Days 9 & 10: Brasilia

Leaving Goias Velho, there are more RTBC:

1. The credit card works, to pay the pousada bill.
2. 'According to the Weather Channel, Brasilia is cooler than Goias Velho.
3. There are additional buses to Goiania apart from those listed on the internet.
4. A good bus connection at Goiania.
5. The Aristus Hotel in Brasilia is better than expected.

At Goias Velho I have only a large note for the taxi driver but this is an unhurried place and he waits while I buy my onward bus ticket to obtain change for him. On arrival at the Brasilia rodoviaria, I buy my onward ticket for Alto Paraiso. One of the other ticket salesmen is talking loudly and forgetting myself, I say "shut up!" in English. Everyone relaxes and laughs.

Brasilia has a reputation for being expensive so my expectations of the Aristus Hotel, a squat 3-storey building are not high---unlike most of the surrounding buildings. In fact at £35 per night including breakfast it is good 3-star fare and I have a pleasant night,

Brasilia was not built for pedestrians but fortunately the Weather Channel is right and assisted by the breeze, I have a comfortable day. It's a mile walk to the Cathedral, designed famously to represent the Crown of Thorns. Despite having a capacity of only about 500, it's airy and allows enough light for interior photos at normal settings. And because the burghers of Brasilia didn't install any seating in the acres of treeless parkland, I am grateful for a seat in the Cathedral and leave a generous donation in the box.

The city, planned to represent the layout of an aeroplane, has a limited metro service but what it has is comfortable and fast. I head out to the southern wing to explore some early 1960s housing. At first sight it's a bit soulless but it's starting to show agreeable signs of ageing gracefully.En savoir plus