Two Adjectives to Describe the Culture of Palmas

Palmas, 2008

On my first trip to Palmas I played a game of beach football. I ran into space to be available for a pass, monitored my teammates availability, looking around when I had the ball, looking to pass.

A common perception in Palmas.

It was all a waste of time. You get the ball, run and shoot. When you don’t have the ball, you do nothing. The person with the ball will not pass to you, so why bother? 

It was not a team game, it was a game for individuals to seek their own individual glory.

At the end of that trip, leaving the airport, I was attended to by an airline agent. Another customer approaches, interrupts and the attendant serves him first. The “culture” here does not allow the attendant to refuse the interruption but obliges him to attend the interupter.

These two experiences serve as perfect metaphors for my time here in 2015.

Palmas, 2015

In another post I’ll detail some (recent) experiences that have led me to these conclusions (there are too many to include in one post), but here is a summary of my one year of living among the people of Palmas. And please remember I am not talking about everyone. There are many truly genuine, generous people. But my impression of the culture as a whole is thus.

Arrogant and selfish. These are the two main adjectives that spring to my mind, and that I hear on the lips of anyone here who has a perspective of the overwhelming attitude in the culture here.

The individual's priority is to look out for onself. At every moment of their lives they are searching for an advantage over others. Overtaking on the inside lane, or on a roundabout, queue jumping, interrupting people being served, arriving late for work, leaving early and doing nothing in between.

Short term individual resolution is all that counts. The consequences of a lie told today are not considered. The “culture” dictates that people should pursue the easiest resolution for today, now, regardless of how this may affect other people today, or you tomorrow.

Brazilians have a very strong image overseas as friendly, welcoming, open. Solidarity and community are apparently essential to Brazilian culture. And it’s true, amongst people you know, amongst family and friends, people look after one another extremely well. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of many people here. Sadly, however, here in Palmas my overwhelming experience is very different to the image everyone expects of Brazil.

I understand there are reasons for this attitude. Given the history of colonisation, theft, slavery, corruption, dictatorship, exploitation and extreme poverty, survival for oneself and one’s family takes precedent. However we are no longer living in those times. Society has moved on but the attitude remains in the past.

What is also frustrating is to see this same attitude amongst people you would hope would be instigators of social change – educated, intelligent, well-travelled, socially aware people often behave in the same way as everyone else. To see a doctor or lawyer driving drunk, and terribly, with kids in the back seat and no one using a seat belt for me is the worst of all. 

“Skol Skol Skol Skol!” The unexpected predictability of life in Palmas

One of the impressions of Brazilian people and the way of life here is that of spontaneity. This seems fair to me, in Palmas. Little planning occurs, people live from one moment to the next and enjoy life. People do things without much analysis or stress, and obstacles that another person might try to foresee are easily overcome as they appear. Potential problems are not considered, only problems that are in front of you at any given moment.

Mushrooms spreading like fungus

There is another side though, which has surprised me. That is the predictability of the daily routine. Maybe it's the fact it's dark at 6.30pm every day of the year.  Or, being a new city founded only 27 years ago, there has been little time to develop the diversity of older cities.

Most people work the standard 8am to 12pm, 2pm to 6pm. At 7.50am our car park is full. By 8.15am (given the fact that people like to arrive late) it’s empty. By 6.30pm, full again.

One of two remotely interesting buildings in Palmas

Architecture is very limited here. There are only two buildings I find remotely interesting, but neither would engage me in another city. The rest are either standard condominiums (gated residential communities, usually with blocks of flats 6 floors high) or “mushrooms”, a small ground floor with a broader first floor. 

Shoddy paintmanship at the Palace

As a planned city the road layout is very standardised and homogenised. 3 lane highways lined by palm trees and joined by roundabouts. Upon entering a block you are always faced with 5 lanes that meet at one point, and no one in the city understands who has priority (there are no signs) but everyone drives on the assumption that it’s them. The entire road system has white painted curbs, but no one has learned how to paint a curb. Drivers are invariably reckless and aggressive, ignoring all rules such as lanes, indicating, and sobriety.

5 lanes meet with no one given priority

Lunch break for everyone starts at 12pm. By 12.05pm the restaurants are rammed. By 1pm they are emptying out and there is no food left. Everyone eats “per kilo” – it’s quick, good value and usually pretty good food. Rice, beans and meat are essential. We have to be careful who we invite for dinner as most people expect rice and beans and may be disappointed if it is not served. Many people would not like anything I cook as it’s too "exotic" (imagine an Englishman's food being called exotic). I know some who have visited other countries and really struggled without rice and beans every day. One told me that many in their group visiting Korea literally cried at mealtimes, and lost huge amounts of weight.

Our car park typically empty by 8.15am

The vast majority of restaurants and bars have plastic Skol tables and plastic Skol chairs. Usually white, occasionally red or yellow but always the same format. They all sell the same 2-3 brands of lager, always wonderfully cold, in 600ml bottles. Some only sell cans. 

After the sun sets at 6.30pm it starts to cool down a little and people spill out on to the pavements, and sit there.

At weekends people have barbecues, providing endless quantities of delicious meats – steak, sausage, chicken, pork. Accompanied by rice, beans, cassava and salad (lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes with no dressing); Skol, Guarana and Coca Cola.

Other people find it fun to spend Saturday afternoons drinking on petrol station forecourts then drive home drunk.

The principle pastime is attending church. Churches in Palmas are as ubiquitous as pubs in England. Every street has one, usually Evangelical, and outside of work and home, they are where most people spend their time. Religion is a huge part of daily life and conversation here. Yesterday my mother-in-law invited me to her church, asking “do you not like Jesus”. Everything that happens, for better or worse, is thanks to God, or what God wanted. 

So when Palmeiras won the Brazil Cup earlier this month in a penalty shootout that was delayed due to the amount of prayers the players were offering, with a penalty taken by their goalkeeper, I can only assume it was because the goalkeeper who scored had attended church more than the goalkeeper who failed to save the penalty.

(Disclaimer: these are only my observations aimed at summarising my experience of living in Palmas, Tocantins. They do not claim to be solid fact, nor represent anything beyond my humble impressions)

Some Surprisingly Practical Innovations

My favourite innovation in Brazil is the individual beer bottle cooler. Here it is common to share a 600ml bottle between 2, 3 or 4 people, each with a small glass. To further avoid the beer getting warm (absolutely unacceptable here), beer is always served in an insulated beer holder. Here is the best part: to order another beer you simply remove the empty bottle from its cooling skin and leave it exposed on the table. Very quickly it will be replaced. No queues, no rounds, no fiddling with change. Drinking continues uninterrupted, as drinking should do.

It surprises me when I find practical solutions here. The ham and cheese sandwich here is omnipotent, forming an integral part of the diet in most households. As a result, there is a specifically designed Tupperware – shallow and with two independent sections, giving easy access to both ham and cheese and preserving them as well.

I also like the miniature wipers for kitchen tops. Kitchen tops are almost always made from marble, and with a thick, raised trim to prevent water dripping onto the floor. This way, you can be as reckless as you like with your dishwashing, and simply wipe the excess water back into the sink with the wiper.

Continuing the theme, houses here always have tile floors and skirting boards, and often the walls. Again, this means you can go wild when using water to clean the floor. There is always a drain in a corner to flush away the water. No carpets, no wood that can rot. Brazilian homes have a tendency to be very clean.

Instead of cardboard or plastic packaging, traditional wooden fruit boxes are used here to transport fruit and vegetables. And they are reused over and over – no needless waste. (We currently use some as a TV rack and bookcase).

I also like the shopping trolleys, short and two tiers. Very maneuverable in small spaces when ignorant people stand 4 abreast, each with trolleys, blocking the narrow aisle chatting away. They also take up little space in the inevitable, unmoving queues. It's a shame people leave them empty at the checkout in the way, or in the car park occupying a disabled or shaded space.

It’s normal to have pedestrian crossings across 3 lanes of one-way traffic. Apparently this is not taught in driving school, but it’s common practice for the driver to out on their hazard lights when they intend to stop for a pedestrian. This helps both the pedestrian to know he/she can cross, and the cars behind to know that they should slow down. This small piece of courtesy surprises me every time I see it, occurring as it does in an otherwise aggressive, selfish and reckless traffic culture.  

Scenes from the road

Aside from the reckless and irresponsible driving, I am often amused by sights I see while driving in Palmas.

A strategically placed phone box.

A while ago I was driving down a one way, 3 lane highway. Common sense would suggest it was 2 lanes, but I knew it was 3 lanes (no lanes painted of course) because you can squeeze 3 cars together on it and still have millimetres between the cars (definition of 3 lanes here). The sunset in front of me made everything silhouetted but I managed to make out the scene ahead.

On the right, 3 pedestrians and a wobbling cyclist, backs to the traffic, strolling 4 abreast in the inside lane, happily taking up an entire lane of traffic. 

On the left, a guy cycling towards us, wobbling of course. The reason for his wobbling was that (as I found out at the last second) he was balancing a 2.5 metre pole on his handlebars, width-ways, thus taking up the entire outside lane (the fast lane). I managed to squeeze through between them in the middle lane and drive off into the sunset and nobody thought twice about it.

Knowing how many bad drivers, drunk drivers and Whatsapping drivers there are, pedestrians seem as reckless with their lives as the drivers.

Shortly before that I had been overtaken by a motorbike, driving with a large backpack on his lap and a phone in his hand. His passenger had a very young baby in his arms.

Another day I spotted a cyclist cycling happily along, with a toddler sat on his shoulders and grabbing hold of his ears for safety.

I recently saw a young mother driving a motorbike with a 5 year old child in the front of her. Who had control of the bike? The kid, speeding up and down and driving recklessly down the street. Another day, I woman in high heels riding a motorbike with handlebars full of shopping, the woman wobbling as she clearly struggled to control the bike.

It's common here to carry four people on a motorbike, typically the driver, his wife and two kids. Alternatively, a couple of cases of beer, as I saw not long ago.

Another strategically placed phone box

It’s a challenge driving here, but it would be an even bigger challenge to not have a car. Reliance on public transport or lifts is not an option when punctuality is important in your daily routine and not important in anyone elses. As a result, while our car was being repaired following the accidents previously mentioned, I had to take a couple of taxis. Both nice, chatty drivers, we discussed drink driving versus taking a taxi. Their opinion is that in other cities, taxis are more common, but drink driving is still very common here in Palmas. It remains a provincial town.

Both drivers got confused at 2 different points in the city (one driving the wrong way down a one way road) – if local taxi drivers don’t understand the system then it makes me feel better when I don’t. Neither used seat belts. One of them had a screen on his dashboard showing live TV – why should a driving job mean you should be away from your soap operas? One of them gave me a discount, rounding the trip down to the nearest $10RS. Getting around in Palmas is full of surprises, but this was the only welcome surprise I have experienced so far.

Jalapão Adventure!

Hanging on to the pick up

I have wanted to visit Jalapão since I first heard of it in 2006, and I finally had the opportunity recently. Jalapão is a remote but beautiful part of the state of Tocantins, accessible only by 4WD. It is also expensive to get there as part of a tour or hiring a 4WD. We managed to grab a lift with friends who had space in their 4WD.

I had seen many photos and heard much about the region, so had a rough idea of what to expect. But to experience it myself was amazing.

Entrance to the Cachoeira do Formiga waterfall

Cachoeira do Formiga

The journey is part of that experience. We left early on the first morning in a troupe of three 4WDs, packed full of camping gear and food. We soon hit the dirt track that covers most of the road to Jalapão. The road was ours, a real pleasure after the daily trauma and stress of driving in Palmas. The views were stunning, through savannah and forest, through the “serra” (the high plateau that characterises the area). We spotted deer, owls, and a variety of colourful bird species and butterflies.

After driving all day, we arrived after sundown in Mumbuca, a small community well located in the region for access to the main attractions, and the base for our visit.

By 8.30am the next morning we were swimming in the striking Cachoeira do Formiga, a beautiful waterall with crystal clear water, a perfect place to spend the morning swimming in its various swimming holes.

Fervedouro - where man is unsinkable

Following a barbeque lunch at the waterfall we moved on to a Fervedoro. One of several natural swimming holes in the area, in which it is impossible to go underwater. A freaky experience, one moment there is the sensation of sinking in quicksand, the next you’re sprung back up to the surface. Any part of your body more than half a metre under the water seems to be submerged in sand.

Perhaps equally as enchanting as the Fervedor and the Cachoeira do Formiga was the cool weather. Being out of Palmas, spending the day in cool waters, and the occasional shower resulted in splendidly pleasant temperatures.

The famous sand dunes of Jalapão

On our last day we packed up and headed home, stopping off at some small communities and visiting some friends of our friends in their simple adobe huts with traditional wood-burning stoves. The highlight of the day was the dunes – in striking contrast to the lush green savannah around, seemingly out of nowhere, appears a vast sand dune. The cool temperatures from the previous day had disappeared, and we climbed the dune in the afternoon heat. The top afforded spectacular views of the area, the rich greens plateau and the arid sandy hills. At the bottom of the main dune was a steadily flowing river – I lay on my side and rolled all the way down until falling into the river to cool down.

All that was left was a long and bumpy journey home, arriving in Palmas at night. We were exhausted but thoroughly enthralled by the adventure. 

The Rains are Coming!

It rained the other day, while I was driving. It hadn't rained for so long I literally forgot how to resolve the blurred windscreen. It took me a while to remember that's what wipers are for, and how to turn them on.

Not long ago I posted about the rather warm weather Palmas had been experiencing during it's "summer". Well, the rains are on their way and the temperatures will soon be dropping to the low 30s. 

Not even 11am on an average day. "Feels like 50 degrees".

On the good side, this means the following:

- the temperatures won't soar into the 40s as they have been for the last few months

- you can spend more than a minute outside without burning

- instead of dust everywhere, the city becomes green and lush again, making it a much more pleasant place to be in.
- no more forest fires in and around the city, no acrid stench and black bogeys

(No-one seems to be certain if the fires, which occur every year for several months, are caused on purpose for some greater agricultural good; by accidental dropping of a cigarette or an abandoned barbeque; or a product of nature due to the incredibly dry and hostile environment). 

Smoke from forest fires that covers the city

On the down side, it means:

- you can't spend more than a minute outside without getting soaked (our electric car key was destroyed once, and we had to drive around with the alarm blaring until we could get to a garage)

- you can't leave your windows open. Even when it's sunny you can't leave your flat without the possibility of two of each of the earth's animals seeking refuge in your living room

- it's pothole season - the streets become full of potholes, hidden by rainwater. Serious damage can be done to your car

- traffic is even more erratic and the roads are frequently flooded.

But on the whole, the lower temperatures make it worthwhile, so now I've found my wipers again, bring on the rains!

The World Indigenous Games come to Palmas

It’s actually happening! 

The inaugural World Indigenous Games is here (Jogos Mundiais dos Povos Indígenas), in Palmas. After much, inevitable speculation that it would not be ready, it has followed the Greece Olympics and the 2014 Brazil World Cup and defied the doomsayers. I have been here for 10 months and throughout that time the only time it has been mentioned has been to criticise the lack of progress.

But, against all expectations, the games are under way, and I was lucky enough to attend the opening ceremony.

Apparently, there is a queue in here somewhere

Once we figured out where the queue started (it was like a weaving, slithering headless snake, with absolutely no organisation like simple barriers), we queued for an hour and entered at 5.30pm, bang on time for the ceremony to start. Of course, no-one expects the ceremony to start at 5.30pm, and the stadium duly filled up by around 7pm. President Dilma arrived by helicopter and the ceremony finally started at 8pm after Dilma was booed and applauded in equal measure (the audience was heavy on politicians who know not to piss on the barbeque that feeds them).

The ceremony presented all of the indigenous groups competing in the games. Group by group they appeared on the field, each group singing and chanting, and wearing their vibrant traditional costumes. The many Brazilian groups entered first, with a great variety of costumes, headdresses, face and body paint. The international groups followed, which rarely matched the Brazilian groups.

All the various indigenous groups gathered at the end

Nicaragua seemingly didn’t receive the email to come in traditional dress or embrace their indigenous culture – they strolled lazily onto the field in matching tracksuits, trainers and baseball caps, taking selfies and filing the other groups.

The New Zealand Maori perform their ritual chant

On the contrary, New Zealand were possibly the most impressive of the international groups, presenting the Haka, and displaying their skills with various indigenous weapons such as the spear.

There were a few minor events. One group sang around a fire on the field, and there was a log-carrying race. A Brazilian group sang their interpretation of the national anthem, using their instruments and singing style.

Once the ceremony finished, all of the thousands of competitors remained on the field, each involved with their own groups and performing their own songs, chants, and so on. This was the most incredible site, to witness scores of different indigenous groups from all around the world, each performing their ancient traditions all in the same place. Probably the first time in history that such a gathering has taken place.

Palmas is alive with visitors, the driving has become even worse as outsiders don’t understand the road system here (there are very few signs, it’s all about memory), but hopefully everyone will have a great experience for the duration of the games.

*The website for the games surprisingly works, and is in three languages.

http://www.jogosmundiaisindigenas.com/

Palmas is a small world

We recently went out to a bar – a fairly typical event where we bumped into the usual amount of friends. Here is who we bumped into:

Friend #1 is Sonia’s longstanding friend. Her boyfriend, friend #2 is my drinking buddy. He works with friend #3, who attended me when I needed medical help when I was here in 2010, and helped me when I was admitted at the start of this year. Friend #3’s brother, friend #4, graduated with Sonia and is also the guitarist in the band that was playing that night in the bar. Friend #4’s girlfriend, friend #5, works with Sonia. We bumped into friends #6 and #7. The last time we were at this bar, friend #6’s father was playing in the band. Friend #6 studied in Portugal with Sonia and is married to friend #7 who, separately, has been a friend of Sonia’s for a long time and is a friend of friend #1’s sister. Friend # 8 works with Sonia and also in the same department as me at the university.

When we go out for lunch we bump into numerous friends and acquaintances and it is often a prolongued process to shoehorn Sonia out of the restaurant as the conversation flows.

My students quite often know me or of me before they meet me, through a mutual acquaintance, and they often know each other somehow. There is always a link to connect people here.

For a city with a population of over 250 000 people, Palmas feels incredibly small. Part of that can be explained by the fact that many ties remain strong amongst the small community that was here when Palmas was created in 1989. Also, society here is strongly divided by social strata – the majority survive on the minimum salary of around £150 per month. The smaller section who are socially mobile and active are the ones likely to be seen at social events. Here, so much depends on who you know. If networking is not in your skills set, you will struggle. If you know the right people your career, social life and health will prosper. As a doctor student of mine told me in their first class: the best thing to do in Palmas is to be friends with a doctor.

There is also the fact that Brazilians are naturally a social people, they generally love to chat. People often have few interests outside of the family and the community. In most neighbourhoods you can see people sat out on the streets every evening with nothing to do but chat to neighbours and passers-by. As a result everyone knows each other and the city often has the feel of a village community.

If anonymity is your thing, Palmas is not for you!

It's getting warm

A rare peaceful beach

Since I have been back from the UK we have been to a few beaches on the lake and on the river.  Finally we have found one that doesn’t have ridiculously loud music at every turn. There is always at least one sound system, usually more, polluting the space, meaning you have to scream to be heard.

We have also been to friends’ swimming pools when the opportunity arises – anything to escape the incredible heat. Official temperatures record 39, 40 degrees, but the real temperature can reach the high 40s. If you thought the English like to talk about the weather, come to Palmas – everyone complains about the “infernal heat”. I have avoided complaining about the heat since I have been here. Partly because complaining won’t make it any cooler but it will make me focus on the heat, and partly as I have been saving my complaint credits for August and September, when the real heat hits, in case I needed them. So far I haven’t, but I’m not far off.

A single pesky cloud ruining the view

It’s a dangerous business just getting in the car if it’s been in the sun. I burnt my hand on the metal seat belt buckle the other day. It’s impossible to touch the windows or car doors and the car seats feel like they are scolding your back. At least clothes dry quickly though. I pity those without a car, and those who have to work outside in the sun.

Fire in front of our building

The other day the unoccupied plot of land in front of our flat caught fire. Roughly 1000 square metres of dry grass, turned black and burnt within 30 minutes. Possibly caused by a stray cigarette, a piece of glass or metal, land here is so dry fires start so easily. I often drive past small fires within the city. Apparently, the fire brigade have no duty to attend fires on land where no-one lives, so the fires just burn, each one adding a little to the urban heat. 

Greener grass?

Following any observation I make about living in Palmas, people here usually tell me that other major cities are much worse than Palmas – the traffic, the distances from place to place, the violence, the cost of living.

Congress as seen from the Ministry of External Relations

For the first time since living here I had the chance to spend a few days in another city. It gave me some perspective on living in Palmas as a Brazilian city, rather than referring back to the UK. To my surprise, Palmas came out of the experience rather favourably.

After a relatively quick, 13 hour flight from London (arriving for the first time ever on the same day as I had left England) I spent three days in Brasilia with some friends we’d made in England. Brazilian woman with a gringo husband, we have many experiences in common. Over the three days he shared some of his experiences of living in Brasilia, which would require at least an entire post on their own just to summarise the main highlights.

A hummingbird at the Botanical Gardens

We visited quite a few of the tourist spots, took a tour of the Congress, the Ministry of External Relations, Botanical Gardens, Brasilia Cathedral with its whispering wall, one or two pleasant parks. We took in expansive views of the city from the TV tower.

While Brasilia has more to offer in terms of things to do, I was left agreeing with many of the things people had said of Palmas. Here, although we have to drive everywhere, most things are 10 minutes away; the rush hour is minimal and over quickly; the traffic is less intense, less savage. Cost of living is considerably less. There is so much money in Brasilia that most places cater for those with money – the humble espetinho bar was difficult to find. The per kilo buffet restaurants for lunch are almost twice the price per kilo.

So who’d have thought it – Palmas is not all that bad. One thing that did enchant me about Brasilia, however, was its much more agreeable climate. It was winter there, averaging low 20s during the day and most pleasant of an evening. I took the one hour flight to Palmas which is entering it’s “summer”, to be welcomed by 40 degree heat. You know that blast of heat on your face when you open a hot oven? That will now be my life for the next few months.

Sculpture at the Ministry of External Relations

Back to Blighty

So after six months in Brazil it was time to nip back to the motherland. As much as I have enjoyed many aspects of my time so far here, I was uncharacteristically excited to go back to England.

I would get to eat decent cheese! And drink a pint! I would be able to walk from one place to another!! And I’d get to speak English, and be sarcastic.

During a brief stopover in Brasilia, in spite of wearing 2 jumpers, I shivered with cold in the 18 degrees of 6am in the Brasilia winter. How would I cope with a ‘British summer’?

At Heathrow I was thoroughly questioned as to my plans in England, in spite of my British passport and nationality. I’m not sure what net they thought I was slipping through but I was left wondering if the anti-immigration fever has stretched to not welcoming native people back once they had left for foreign soils.

The impressive St Pancras train station, London

Regardless, I was back in the UK, hearing native English. How very strange. How nice it was to queue, to see no wet floors with loose electrical cables and roller-bladed staff zipping around, and no machetes lying around. Staff that don’t show utter repulsion and, worse, surprise, when you expect them to do their job.  I was in awe of the range of snacks and happily gobbled up a Mars bar at room temperature, the way chocolate should be eaten, not from a fridge.  

Proper chips!

The tube to central London and train to Brighton were on time, clean and efficient. And comfortable. And safe. I was delighted to arrive early – time to enjoy a pint and chips in the sunshine by the station.

My friend picked me up and so began excellent hospitality, debauchery, and very little sleep. I packed in as much as possible, met up with lots of good friends, drank as many varieties of beer and ate as much food as I could, visited as many familiar places as possible. I walked everywhere, regardless of the time, distance or weather. I loved catching up with friends, and hearing their news, and the banter and sarcasm.

I enjoyed the variety. Variety of food, drink, people, cultures, opinions, attitudes, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, interests, hobbies, musical tastes, knowledge. I enjoyed hot showers, and flushing toilet paper down the toilet. I enjoyed wearing socks and trainers and not sweltering in the heat. And jumpers.

A proper pint!

I enjoyed the pubs with huge choices of lagers and ales, ciders, wines, spirits. Some with loud music, some with background music, all types of music. Some with no music. Some busy, some chilled. Some modern and contemporary, others rustic, shabby chic. In a word, choice.

Battered sausage and chips!

The food: full English breakfast, sausage and bacon sandwich, bangers and mash, burger and chips, 3am drunken pizza, beans on toast, Indian takeaway, crumpets, cheddar (!!!!), so many cheeses. Given my social commitments, I had much more chance to sample the unhealthy end of the food spectrum than the healthy end. But it was all delicious.

The English breakfast

Brighton was followed by a week in my home town, where it was great to spend more time with my family than I have had chance to in recent years. I went camping with my brother-in-law, hiking through the forest with a backpack, wildcamping amongst the trees, cooking on my little wood burning stove, watching the flickering flames, smelling strongly of a campfire the next morning.

To my surprise, I didn’t feel a great urge to stay. It was a lot of fun to be back and doing the things I cannot do in Palmas, but I felt that my place now is in Palmas, and I was quite content to be heading back.

Choice! Just a small part of the cheese section.

All too soon it was time to head back to Brazil. But I’d had an amazing time and my only regret was the wide selection of cheeses I’d left in my sister’s fridge and forgotten to pack. At least with my brother-in-law they would be appreciated.