Tiradentes, Minas Gerais (August '11)

Our first venture out of Rio de Janeiro state was to head North to the fabled gold towns of Minas Gerais. Minas Gerais is dotted with pretty colonial towns, set in a stunning landscape of rugged hills, which felt very different from the lush rainforests we were used to...

The charming Poussada we were staying in was built using reclaimed timber from the gold mines, and set in a pretty courtyard style garden, a perfect place to relax after the five hour drive....

We were keen to explore the varied landscapes by the 19th century steam train, 'Smoking Mary', which runs on one of the first rail-lines in Brazil, from Tiradentes to São João del Rei. Unfortunately it was not running on Rob's birthday so we reverted to plan B and tackled some of the many walking trails instead.

The journey up the hill was undertaken reluctantly by some, but the view from the top was worth the effort...

After a climb in more than 35 degrees heat we found a delightful way to cool down, in a natural stream with the locals...

Back at the poussada it was definately time for a cuppa...

The small town of Tiradentes is best explored by foot. Its many old, steep, cobbledy streets wind between quaint mult-coloured portugese cottages, colonial buildings and Baroque churches.

When we say explore on foot, that also applies to someone with four feet...



 After finding the 18th century fountain our mission was to trace the aqueduct back through the forest to its source in a spring in São José hill...

We never found the spring, but we discovered many wonderful places in Tiradentes...

Bhavna & Rob xxxx