A 40 mile traffic jam

São João is a big holiday here in the northeast. The basic deal is that everyone tries to leave the city and drive to some tiny town in the interior, find someone's floor to sleep on, and goes to the public square to dance to Forró all night. It's one of my favorite holidays here, maybe because it's so focused on being in the country and just dancing - reminds me of home and going contra dancing. The holiday falls on the 24th of every June, but the major party is on the 23rd. This year the 24th is a Tuesday, meaning it was a 4 day weekend for anyone going out of town, and the public responded quickly.

This is a lame picture of my television of a live shot of BR324 in the BrasilGas sector, near Pirajá. This traffic jam went for over 80 KM, traffic stopped or moving slowly, everyone trying to get the heck away from the city. Having only 2 major highways to get you out, not at all surprising result.

See the number of people clustered at the non-bus station stop? And at the moment a good friend of mine visiting is out of town (Chapada) and will try to return on the afternoon of the 24th to catch an extremely early plane on the morning of the 25th - I hope she actually gets here in time....

Fusca leads a double life

Fuscas are the car. You can't go anywhere without spotting one and they are frequently the "goal" car for those who were not able to previously afford one. They are also very versatile.

Take the above example. Not only is a cheap an affordable, it can double as an office and a store. Need a snack? Find it here in the Fusca! Transportation by day - hard working restaurant by night.

Cool house

There is a lot of old architecture spread throughout the city. We have buildings from the early 1900's beside those built in the last 4 years I have lived here. There are many that have been fixed up, and others that are left as empty outer shells, full of grass and trees inside. I think those are the most interesting to look at, but they are seldom in places I am likely to 1) go to alone, and 2) drag my camera out and start photographing. I like this one in particular, near Canela. It's not that old, but has been kept up nicely and retains some of it's original feel. It'd be nice to have a look inside.