A trickle runs through it - Piracicaba

Rocks once covered by a huge rushing river

I am spending a couple of days in Piracicaba, a medium-sized town outside of São Paulo. I have blogged on it last year. The crown jewel of Piracicaba is its huge river--fast moving with a rocky bed covered with water. Or not.

A beautiful old building with three aquariums and tubed-in water rushing over the window

 Yesterday I went with my sister-in-law and our combined three kids to the Museu de Agua or Water Museum. It's a tiny place, with no real explanation of what goes on in terms of treatment and pumps and whatever. The tiny pump house was practically taken over with three huge intake or outtake or missile tubes. It was hard to know. And some black and white photos of the good old days. Piracicaba has quite a history of firsts, including water treatment technology.

First city with water tubes. I am really good at water terminology translations

The Museum now consists of two buildings--the pump station and a building that houses three large aquarium tanks (well, three foot long tanks--I am wondering what happens when one of the fish in there reaches its predicted length of 6 feet. On second thought, I'd rather not think about it). Water rushes in a man-made falls at the side of this building, and under your feet covered by a somewhat sketchy metal grill.

On the bright side, it's quite pretty not covered by water.

One of the best features of the museum is its view of the river. Or what was the river. There is a beautiful part of the river that rushes over a rock bed, splashing and jumping and zooming downhill. But not today. It is all dry. Instead, there is a tiny trickle on the far side, and a few lost-looking herons picking about looking for fish. I hope they found some.

After the museum, we went to the park where we played soccer on crunchy grass. The current drought is ugly. Yesterday there was finally an article in the newspaper that spelled out disaster. We are now trolling the "dead volume" of all of the water reservoirs in the São Paulo area. And its disappearing faster than expected because people are not taking this seriously enough. We are not going to have enough to through to September and some more rains. And of course this has a name: El Niño. I almost hate when this term comes up--it has another name which is Bad Planning. We are not prepared for drought in this state--there are too many people and not enough supply.

I miss the river. Hope it comes back soon.

Road trip!! - Place where the fish stop, black creek and Portinari's hometown - São Paulo state

Countryside of São Paulo state and sugar cane

I have always loved a road trip. When I was in my twenties, I crossed the US at least four times, and was introduced to places like Pella, Iowa (home of a lot of Dutch stuff. And people), Winnemucca, Nevada (lost the free roll of quarters from the Super 8) and Lincoln, Nebraska which I hope to insult no one by saying that I drove quickly through. My trusty car almost overheated crossing from Arizona to California, and another car years later almost said no to the Rockies. 

This weekend, BH, the twins, my parents and I got into the monster truck, also known as BH's SUV and drove around São Paulo state. We did have a goal in mind which was the baptism of BH's niece (BH is the godfather) in Ribeirão Preto. Can I translate as Black Creek? Yes.  But on the way, we decided to visit the Place where Fish Stop (Piracicaba) because we enjoy melting.  

The highway from São Paulo, Bandeirantes, changes from urban, to rolling green hills within thirty minutes of leaving São Paulo. Piracicaba is about 2 hours from São Paulo,  a busily growing city of almost a half million. I have posted about it before, and I must say that I enjoyed it once again. 
 

Place where fish stop

Acerola and orange juice along muddy river

We again lunched along the swift-moving brown river, walked across the new bridge and visited my brother-in-law's house. We also drove through ESALQ, which is the agricultural college and visited its small and somewhat sad agricultural museum. It was not part of my museum challenge. I also got bit by three incredibly cranky ants and am still itching.

ESALQ main building. Yes, blurry.

Empty little museum between shows.

On our way from Piracicaba to Ribeirão Preto, the beauty of the clouds and the road kept us all fairly silent (okay, so the twins were watching American Dragon on the ipad, not the clouds). On both sides, oranges and sugarcane fields gave way to eucalyptus and then ceded once again to sugarcane. The huge cumulus clouds reminded me of Colorado clouds. A rainstorm closed down the view of the roadway after São Carlos, but only after we saw the Statue of Liberty attached to a store.

Statue of Liberty and impending storm

It took us almost two and a half hours from Piracicaba to Ribeirão Preto, between a small directional error and the rain. We arrived at BH's small family farm at almost 8:30 pm and piled out of the car. The family farm is in Brodowski, on a small hill above sweltering, valley-dwelling Ribeirão Preto and is only a few kilometers from Candido Portinari's hometown and museum. If you don't know Portinari, I suggest taking a look. The museum is also worth a trip.

On the morning of the baptism, we got a huge flat tire entering into the city. I suggested that it had to do with BH, the agnostic, being named the godfather to his niece. In any case, the baptism was held up until we could all 6 of us be ferried over in BH's father's car. After the baptism (tomorrow's post), we got the tire fixed but quickly gave up on any real tourism in Ribeirão Preto--it was topping 35 degrees Celsius/ 95 Fahrenheit. We went to get a beer, like any self-respecting Ribeirão Pretano. Nope, not at Pinguim. More on that later, too.

Beat that cloud, Colorado

Back on the road again on Sunday afternoon, I was again impressed by the rolling hills of the interior of São Paulo. Not big mountains, but curving roads through dark green sugar cane fields. Back through the eucalyptus forests of Santa Rita de Passa Quatro (love this name! Cannot translate it. Saint Rita of Four Passes? I looked it up. There's no translation--it was named for a nearby creek).

Eucalyptus trees as far as the eye can see

Many expats here don't drive. That doesn't mean you need to miss out--there's a good bus line with Cometa from Rodoviaria Tiete to Ribeirão Preto. I highly recommend it. On Wednesday, I'll tell you where to get that beer. Don't drink and drive...or you will find yourself in the newest viewpoint from Ribeirão Preto to Brodowski...a prison...

Place where the fish stop...and get eaten - Piracicaba

Piracicaba River - A view from the bridge

On Saturday, we went to visit the town of Piracicaba. Okay, it's a city really; it boasts more than 350,000 residents. It is barely 2 hours from São Paulo, and is the home of one of the best agricultural colleges in Brazil called ESALQ.  I was told to say that because both my brother-in-law and my husband's cousin went there. But seriously, it is the best or one of the best and appropriately so--the city is surrounded by sugar cane. It is also the birthplace of "precision farming"--for more on that, see wikipedia. I am no farmer. Heck, I can't even keep an orchid alive.

 

Stop, fish! A view to the "old bridge"

In the native Tupi language, Piracicaba means "Place where the fish stop" and it is thought to be because of the waterfalls and rapids that rush through. It has a wonderful riverfront lined with cafes and restaurants absolutely filled on a sunny country afternoon. 

In any case, we admired the view from the new bridge (the old bridge was very pretty but closed for repair up the river) which included a giant turtle sunning itself on a log until my kids screamed loud enough for it to believe the world was ending and went off to see where the fish stopped. Which was on our plates. 

New bridge. Minus view of very frightened turtle.

After that, we went to the 40th annual Humor Show at a former sugar cane processing plant. They have cleared out the whole inside of the plant and dedicated it to the show. 

A view of the sugar cane processing plant, and now Humor Show

Now let's be honest. Okay, I'll be honest, you be reading. I had never heard of the Salão Internacional de Humor de Piracicaba. If you had told me anything about it, I probably would have thought it was a joke. And yes, the show is filled with jokes and humor, much of it with a political point. And here is where the story gets fascinating to me.

The Show was started in 1974 as a place for political cartoonists to express their feelings (graphically) about the military dictatorship. I am telling you that the military dictatorship is never far from anything here in Brazil. This place is shot through with scars and history of that time. Some time I'll tell you about what my in-laws suffered through the dictatorship, and they were hardly the worst victims. 

 

Cartoons

The show was fascinating and funny and scary. My six year old twins even found cartoons that cracked them up. And they understood cartoons for "adults"--of people standing yelling at each other and wanting to go to war, while their kids got together in the middle to play. One son liked a toilet-focused cartoon, and one preferred the one of Noah putting all the dinosaurs on an ark, and changing the name of it from Ark to Titanic. 

Brazil protests. "Let's hit the streets" The homeless reply "What took you so long? We've been here for years."

Hard to explain to kids why the little fishies are swimming around the "sun" and heading to the soccer ball.

Need I explain why this is a 6-year olds favorite?

The cartoonists are from everywhere; I saw Croatia and Russia and England and every country in between. I laughed more than I frowned and I so highly recommend this show that everyone who is here in São Paulo must go NOW to Piracicaba. It runs through October 20 and there is more information here. 

Now all this laughing made me thirsty. I love a restaurant that knows how to serve a beer that is "estupidamente gelada" or "silly cold", and that is what we found at O Remador (the Rower) restaurant. We ate fish called "filhote" (puppy) and "pintado" (painted). Fish called delicious in any language.

We also found the waiter with the best English I have ever heard in the restaurant industry, inside or outside of São Paulo city. All self-taught. He told us that it helps to have the Piracicaba accent which emphasizes "r"s, unlike the paulistano accent which treats them more like "l"s. Something that is "caro" or expensive would be "Kah-ROW" to the Piracicabenses and "Kah-lrew" to the paulistanos. Or something like that.

The waiter and the mother-in-law trade country accents. Who is more confused?

This day in Piracicaba reminded me about how wonderful the countryside around São Paulo really is. It's relaxed, it's beautiful and has lovely food to eat. And it is very friendly to foreigners. And people who scare turtles.