Sunday, March 12, 2017

Exploring the Cerrado

This morning we packed up and were on the road by 7:00 as we left Brasila in route to Pirenopolis. This was the first time we were able to get out of the city and see some of the countryside. We are in the cerrado region of Brazil and we got to see a lot of the landscape. We saw a lot of pastures with cattle grazing along with some first crop soybeans, second crop corn, and the rolling countryside.

We arrived in Pirenopolis and were able to hike and explore an area with multiple waterfalls and pools that are formed from natural springs. This allowed us to cool off from the heat in the pools and enjoy some time together. We had many discussions on our hike regarding different plants we came across.


Shortly after noon we headed into the town of Pirenopolis to enjoy lunch at a typical Brazilian restaurant followed by a short stroll around town to find some ice cream for dessert. Following lunch we had more time in the vehicle as we traveled to Goiania where we will be over the next several days. Once again there was great discussion around agriculture and all we were seeing during our travels. One interesting piece of scenery we came across was the Statue of Liberty in Annapolis.


After checking in at the hotel we walked up to a "fair" near our hotel. A fair in Brazil is similar to a market where many goods are sold. We did a little shopping, mostly sampling different types of fruits and cuisine. Before returning to our hotel we stoped by a grocery store for water and other necessities.

Many former students who studied at Hawkeye from years past stoped by to say "hello" and catch up. We look forward to seeing many more former students and friends over the next week. Sunday promises to be a great day with a tour of the city, lunch at Juarez's, and a soccer game!

5 comments:

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Anonymous said...

I know I already commented on one, but I thought this post was interesting as well. What kinds of plants did you see? Like more crops or flowers? Do more people buy food at the “fair” or at the grocery store? I know here we support bigger grocery stores rather than buying from people around us. What is a typical Brazilian restaurant like? It seems that you know a lot of people in the Brazilian area and it looks as if you are having fun. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip! -K.P. Somonauk

Brad Kinsinger said...

McKenna...We saw many different plants from pineapple plants to coconut trees to tropical flowers. Definitely things we are not used too. I would say many Brazilians purchase food and supplies at traditional grocery stores. The fairs are very much like a farmers market/flea market. Brazilian restaurants are all over the board. Many traditional restaurants are buffet style and always have rice, beans, fruits, and veggies. For meat they either have someone grilling and you walk to the grill to grab or they have waiters that bring it around. Many of the buffets you weigh your plate each time and pay your food weight at the end.

Anonymous said...

It's very interesting that you pay for the weight of your food since many places here have a bulk price for buffets. -K.P.

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