Gallery of photos from our week long expedition to Goiás, a rural, arid land of cattle, cowboys, Sertanejo (Brazilian country music) and the most hospitable people in all of Brazil.
The state of Goiás is characterized by a landscape of rolling woodland savanna plateaus, reminding us of the golden California hills.
We took a day trip to Pirenópolis, a colonial town famous for its waterfalls and alternative community.
After a day spent lounging at various waterfalls, we got some coffee at Pireneus Cafe in the center of town. The smooth jazz and art contrasted starkly with the country side full of cowboys.
Once a year, Goianians travel for hundreds of miles to attend the Cavalgada De Campo Limpo, a crazy Brazilian country celebration featuring a parade of horses and bulls, live Sertanejo music, dancing and plenty of alcohol
The streets were lined with people enjoying the festivities as the parade passed by.
There was live Sertanejo and lots of dancing.
Brasília, the capital of Brazil, was created in 1960 from scratch by architect Oscar Niemeyer and former president Juscelino Kubitschek.
The idea of Brasília was to create a utopian city with wide boulevards and open spaces. This idea was in response to the chaos and disorganization of many cities around the world following World War II. For better or for worse, the city is an interesting clash between 1960s idealism and todays urban reality
The Catedral de Brasília was designed by Oscar Niemeyer (a socialist and atheist) who wanted to “connect the people to the sky, where their Lord’s paradise is.”
Niemeyer’s Congresso Nacional was designed to represent openness to all political ideologies. It was taken over four years later by the Brazilian military dictatorship who subsequently banned all political parties for the next 21 years.
Santuário Dom Bosco.
Our journey to Goiás actually begins in Rio. We were happily taking in the beautiful scenery, sunshine and surf, until Moreno got crushed by a wave. He was helped up by a friendly Brazilian named Bruna who spoke excellent English. We ended up spending the rest of the day with her and her dad, chowing down on Picanha, a popular brazilian cut of beef and sipping Caipirinhas in Lapa, late into the night. Before parting ways we promised to go visit her in Goiás.
One of best parts of traveling is meeting new people, travelers and locals alike. Only while traveling can you get crushed by a wave, hangout with someone you just met for an entire night and then spend a week living with her family. We had never planned on going to Goiás, but because of this chance meeting we were able to experience brazil far off the beaten path with a multitude of friendly and interesting people.
