Hey hey it's the weekend - fim de semana...

...and we are off to a pool party!  Our great organiser Sylvie, who can speak Portuguese, had arranged reservations at a hot springs resort at Rio Quente, a small town about 200 km north of Uberlândia (and slightly less than half-way to Brasilia, the capital) in an area of hot springs known as Caldas Novas, and in another state called Goiás.  Sylvie also managed to find a mini-bus able to take 17 of us there and back again. So at 8:30 we were all downstairs and reasonably well organised when the bus arrived and we loaded up.  There was the odd dash back to the room by some who had forgotten some essential item but we made it away in reasonably good time.

The drive up was very pleasant and we saw a lot of the Cerrado on the way.  After around an hour and a half we pulled off the road at a gas station which had a small cafe and shop attached where we were able to freshen up and buy some supplies.  One of the residents was wandering around with a rabbit (no, I don't know why) which quickly became a photo-prop!

The Cerrado and hills in the distance

Our mini-bus and the cafe

Hajira and Xuemei with a local publicity-seeking rabbit

After another hour and a half or so we arrived at our resort hotel.

Hotel

The rooms were really apartments with 3 or 4 to an apartment - I shared with 3 others in a two story apartment - we had the room with the balcony on the left and the room above it.  In the morning the whole thing was very warm but the upper mezzanine room was very warm indeed.  I had a lower room which was more than warm enough, even the sheet was too much!

Our apartment block

We checked out the view from the front of our block and then went and had lunch, as it was well past 1.

View to the hills and overlooking the hotel pool

After lunch we got ready for the water park - Hot Park it was called - and checked out the map before catching the regular free shuttle bus to the park

Hot Park and Resort Map

From here on this blog is photo free until I get to the return journey, as I decided water and cameras don't mix too well.

The bus quickly took us to the park and we had a wander round (all 17 of us) until we found a spot that looked like a good gathering place.  7 of us then decided we'd hit the main attraction first, the giant water slide.  It was a bit like one of those maze puzzles - we could see it (it towered above the park), but we couldn't find a way to it.  Eventually we gave in and someone who could speak Portuguese asked someone for directions.  We were walking on very hot rough concrete in bare feet so we were pretty glad to finally be climbing the tower to the entrance, which was the mouth of a very large piranha.  Passing through this portal we slid down (feet first on our backs as instructed) and went through a series of twists, turns and steep drops until we shot out at the other end into a pool of water.  Great fun and certainly the tallest and most exciting water slide I've ever been on. We did it a couple of times (it was a long walk and a steep climb each time) and then went in search of the next ride.

This was the half-pipe - a two person inflatable raft dropped onto a near vertical wall which then sloped down and up into a similar wall on the other side.  The first time I was in the back and we almost made it to the top of the other side, and that was fun enough. The second time I was in the front and that was truly heart-stopping because when you started off and went over the edge it looked like you were just going to plummet to the foot of the slide, especially as the first 3 metres was effectively free fall.

We sampled a number of other rides - slides with/without tubes and various other options - and had a great time.  I was exhausted!  At least I made up for my last two weeks of relative physical inactivity.

After relaxing a bit at the gathering place we all then set off to the next attractions which were the hot pools themselves. There is a tier of pools starting with the one the springs come into and these then cascade down thorough a range of cooler pools.  All the pools (which were quite large) had a bar conveniently built into them and both pools and bars were very busy. When we checked in at the hotel we were given a tag with a chip in it. As well as opening the door to the apartment the chip could be used instead of money - you just handed over your tag and the cost was charged to that. We sampled our way through bars and pools, or pools and bars if you prefer, to the top level over the next few hours, arriving at the top around 11pm. Some of the group took off shortly after that and around midnight or so I decided it was time for me to leave the party - I could see it was going to last far longer than I could - and head home.  No-one else was ready to go so I headed off by myself.

I followed the signs to the buses and found two there. I checked out which one was leaving next with one of the drivers and got on. The driver got on, along with a few other passengers and away we went.  The route wasn't the same as the bus we'd taken there and eventually we got to a large hotel where everyone else got off. The driver turned and looked at me and I thought, hmmm! After I indicated I didn't understand what he said to me he indicated we should go into the hotel. There they checked my tag and worked out which hotel I should be at. I then had a chat with the chief receptionist in English who very politely pointed out that I had got the wrong bus, but the bus that I was on would go out of its way to drop me back to my hotel.  And next time could I please make sure I got on the right bus.  Fair comment! When the driver and I got back on the bus there were maybe half a dozen other passengers waiting on it but when the driver explained what he was about to do they all got off.  I can only imagine what he said!  So I had a solo bus ride home to my hotel, and thankfully crawled into bed.

The next morning I was somewhat cheered up when I found out I wasn't the only bus challenged person in the team - the earlier group to leave had done exactly the same thing only when they got found out they were dropped back to the correct bus stop rather than taken home!  I have to give the  resort 10 out of 10 for looking after its customers.

Checkout the next morning took a long time so by the time we were through those who had thought about going back to the park went off the idea and stayed around the hotel pool.  I went off with a small group for a wander round the town.

View down one of the shopping streets

The group gradually diminished as it got hotter so it was only me and four of the ladies of the party, who were in search of gifts to take home, that were left at the end. Some of the ladies decided the Brazilian version of what we call a jandal - a Havaiana - were ideal and bought them literally by the dozen.  The local shop-keepers were delighted!

Eventually we finished our shopping and wound our way back to the hotel where we joined the pool loungers until our bus came around 3:45.

Pool lounging

Whilst waiting outside the front of the hotel I heard a lot of noise from some nearby trees and went looking to find these two.

Noisy neighbours

On the trip back I was able to capture a view of a large dairy factory There didn't seem to be a lot of cows around and those you see don't look particularly well fed (the grass is fairly brown and seems scarce) but obviously they must collectively produce enough to keep this large plant busy.  I suspect Fonterra is safe enough for a while.

Italac milk factory

 Once back, around 7 I was able to squeeze in a skype session with my wife before heading out to dinner - most of us had skipped lunch and had just had some snacks so were fairly hungry.  The ever-helpful Larissa turned up and suggested a pizza place downtown so around 12 or 13 of us headed there and enjoyed the Brazilian version of pizza - they don't use a tomato base and make up for that by doubling the amount of mozzarella (probably from the factory above) and also turning the edge of the base up so it forms a lip and they can add more topping without it sliding off. They were very good and came in all flavours - for a group like ours it was a flat rate "all you can eat" deal and we gave it a good shot, finishing up with chocolate and strawberry pizza (minus the mozzarella) for dessert.

Then back home to prepare for the morning and climb wearily but happily into bed - a great weekend and all our thanks to Sylvie for organising it for us.

#ibmcsc brazil