Praça da Liberdade

Hey everyone,

I thought today I would tell you all about a nice spot in my city where I like to spend my time.  

One of the main parks in the city is called Praça da Liberdade.  It's not too large but people tend to come here for daily runs, reading, relaxing with friends, and so on.  I come here all of the time for two reasons.

1)  It's extremely relaxing and one of the safest parts of the city.

2)  It's on my way to work - so I essentially have to walk through it

If any of you have me on Instagram or Snapchat, you've probably seen me constantly posting pictures in this place.  

It actually has a history too.  If you walk around Praça da Liberdade, you will see a plethora of museums and art galleries.   These showcase the history of the region, the city, and also the mining heritage and arts. At the beginning, these buildings composed one large administration complex for the city of Belo Horizonte.  Throughout the 20th century; however, the green square in the middle of it all became an inspiration for upcoming writers, the backdrop for political rallies, and the site of hippie fairs.  Today Praça da Liberdade is simply a nice place for Belo Horizontinos to relax but there are constantly cultural and art events occurring.

Some of the events I have seen or attended here include a morning coffee fair, a technology fair run by the local engineering college, and food festival for sampling local delicacies.

When Pokemon Go first came out, the park would always have hundreds of people hunting down Pikachus and Magikarps, but now the craze has died down a little bit and the square has become more peaceful again.  

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed seeing a small slice of Belo Horizonte and I hope to update you with some more interesting posts soon.

Stranded in Porto de Galinhas?

Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog!

On Friday night I flew up to Recife to visit some friends and I want to share my trip with you guys.
Recife is a city in Northeast Brazil.  I'll show you a map here of where it is:

Northeast Brazil is less popular with foreign tourists but it´s personally my favorite part of Brazil because it reminds me so much of home and the people are some of the kindest you´ll ever meet.

This was actually my second time in Recife.  The first time I went was in May to visit my friend Ricardo and he was kind enough to show me around and take me also to the nearby Olinda and Porto de Galinhas.  This time I stayed at his house and he picked me up at the airport after my quick 2-hour long flight.  

By the time we arrived at his house I was already exhausted, but I still wanted to enjoy my time with my friends and my time in the city.  We took an Uber to the old town, Recife Antigo, with our friend Gabriel and grabbed something to eat and relaxed along the shore until late in the night.  

Recife Antigo is one my favorite areas of Recife.  Since I went at night, I don't really have any interesting photos to show you from this time.  However, I'll post a couple of photos from when I went back in May so you have a visual. 

Here's a quick shot of my friend Ricardo and I in front of one of the many canals here in Recife, located in Recife Antigo.  Since Recife has so many canals, a lot of people call it the "Brazilian Venice"  

Here's another photo of me taken on one of the iconic streets here in Recife Antigo.  In the background you can see the colorful colonial architecture as well as the cobblestone street!

Lastly, here's a picture of my friend Ricardo and I in Marco Zero.  It's the location where Recife was founded in 1537 by the Portuguese.

On Saturday we remained near Ricardo's house and had lunch at a nearby buffet in which you order food by kilogram.  This is a normal type of restaurant in Brazil and usually you can get amazing prices!  Then my friend Louis who I met back in Rome came to hang out with us and we all went to watch a movie in Shopping Recife.  We ended up watching "Virei um gato" which in English I believe the title is "Nine Lives."  Then afterwards we went to get pizza at a local restaurant.  Next to me is Louis and across from us is Ricardo and Gabriel.

At this pizzeria we paid a set price to enter and then waiters and waitresses would constantly walk by trying to get us to sample a slice of their pizza.  There was everything from margherita to brigadeiro (chocolate).  One of my friends, I don't exactly remember who, made a comment to our initial waitress that I was a foreigner from the United States and she legitimately freaked out.  She then asked if I was single and I jokingly said I was dating my friend Louis who was sitting next to me.  She took it seriously and apologized to Louis and said she found me attractive.  It quickly became a pretty hilarious dinner story and we talked and joked around with the waitress until it was time for us to head out.

From there our group expanded to more friends and we went around the different locales in the city until late at night.  We kept changing location so much that I don't even remember all of the places we went to.  

After we went back to Ricardo's house on Saturday night, we went to sleep to prepare for Sunday.  Our plan was to go to Porto de Galinhas.  Porto de Galinhas, or Porto for short, is a beach town about an hour away from Recife.  It attracts tourists from all over Brazil with its pristine beaches and clear waters.  You can even pay about $5 to set out on a sailboat and swim with the fish!  Here's a picture of Ricardo and I taking a sailboat out back in May to see the fish. I know it's another old photo but it's one of my favorite photos of our friendship.

After having breakfast at Ricardo's with Louis and Ricardo himself, we took a car over to Porto and began our adventure.  However, once we got there, we were starving.  Ricardo suggested we go to a traditional fish place and see what local specialty we could find.  We ended up going to a place called "Peixe na Telha."

First to start off, we ordered juice made from pineapple and mint. Here's a picture of it coupled with the amazing view we had.

  

Then soon came the entrée, which was, as the title of the restaurant suggests, "peixe na telha" (Fish on the tile).  This tradional recipe comes from the Brazilian state of Goiás and became popular in seaside towns such as Porto de Galinhas.  It came in a special cheesy sauce which my friends said was delicious  The reason it's called "Fish on the tile" is because the tray it is served in resembles a roof tile. I generally stuck to the rice and fries on the side, given that I am a vegetarian.  They were pretty awesome too I must admit. Here's a picture of our meal, again with the view of the ocean and the sailboats in the background. 

Afterwards, a kind man sitting down near us offered to take a picture of all three of us and this was the result. 

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of the trip.  We then asked the waiter to open the back gate of the restaurant to let us onto the beach and we walked across for a bit until we found the famous sign that says "Porto de Galinhas"

Before we knew it, the sun was setting and it was time to head back to Recife.  The second I opened Uber, I quickly realized that getting back to Recife was going to be difficult.  There were no Ubers.  Summoning a taxi was difficult as well and also a bit dangerous at this time of night.  Instead, we ended up finding a pousada (family-run hotel) and staying overnight.  

We actually spent a couple of hours running around Porto to try and find a pousada which was inexpensive but also worth the money we were going to spend.  Did I also mention that I left my credit card in Recife and we were running on very limited money?  Before this experience, I had never stayed in a pousada. However, some of the pousadas we passed by were tropical oases lined with palm trees, ponds, swinging hammocks, and peaceful water fountains.  In the middle of searching, we sat down and enjoyed a typical Brazilian dessert of Petit Gâteau.  This came with a small chocolate cake heated up with a side of vanilla ice cream.

I know what you're thinking.  "But Mike, isn't Petit Gâteau french?"  Well yeah, technically it is.  However, 95% of restaurants I have been to here in Brazil have it and Brazilians in general just love the dessert.  If you come to Brazil, you will literally see it everywhere.

Back to the pousada scenario.  We ended up staying in a pousada closer to the highway but still with a pool and we each ended up having our own beds.  

After getting acquainted with our room and getting ready, all of us decided to head back into the town and split pizza at a local pizzeria for dinner.  On the side, we got a large bottle of guaraná, the famous Brazilian soda you will also see everywhere if you come to Brazil.  It's made in part by the guaraná fruit (most people know of the soda before knowing of the fruit apparently) and it takes a little sweeter than most sodas.  I personally love it.

Afterwards we walked around and just talked for hours on end.  Around Porto de Galinhas, there are many statues of chickens lying around. This is because "galinha" is the Portuguese word for chicken.  No, there are no actual real chickens here.  The reason why this town has the name Porto de Galinhas is because in the 1800s, slaves were traded here to work on the plantations.  Passwords were created by traffickers to evade control and they referred to the slaves as chickens "galinhas."  The origin is not necessarily a happy subject but the name stuck and the town quite literally capitalized on it.  Here's a picture of my friend Louis and I with one of the many chickens you can find spread about the town.

They also sell tons of chicken keychains, bottle openers, sculptures, curtains, and everything else from A-Z in the many small family-run shops lining the beach town.  

 We also walked around on the beach for a little bit and took in the natural beauty of the area we were in.

After enjoying a night in the town, we went back to the pousada and Ricardo randomly pushed Louis and I into the pool.  The manager came out and yelled at both Louis and I but ignored Ricardo.  Even though I was kind of angry at Ricardo, it was pretty hilarious.

We then hung out for a bit, went to sleep, and woke up early to head back to Recife.  Then there was another issue, my driver's license disappeared. As my Brazilian ID had not come in yet, I was using my license as identification for just about everything.  I freaked out and we retraced our steps around the town, but we still could not find it.  Thankfully the pousada soon wrote to me on Whatsapp and told me the cleaning ladies found it hidden in the room.  I almost had a minor heart attack, no big deal.

After we got to Recife, we had a quick lunch near Ricardo's house and then I was off to the airport.  On the hour drive back to Recife, I was thinking about how sad I was to have to head back inland.  I love Belo Horizonte, but I was really going to miss the ocean and swimming in the beach.  This environment has always been where I most feel at home, having grown up in Hawai'i.  

Leaving Ricardo and Louis was sad as well, but we promised we would see each other again.  I can't thank them enough for the amazing times I had with them here in Recife and elsewhere.  I just want to quickly reflect on this.  Back in July I went back to Rome for my birthday and my plans for housing fell apart and I had nowhere to go.  Louis knew I'd be coming back to Rome and was kind enough to let me stay with him while I was there. He additionally helped make my 20th birthday one of the best ones yet.   Ricardo let me stay with him in Recife back in May and he spent countless hours showing me around Recife, Olinda, and Porto de Galinhas and we even took a short trip to Fortaleza. I can't thank these two enough for their friendship and I sincerely appreciate everything they have done for me. 

(Here's our friendship summed up in a snapchat photo, courtesy of Louis)

When I was off to the airport, their best friend Juliana told me she was dying to meet me and she would be there waiting.  I was hoping to meet her for a long time but every time we were in the same place, it never worked out.  However, once I arrived at the airport, sad for my flight out of Recife, she ran over and cheered me up and we talked for about an hour with her boyfriend as if we were old friends catching up. She's an amazing person by the way.

Soon after I boarded my flight back to Belo Horizonte and headed back home.  I don't know when I'll be back to Recife, but I hope life takes me back someday. I had an amazing time and I hope you guys enjoyed me sharing my experiences with you.  

Coup d'État?

So if anyone has been paying attention to the news lately, you probably realized that the impeachment of President Dilma here in Brazil was made official on Thursday.

I was walking home from my job at the city hall when it happened.  All of a sudden hundreds of cars around me kept uncontrollably beeping their horns.  I thought perhaps there was some sporting event that happened?  Maybe the Cruzeiros won?

I asked this random guy on the street what was going on.  Why was everyone honking their horns?  He then turned to me and told me "Dilma has officially been removed from office" and gave me a thumbs down.

Dilma's impeachment was brought to the table once she was found moving around budgets, allegedly to secure a future win for herself in the next election.  Although other presidents have done this before, she was the first one to be brought to an impeachment trial due to this.

The problem, however, is not that Dilma is a well-liked president.  Not many Brazilians "absolutely love" her.  In fact, a large part of it seems to be that Michel Temer, her replacement, is very widely disliked.  According to my friends here in Belo Horizonte, he is cutting social reform, taking away rights, and overall stifling the progressive motion that Brazil had been making.  In addition, the only times Temer's party (The Democratic Movement Party) have been in power have been in cases involving issues such as the death of the president.  They were never directly elected by the people.

There is also the fact that Dilma was elected by the people of Brazil, which is why many are saying that this impeachment is a direct blow against democracy in Brazil.  This is because 61 men in the senate voted to remove her, yet more than 50 million Brazilians of all backgrounds and walks of life supported her and voted her in.  Hashtags have arisen saying that "Brazil is no longer a democracy" and protests have sprung up from São Paulo to Brasília to protest her removal.  Just on Sunday, over 50,000 Anti-Temer protesters came out in São Paulo and the police used tear gas to deter them.

Here in Belo Horizonte, I witnessed an interesting manifestation right by Praça da Liberdade.  People were throwing firecrackers in the air, beating drums, and chanting.  I was on the phone with my good friend living in Italy and she freaked out because she thought there were gunshots happening behind me.  Rest assured, everything is ok guys.

What I personally find interesting is that in Brazil, most people I talk to directly label this a coup d'etat - a "Golpe de estado" -  No question about it.  Once you look at media sources outside of Brazil, most people just label it as a normal "impeachment" or "change of leadership."

In the past few days I've been asking people what they thought of the impeachment.  I've interviewed my employer, co-workers, Uber drivers, waiters, friends, random people on the street - you name it.  I'm not Brazilian myself so I rely on their views to give me more clarity.  Most people I have personally talked to are completely against the impeachment.  However, there are a few who just say that nothing really will change.  "It's normal what is happening."  In fact, all of those people beeping their horns on Thursday were in support of the decision.

Regardless of the label you choose to place on it, there is no doubt that this change will have (and is already having) large implications on Brazil and its population.  The next election is in 2019 and Dilma has not been banned from running.  In fact, she never truly said goodbye, she pledged to us that she would "be back soon."

Side note:  I've been here in Brazil for almost two months, and Thursday has been the only day that I have actually seen rain in this city.