomorrow. I Skype with wife and kids. Video chat is much better than a phone call - but I still miss my kids a lot. My kids are the thing I miss the most - not the food, the language or any of the "usual suspects". I head out for a run and then to Cajuba Club for a swim. Nice pool, great setting, feeling mellow. The group dines at Uai Tche, a churrascaria - but I don't have it in me to do justice to the offering. I stick to the salad bar mostly.
Sunday morning, a group of 12 head out at 8:30 to a nearby waterfall, Cachoeira do Furnas, with an adventure sports company, Trilhas Interpretivas. A short 45 minute bus ride takes us to Indianopolis, a nearby town. We jump across a fence and trek through grasslands for a bit to reach the waterfall. We admire the cerrado (the Brazilian savannah), spot Ipe trees, pass dozens of anthills and herds of curious cattle and are warned of rattlesnakes. After we hike down to the bottom of the 60 m waterfall, we could not resist the temptation to jump in the pool. It is very cold, but refreshing as all heck. While we gambol around, the guides set up rappelling equipment. Then a trek back up. Now the time comes to face your fears. We are to rappel (abseil) down the fall. We get our gear, and are shown the basic moves. Gallows humor is rife as we await our doom. The drop is precipitous, and sharp rocks abound at the bottom. The trees that anchor the ropes seem twig-like - I am sure they'll snap under my weight. Douglas, the lead guide, assures us that the ropes can handle 3000 lbs. Joel volunteers to be the first one down.
Hiking through the cerrado
The waterfall's in the background
Bravado hides fear
The group, along with the guides from Trilhas Interpretivas
Joel makes it down in one piece (or so I assume from the absence of screams). Then the group starts going down one by one. Confidence builds up, and when it is my turn, I am actually looking forward to the descent. I peer down the edge - and it is steep. My carabiner is hooked up, and I walk backwards over the edge. After a bit, I get the hang of things, and I am enjoying the scenery. I descent slowly, taking in the view. At the bottom, the crew unhitches me. The group at the bottom is behind the waterfall. We cheer each new person who descends. Finally, Anna and Douglas does a tandem descent, and the whole group has made it down. Quite a thrill.
Brrr - its cold
Cachoeira do Furnas
That's a 60 m fall
No turning back from here
And....I'm on my way down
Trek back up, and on to lunch at a local village restaurant. The crowd there is puzzled and curious about our group and wants to know what we're doing there. The lunch is very nice. I sample some doce de leite (dulce de leche) - and I know I will be seeing a lot more of that in the days to come.
A delightful afternoon nap restores some of the sleep deficit. I meet my team to work on a revised scope of work to present to the client. A terrific weekend, all in all, and recharged for Week 2 of work.
#ibmcsc brazil
