The bus winds around the mountain road. On either side a dense mix of greens—palm fronds, pine trees, and jacarandas. I expect at any minute a leopard or a toucan to emerge from the foliage; its lushness could hide anything. Before the mountains, the landscape is mostly flat, bright green grass with small houses spotting the roadside. Often they are brick or a mixture of cement and brick. Boxy houses with red tile rooves. Then a town passes by. Cobble-stone streets with children chasing dogs, fenced-in yards and an occasional jacaranda tree.
When the bus starts up the incline of the serra mountains, I look for traces of German colonies. The half-timbered houses with sloping, wooden rooves; flowerbeds beneath the windows, and German writing on the signs. At the entrance to Santa Cruz do Sul, two enormous dolls stand in stereotypical dress. Frida wears a dirndl and Fritz wears lederhosen. The bus passes through Novo Hamburgo, São Leopoldo, and then there are only 21 kilometers before Dois Irmãos. Dois Irmãos, or ‘Two Brothers’, refers to two neighboring hills that used to look identical. Now one of them has had most of its trees removed and the land has been burnt to make room for sugar cane plantations. The family-owned farms grow the cane for cachaça exports. Cachaça is a type of rum.
The bus turns off the BR 116 highway and stops at the corner of the busiest avenue of Dois Irmãos, Irineu Becker. There passengers unload at the bus station, and some stop to eat at the restaurant next door or stay in the pousada above the restaurant. It is a dingy place but okay for someone passing through with R$30 in their pocket. Thirty reais is equal to about $17.
Becker Avenue leads to the center of town. Large grocery, clothing, and furniture stores line the avenue (large for Brazil, normal for the US). The center is two parallel cobblestone streets with small shops lining either side. There are three churches—Catholic, Evangelical, and Lutheran—a museum of German immigration, and various cultural centers. The museum exhibits its objects and documents within a house built in the 1860s. It is one of very few original, half-timbered houses in the town.
Many young people frequent the Center Grill, which is one of the several places that serves dinner. All other restaurants and cafes close by 7pm. Because lunch is the big meal of the day, a lot of people eat a sandwich or fried dough filled with meat for dinner. People stroll the streets with a thermos and gourd in hand. This gourd is filled with bright green mate herbs, which are pushed to one side. Then a metallic straw and hot water from the thermos fill the other side of the gourd. After one has sucked up all the water in the gourd, one refills it and passes it to one’s friend. Sharing germs is not discussed.
When the bus starts up the incline of the serra mountains, I look for traces of German colonies. The half-timbered houses with sloping, wooden rooves; flowerbeds beneath the windows, and German writing on the signs. At the entrance to Santa Cruz do Sul, two enormous dolls stand in stereotypical dress. Frida wears a dirndl and Fritz wears lederhosen. The bus passes through Novo Hamburgo, São Leopoldo, and then there are only 21 kilometers before Dois Irmãos. Dois Irmãos, or ‘Two Brothers’, refers to two neighboring hills that used to look identical. Now one of them has had most of its trees removed and the land has been burnt to make room for sugar cane plantations. The family-owned farms grow the cane for cachaça exports. Cachaça is a type of rum.
The bus turns off the BR 116 highway and stops at the corner of the busiest avenue of Dois Irmãos, Irineu Becker. There passengers unload at the bus station, and some stop to eat at the restaurant next door or stay in the pousada above the restaurant. It is a dingy place but okay for someone passing through with R$30 in their pocket. Thirty reais is equal to about $17.
Becker Avenue leads to the center of town. Large grocery, clothing, and furniture stores line the avenue (large for Brazil, normal for the US). The center is two parallel cobblestone streets with small shops lining either side. There are three churches—Catholic, Evangelical, and Lutheran—a museum of German immigration, and various cultural centers. The museum exhibits its objects and documents within a house built in the 1860s. It is one of very few original, half-timbered houses in the town.
Many young people frequent the Center Grill, which is one of the several places that serves dinner. All other restaurants and cafes close by 7pm. Because lunch is the big meal of the day, a lot of people eat a sandwich or fried dough filled with meat for dinner. People stroll the streets with a thermos and gourd in hand. This gourd is filled with bright green mate herbs, which are pushed to one side. Then a metallic straw and hot water from the thermos fill the other side of the gourd. After one has sucked up all the water in the gourd, one refills it and passes it to one’s friend. Sharing germs is not discussed.
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