3rd August 2009 – Wild Camp 4 – Ouro Preto
Around 3am there was a piercing noise that woke (almost) everyone up. I think it was Ian and Annie that slept through it. It took me a while in my comatose slumber to place the noise but it was a pneumatic tool for undoing truck wheel nuts. Apparently a truck had pulled in with two flats and got the guy at the 24hr service station to change them out. We woke up pretty early and put the tents away for the last time. We ate breakfast at the truck stop and then it was on our way to Ouro Preto. Waking up this morning I could feel the first signs that the infection in my voice box had started migrating into my ears. It was nowhere near as painful as it had been in Guatemala but I could feel the warning signs. Decided to start a course of antibiotics. Better to be safe than sorry and with flying out of Rio in a few days time I didn’t want to be grounded again.
On the drive today played a game with Webster and Maartje were we had to collectively write a song. One person would write one line of the song and then the next would have to write the next, but fitting in with the rhyming pattern, it was pretty funny. Then due to my new found sexy husky voice I was volunteered to sing it. Some how it morphed into a blues song. Made a mental note that I really need to learn to play the guitar when I get back home.
We got to Ouro Preto before lunch. Most of us had bought stuff for lunch at a supermarket that morning so we just made sandwiches when we got to the hostel. The a youth hostel we were staying at was on a hill next to a huge brooding church. The “evil church” as Maxine called it, was visible from the town and provided a good reference point. The views over the city from the hostel were stunning. Ouro Preto was such a picturesque town. First task was to clean the tents. The truck was parked at the top of the hill so we had to carry tents and poles down to the youth hostel. Then we cleaned up the tents so they would be ready for the next group. After this we had a spot of lunch and then Fi and I headed into town. Had a real good talk to Fi and it was great to be able to talk to a friend and get things off my chest. It’s strange how sometimes you know what has to happen but you just need someone else to say it.
We found an amazing chocolate shop on the high street. It was really expensive but really nice chocolates. We walked back up the hill to meet up with our guide who would take us to the gold mines the next day. We decided we would try to eat as a group so we walked back down the hill. There was a lot of walking up and down hills in Ouro Preto which is probably why there was hardly any obese people, well locals anyway!
It was more of a bar which did food than a restaurant. Which was great as the food was cheap. Most of us were drinking bramah beer but Fi was on the Caprioski (like a moito but with vodka instead of rum and no mint) and boy were they strong. I forget which drinking game we were playing but Fi introduced “international drinking rule”. This was to be her undoing. Double taps, no pointing with the fingers and drinking with the pinky extended. Add to this that her food was really late in coming and she was smashed. I’m not sure why but a tuneful rendition of “American Pie” was visited on the pub, mainly by Webster and Eugene. After talking to god in the toilets Eugene walked Fi home back up the hill. The final bill was actually really small. Considering we’d drunk well over a crate of litre bottles of beers, plus Fi’s six Caprioskis, various rum & cokes and all the food. I think the final bill was something like 30 R each. Obviously someone had not been counting our drinks properly. Charlotte, Maartje and Mirrka left, but Charlotte left her bag with her camera. Some dodgy photos where taken with it before Charlotte came back for it.
Even then I don’t think she realised that Donna was busy putting her camera back in her bag when she walked back through the door. After a few more drinks Donna and Dion left and finally the rest of us wandered back up the hill. We had a few more drinks back at the hostel and then got to bed.