Reflections on Cambui, Campinas, SP, Brasil

We stayed in a wonderful Pousada in the district of Cambui, home from 15 August to 19 September and a very comfortable friendly place to be while in Brasil. I had many a conversation with Angelica, her mum and Ju ... they spoke excellent Portuguese and I did my very best to understand. I can honestly say we never failed to communicate somehow. I was very sad to leave, unfortunately living in a hotel is not a long term option no matter how comfortable and familiar it had become. Cambui is in the city of Campinas. Downtown was as busy and intense as any big city, with the exception of Sao Paolo, which was off the scale in size and INTENSITY. Standing on Avenida Paulista in Sao Paolo made Cambui feel like a country village of subtle quaintness.

When it rained the streets became like streams and if the rain was heavy it did not take long for some roads to flood, the torrents of water had no where else to go. Driving around one Saturday afternoon as the heavens opened proved a very entertaining experience! When a storm arrived the thunder and lightening would go on for what seemed like hours, the weather hanging over the city bringing grey clouds and dropping the temperatures. This would usually last a day at most and then back came the blue skies and the sunshine. Even in the winter months temperature could regularly reach the low to mid 30's. I have no idea how people function in the summer heat! I have two words for you 'air conditioning' ...

Brasil is riding an economic wave. A construction boom was evident everywhere I turned. Lowrise individual single storey homes were being bought up, knocked down and replaced by large high-rise appartments. One day you'd walk along a street and the next a house could be bulldozed in anticipation of future verticle developements. All in the name of progress the skyline of the city was being altered in front of our eyes.

Homes like this ...

And this ...

Are being replaced with this ...

Great views I'm sure, but do we all want to live that high in the clouds?

I adore a touch of natural greenery amongst the concrete, bricks and mortar. A highlight of any city are the sightings of plants, trees and parks. All of which can be found without too much searching. The streets are lined with trees. Many of which were rich in vibrant and verdant flowers displaying their spring plumage. If not flowering they were growing tropical fruits. I saw bananas, mangos and papayas that you could pick as you walked by. Some homeowners made efforts to bring life to their front yards, which added extra colour.

You can't go to Brasil without sampling the delicious food (especially tropical fruits, rice and beans!) and experiencing the sights and sounds of wonderful musicians. And it's a given that the people who are responsible for such delights are warm, welcoming and friendly. In the UK we have pasty's and in Brasil there is pastel. One is baked, the other is fried. To me they are pretty much the same thing and very tasty. Although the waistline needs some elastication if you know what I mean. You can't go wrong with rice and beans, add some salad and fried fish and you have a perfect meal. For those who like Japanese food, Brasil is the country for you. There is an abundance of sushi, tamaki, sashimi, tempura and nigri. And after all that everywhere you look in the grocers and markets there is display upon display of the most awesome tropical fruits and vegetables. I tried so many varieties of natural fruit juices I lost count. My favourite being melancia (watermelon). Most days breakfast consisted of fresh papaya. And the varieties of bananas was a total education for me!

If it makes a noise it is a potential musical instrument ... well it is if you are Brasilian and if you have a love for rhythmn there is no better place to be. I was lucky enough to see a concert by Tambeiro. A group of students from Unicamp who played a range of percussion instruments and drums including the pandeiro and the traditional berimbau - awesome! They could invoke the sound of the ocean or the rain forest and if you closed your eyes it felt like you had been transported out of the theatre somewhere else - incredible. I had heard nothing like it before and will remember that evening forever. At the performance began the musicians and dancer entered from the back of the auditorium walking down the ailses onto the stage. At the end they left the same way finishing outside drawing the audience with them playing for all to hear.

I fell in love with this beautiful place and the warm and welcoming people. It is full of contrasts and extremes. Nowhere is perfect, however, it is definitely a rollercoaster of experiences, well worth the ride.