God willing, weather non permitting: make your prayer.

On the way to Tiradentes

The road from Ouro Preto to Tiradentes is long. My departure was substantially delayed because of the whole Smoking Mary snail-experience. I left only reluctantly the Pousada Chico Rei for what was going to be by far the worst driving experience of the trip, if not of my life. It soon got dark and started raining. And by that I mean raining cats-and-dogs. No lights in the highways, the right lane useless from lorries and potholes, and me driving a small car with barely an exhaust pipe. More than once visibility was zero, and I just followed on the same track, or the distant rear lights of the car in front of me, hoping that they could see better than I did. I have no idea how I did not get killed, or anyone else for that matter that night. It lasted for hours, until I got to Tiradentes tense as a bamboo. I was compensated by a superb dinner and strong alcohol, in the nearest restaurant. The cod spaghetti (spaghetti com bacalhau) was unbelievable. I could go back just for that. And the maracujà juice, the best of the trip.

Highlights of the day: Definitely the spaghetti!
Downsides: Just one serving of it...

Tiradentes: the city of the tooth puller

Ready for some history? Listen to this one:
Tiradentes means tooth puller in Brazilian. And this is exactly what Joaquim José da Silva Xavier was. The equivalent of today's dentists, only he would pull your teeth out with pliers. This sort of thing. Although even at that time being a doctor meant belonging to the educated, upper class, this particular tiradentes was not a real aristocrat, and he never got the career openings (!) he deserved. Still, being a low grade officer allowed him to travel and see the exploitation of Brazilians, mainly by the Portuguese. He got angry and felt like pulling some teeth without anesthetics. And this is how he came to the idea of creating a Republic, with as capital São João del Rei. He thought of a triangular flag and sparked the Incofidência mineira in 1789 (does this ring a bell?), the Miners' treason. Only it did not succeed, despite other successful contemporary movements in Europe, mainly in France. He was caught and hanged in Rio de Janeiro, then dismembered and his head exposed as a warning to other possible traitors. He never pulled anyone's teeth again…
Now, this intro was not absolutely necessary, I just wanted to scare you a little and explain where the name of the sweetest village of Minas Gerais comes from. Tiradentes, the village, is compact and has basically no modern suburbia, just an old quarter, and is almost flat, compared to Minas Gerais standards, where streets are almost 45 degrees steep.
You cannot possibly count the restaurants, pousadas and handicraft shops in Tiradentes, most of them of very high standard and taste. Equally, you will not be able to count the money you will spend there either. The place is full of well heeled Brazilians, the poorest of which has a Range Rover to fill with exquisite furniture and antiquities, the size of which can give you an idea of where they live.
Having bought more than my part of artesanias, I had to set off at the end of the day to São João del Rei, which was unfortunately going to be the last of my historical villages of Minas Gerais.

Highlights of the day: Walking around, shopping.
Downsides: Shopping, getting over-caffeinated, short stay

The Pics and the Postcards

Film: At the central place

Next: São João del Rei: caught between good-bye and I love you