Brazil 2012: Class at Rive -- Week 1

Monday-Friday, July 16-20:   We are here in Rive to have class for the remainder of our time here in Brazil.  (There will be a couple weekend trips thrown in!)  Our hotel (Pousada do Pombal) is a 5 minute drive from the university -- a van comes and picks us up each morning.  Class runs approximately from 8:00-4:30,  with a mid-morning break for coffee and cake, a 1.5 hour lunch break, and one or two more breaks in the afternoon for more coffee and cake!  The van takes us back to the pousada most days (otherwise we walk back) and everyone is free to exercise/nap/chill until supper at 7:00.  The rest of the evening is open for homework, games, visiting, TV, hanging out. 

Classroom work/lectures...

Morning break....with a beautiful view

Working in small groups....

 Lunch in the cafeteria -- $2 Real  (US $1.00)  -- great deal!!

Playing frisbee after lunch (not a common sport in Brazil)

Learning to throw...

Professors Caiado and Heatwole returning from lunch...

Afternoon break...always plenty of cake and coffee provided....more cake than we could possibly eat!

Evening homework in the lounge at Pousada do Pombal...

  

One afternoon we dismissed class early to go on a drive around the Rive area to see the Itapimirim River, local geography and coffee plantations

Typical method of drying coffee beans....spread out on the ground and raked several times throughout the day to attain even drying...

Marco and Conrad rode in front of the bus -- enjoying the lovely day in Marco's cool JEEP!!

The JEEP got more attention than the scenery and coffee plantations!!

Brazil 2012: Pedra Azul

Sunday, July 15:  Left Vitoria around 8:00 am, headed to Rive for the remaining three weeks of classes.  Enroute we stopped at a famous landmark in Espirito Santo, Pedra Azul.  The name means "Blue Rock" due to the fact, that depending on the amount of sunlight, the stone can change color, and often appears blue, green, and even yellow, although usually it is grayish white. Most of the time it is covered by clouds, creating a cold and humid environment at the top  This causes many plants, especially flowers and orchids, to grow. 

We arrived around 10:00 am -- our bus was a large tourist bus, so big in fact, that it couldn't drive back the narrow road from the main road to the visitor center. So, everyone had to walk first to the Visitor Center (more than a mile)....

 

...and then another hike/walk (1/2 mile) back to the trail head. Lots of exercise today!!!

Finally reached the trail head.... 

 

Our guided tour begins...

Near the end of the hike there is a sheet of rock that you climb.  It is so steep and slick that you go up by holding on to a rope.

 

 

At the top of the rock climb, you hike a bit longer to reach an area of hidden pools in the rock face.  The view is beautiful......and the pools of water are quite refreshing to your feet!!

 

 

There were lovely flowers along the hike....

 

 

 

 

Descending the steep sheet of rock.... 

 

This picture shows just how steep the rock climb is....

 

It was after 3:00 pm until everyone returned to the Vistior Center.  We ate lunch around 4:00.....then headed for Rive.  Arrived around 6:30, settled in, and prepared for the coming week of classes.