pocos de caldas

pocos de caldes is in sao paulo's neighboring state of minas gerais, and i went there this past weekend. it's another one of those small hamlets in brasil where people from sao paulo go for the weekend - how i imagine the US might have been back in the 40s and 50s (people milling around a mountainous town gawking at a sundial, hedges that spell out 'pocos de caldas', and an old school hotel that houses an indoor pool filled with the healing, sulfuric hot waters from pools deep in the bowels of the long-dormant volcano upon which the city is perched). the town even has enclosed bucket cars that take weekenders up to the apex of a mountain on the edge of the city where visitors get an up-close view of cristo redentor (a smaller version of the one in rio). i have seen several of these throughout my travels around brasil, so watch for a future blog with photos of the different versions.

i was invited for lunch in pocos by the family of a colleague, and i discovered mulberries. i believe i can eat my weight in mulberries. but i digress.. pocos has monkeys that eat bananas from your hand, waterfalls by the roadside, and incredible ice cream. however, the region is known for it's cheese - mmm good. hopefully, these types of hamlets can avoid becoming over-commercialized like so many old school US towns from yesteryear.