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!