“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” ― Anita Desai
This last weekend, Brad, myself and my daughter were invited to an amazing music festival in Pirenópolis, Brazil (Canto Da Primavera). We embarked on this adventure with high hopes of experiencing something culturally different. What we got was beyond what we had expected. Not only did we get a cultural experience we also gained insight into the history and physical beauty of Brazil.
Our adventure began with a 2-hour car drive with Geraldo (Dr. Wilson’s PhD student). The countryside was very different from the city we had been staying in and gave way to some different insights into the differences between our farm land in Alberta to the farming done here in Brazil. Where our farmers’ fields are vast and lush with grain and hay field theirs contain very dry grasses and mainly cattle with a few horses. As it is the dry season here in Brazil there also existed many fires, what we in Canada would call wildfires. In Canada many of our wildfires are lightning caused and human caused, theirs here are only caused by humans.
Once we arrived at the city of Pirenópolis, we noticed a significant difference in the city compared to Gioânia. Pirenópolis didn’t have any giant apartment buildings; instead, it had one-floor homes and shops. The roads were not your normal paved roads; instead, they were made with cobblestone and the people were not in a hurry, instead they were very laid back and relaxed. I knew in that moment that this “city” was more my style then Gioânia was. I am not used to big city life, I live in Rocky Mountain House the town I grew up in in central Alberta. The closest city is Red Deer and its too busy for me. So Ultimately, both myself and my daughter fell in love with Pirenópolis. It’s artsy laid back vibe is more our style and reminded us of home.
Geraldo had arranged for us to stay in the home of a family friend, who had rooms with bathrooms attached and an amazing yard that contained trees, plants and beautiful flowers. Its peaceful beauty was relaxing. The hosts greeted us with hugs and kisses on our cheeks. They were very kind and accommodating, showing us to our rooms and giving us a brief tour of the property. They had several rescue dogs (dogs that lived on the street before but now had a home and meals), all of whom my daughter fell in love with. What I found super neat was all the wildlife that lived in harmony with the hosts, the garden and bulidings had lizards, geckos, and parrots (Who fly very fast by the way).
After settling in we all walked to a restaurant where we enjoyed a snack and some local drinks – Caipirinha (which are pieces of art on their own). Its here that many street vendors approached us. All items were hand made, giving the area even more of an artsy feel. During the time I bought my daughter a beautiful pair of abalone shell earrings, my son back home a hand crafted knife for his collection and gifted Geraldo with a beautifully crafted knife as well (he was so happy). Towards the end of our time in this location a local artist came to the table and began creating a hand painted tile picture for us that Geraldo gifted to us.
Once filled with a bit of drink, food and some fun memories, we headed to the main stage of the festival. This is where we learned more about Brazilian music and the rhythms of Samba. We also met some pretty cool new friends. This was a nightly thing, experiencing different things during the day, and then we would dance the night away at the festival. The city of Pirenópolis was alive with Brazilian pride, a love of music and cultural experience.
At night, we danced, and during the days, we visited several sites. On Saturday, we went to a colonial farm (Faxenda Babilônia Desde de 1800) just 20 minutes outside of Pirenópolis and to 5 different waterfalls. The farm was a very historic and delicious experience, the cafe (Cafe Sertanejo) on the farm served us a breakfast made with all traditional foods and we got to know a bit of the history and meet the owners. It was very cool hearing the story’s of how the farm grew to what it is today. It made the previous archaeologist in me wonder what type of occupational sites I would uncover if I just dug into the earth and how we don’t really have any farms that are that old (that I am aware of) in Canada. I think the closest thing to what we experienced there would be a visit to Heritage park in Calgary. 
The waterfalls were actually not what I expected. The waterfalls I have experienced near my town do not allow people to swim in them. For Example, Crescent Falls, about an hour away from Rocky Mountain House, is closed off. There are viewing places, but it is not open for people to swim in (I mean, I probably wouldn’t want to anyway, as the water is glacier-fed). Waterfalls in Canada are not as commonly visited as the ones surrounding Pirenópolis. The waterfalls are part of state parks and require admission in (very inexpensive). The trails are marked by cobblestone paths, or boardwalks and are fairly accessible. They even have visitor centers that have drinks, food, and bathrooms (one even had a space with hammocks to rest after). The water in the area was actually colder than I thought it would be but we still managed to take a dip in each of the 5 we visited.
All I can say about our adventures is that it was an adventure that I will never forget!!! While I still have more of Brazil I want to see, this place will have my heart forever!!!