Pelotas Day 2

Our first full day in Pelotas was very chill which was great. We spent the day getting to know Sergio and Sylvia and sharing food. After a small breakfast and some nice coffee, Sergio, Allan, and I went for a walk. It was very warm, but it was a leisurely walk around the housing area. All of the houses are so different and have very modern designs. Many also have swimming pools. While we walked we shared chimarrão, the Brazilian version of maté. I prefer chimarrão to maté because it is less bitter. Sergio explained that it has social rules such as always sharing one cup and following the same order of people to drink. We also had some fruit from small fruit trees while we walked. It reminded me of cherries with the size and the pit, but tasted more like nectarines.

Once we got back to the house, Sylvia and Sergio began to prep the indoor grill for the churrasco. Allan and Sergio ran out to the bakers for some bread rolls while Sylvia and I sort of chatted. She spoke in Portuguese and I spoke in English, but we both understood what the other was saying. It was a very interesting dynamic. Once the boys were back, the fire was beginning to get larger so the meat came out to be prepped for the grill. They had some flavored sausages as well as different cuts of beef to put on the grill. At the side of the grill, logs were lit and stoked until the wood was beginning to break apart. Once they began to break apart, the smaller parts were slid under the grill and the meat was then added to cook. It was really interesting to see a grill working that way, and indoors as well! Churrasco is a very social meal. Sergio explained that as the meat cooks, it is cut up in bit size pieces and eaten as a finger food opposed to putting sausage or meat on rolls like a sandwich and sitting at a table to eat.

Throughout lunchtime and into the early afternoon, we nibbled on meat and garlic bread rolls and talked about many different things. It was nice to eat and chat without having to worry about the time. Once the meat was finished, Sergio brought out some sugared fruit and jellies. He explained that Pelotas is well known for its sweets. We had pumpkin, fig, guava, pineapple, and orange. They were really nice. My favorite was probably the guava. Allan liked the pumpkin, he thought it tasted like coconut.

Once we were finished with the meal, and the rain stopped, Allan and I got our bathing suits on and had a dip in the pool. I was a bit chilly, but it was nice to be in the water once I warmed up. Allan, of course, was totally fine. It continued to rain off and on, and once I was getting a bit too chilly, we came out. (Just in time too because a big thunderstorm started shortly afterwards.)

After we were dried off, we all watched a movie. Sergio picked a bit of a weird one called Beacon about a girl who washes up on an island with a strange man who is a lighthouse keeper. The movie was a thriller, so as it went on the two characters began to distrust each other for different reasons and it had a weird ending, as many thrillers do. It wasn't the best, but it could've been worse.

Dinner arrived shortly after the film finished. Sylvia had ordered burgers. I was still feeling full from earlier, but I managed most of a burger, and Allan helped me finish. By now, the day was pretty much done. We said our goodnights, and made our way to our room to get some trip planning done before bed.Read more