Blue Mountain

So, we decided upon going for the Ski Trip hosted by one of the school clubs on the first day on Chinese New Year. 

Destination: Blue Mountain

The cost of the day trip with school group is CAD70 which includes equipment rentals and group lessons, which I think it was a good deal. It was a chilly day with wind chill at -40 Celsius. I am glad that I dressed warmly with ski pants from the kids department (its cheaper). This being my first time skiing, I think I sort of got the hang of it. And, it is important that you shall not be afraid of falling, which I did fell a couple of times, hit my head, and had a little concussion (I am okay now).

Beginner Ski Hill (proudly, I went up this 4 times)

the baby hill where we get group lessons

Blue Mountain Village

This place is a beaut! I would love to visit again, this time spending a few nights there, relaxing and doing nothing (maybe some skiing/snowboarding and enjoy the outdoor hot tubs). I think it is a great place for a short getaway.

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Ouro Preto with Watsonites!

Praça Tiradentes e Museu da Inconfidència

Ouro Preto (Black Gold) used to be a centre of rich gold mining area, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place is famous for its churches, and European influenced architectures. 

A group of my first year residence-mates, met up after years and decided upon travelling to Ouro Preto. The scenery en-route was incredible!

Igreja São Francisco de Assis

Igreja São Francisco de Assis is a renowned church in Ouro Preto where the interior is covered by gold. It was worth visiting, but sadly, no pictures were allowed in the church. An interesting fact is that some statues in the church contain real human hairs. 

p/s: There's a minimal entrance fee if you have a student card with you.

More churches:

If you are planning to drive to Ouro Preto, you need to be ready for all the steep streets. The state of Minas Gerais has one of the most steepest streets ever (in my opinion)! I will never dare to drive in these regions.

and of course, not forgetting a group picture of us! :D

---Time for bed now, lights off.

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Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

'Bald' dune at the background.

Natal is located at a North Eastern state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte (the large river of north). It is less crowded as compared to Rio de Janeiro (River of January) and Natal is famous for its dunes. There are a lot of hotels located by the shoreline, we stayed at Pousada Manga Rosa at Ponta Negra, Natal (which is a few steps away from the picture above). The inn is reasonably priced due to its great location (steps away from the beach) and good service. Bring more cash than you usually do because a lot of stores/restaurants at Natal do not accept cards.

We spent a total of 5 nights at Natal, 28th Dec - 2nd Jan 2015. The New Years' fireworks were like the usual I would say. The beach was packed but not as pack as Rio de Janeiro. If you are spending the new years in Brazil, popular colours to wear are yellow (prosperity) , white (peace), red (love) and more.

And as said, Natal are famous for its dunes, of course we did not miss that out! We did a buggy trip on dunes and that was one of the best decision made! It cost about R$120 (CAD60) per person for the buggy trip taking you south of Natal for about 6 hours, which I think is pretty neat. But they will end up bringing you to a really expensive all you can eat buffet place which I don't think it is worth the price. So, bring your own food or have a late lunch as they bring you home after lunch. Also, bring extra cash for some side activities at the dunes.

There were a lot of seaweeds and corals being washed by the beach and we both got bitten by some mysterious sea creatures while in the sea, it hurts pretty bad, but its not poisonous. The waves are smaller than those at Rio, but it is still fun regardless. There are some water activities that can be done such as surfing, stand-up paddle, banana boat/disco boat etc. 

Food in Natal were cheaper than Rio de Janeiro. One of the local food in Natal is the tapioca crepes, served in sweet or salty options. The ones that they served at the Pousada Manga Rosa were one of the best. There were also a lot of the street vendors that goes around with their carts selling regular crepes. Natal have more variety of fruits, a few that I have never seen, such as caju (cashew fruit) and cajá. I love their fruit juices, they are freshly made from real fruits. 

A new word that we both learned, a word local to the north states is:

Dindin = Popsicle

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