A friend's visit

We recently had a gringo friend visit us in Palmas. He is a friend from back in the UK and is currently living in Brasilia, experiencing many similar things to me. It was great to meet up, share experiences and compare notes. He has been here for nearly 3 years so it was interesting to see how he is getting on. Needless to say, speaking to a native English speaker was a thorough pleasure.

So tell me, Neimeyer, why are
your concrete slabs so impressive?

We showed him around Palmas, taking him to all the points of touristic interest. The governmental palace with the huge square which has the geometric centre of Tocantins and of Brazil; The Palmas Museum, designed by Oscar Neimeyer, the beloved architect who designed much of Brasilia’s key buildings (and whose architecture and popularity baffles our guest); Praia da Prata, a popular beach to sit and drink beer and eat fish while your legs dangle in the lake; and of course, the obligatory espetinho (barbecued meat on a skewer served with local specialities).

On another day we went to Taquaraçu, a village outside of Palmas. Taquaraçu is elevated and situated in the forest, affording it a much more agreeable climate than Palmas. It also has several walks through the forest and various waterfalls and activities.

We walked to 2 waterfalls through the beautiful forest, where we saw monkeys, colourful birds, iguanas, some local racoon type mammals and some pretty mental trees and vines. Swimming in the cool waters was very refreshing, and the first time in a long time I have felt cold!

The car that was sent tumbling

Our car was pretty close

As we arrived back a few seconds before I was about to car park to our car a truck fully laden with large gas cyclinders went ploughing through the car park at high speed, taking a parked car with it as it hurtled off the edge of the car park. Thankfully no-one was in the parked car, which offered enough resistence to slow the truck down before it hit a tree, which stopped it from plunging hundreds of metres. The driver was shaken but unhurt, and claimed the brakes failed as he came down the hill. It was a very sobering moment, one that potentially could have been avoided if the truck was better maintained.

Cute. Very cute.

Dropping our friend at the airport I noticed a 4WD who had taken the liberty of occupying 2 disabled parking spaces. I posted it on Facebook and it received 30 shares. So far to my knowledge, it hasn’t reached the timeline of the driver.