Campos do Jordao is at a distance of about 250 kms from the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Easily accessible by road, it is a great pleasure to drive to it by car from Sao Paulo. The
entire road is surrounded by lush green trees and scenic mountains, beautiful green pastures
and the thickness and variety of plants and natural beauty will only make you feel like it
is still untouched by mankind.still in the same state that it was created - pure and
pristine.
At a height of 1628 metres, it is colder than most other places in Brazil. Its economy is mainly dependent on tourism.which anyone can make out once he visits the place, because
of its sheer beauty. It is located in the Mantiqueira mountains, has German and Italian
architecture, lots and lots of bars and cafes(Where you feel like sitting endlessly -
drinking .and eating fondue maybe;)because they are sooo cosy and just perfect)to cater
to the large inflow of tourists especially in winters and honestly it feels like a European
town if you happen to be in certain parts.
The houses are beautiful.mostly cottage style.the kind of cottage you would find on a
perfect picture postcard(you get it.the kind of cute cottage that girls always pester
their husbands to buy for them). Some people(who can afford it) buy such cottages in Campos
do Jordao so that they can come here in winters and enjoy the beauty of the place.
There are plenty of activities if you happen to be one of those’adventure souls’ such as
trekking, horse-riding, hiking, mountain climbing, biking etc. The Boa Vista castle here is
also the winter residence of the State Governor. Winter temparatures here can be as low as 2
to 3 degrees celsius in the night.which is lower compared to most other parts of Brazil.
The lowest temparature ever recorded here was about -7.3 degrees celsius. However, it
doesn’t snow in Campos. That is a VERY rare phenomenon.
I happened to visit Campos do Jordao last month i.e. in May.which happens to be winter in
Brazil. It was freaking cold there. Though the days were mainly clear and sunny, the
temparatures hovered around 16 -17 degrees Celsius in the day(which was okay) but in the nights, it fell to as low as 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
Day 1: After reaching Campos at about 12.45 noon after a 2 hour journey by car, we decided
we wanted to have lunch. So, instead of driving to the hotel, we stopped at Sergio’s and had
lunch. Sergio’s is a popular joint in Campos and I strongly believe that the most popular
places to eat in any new city/town are generally also the safest. You don’t have to worry
about basic hygiene here coz that is adhered to quite well. Sergio’s has a buffet for
lunch. and pizza(and other like things) at night, for dinners. The buffet items change
daily.on Day 1, they had.I don’t remember what they had.but whatever it was, it was
enjoyable. Our hotel was only a few minutes away from Sergio’s. After checking in and
resting for about 2 hours.we decided to go sight-seeing at about 4 in the noon.
It was a cold and foggy day.first we went to Pico Itapeva.which is a mountain peak(a
famous one) in Campos. Quite high.the clouds were actually passing through us.and at
such a height, we were all shivering.there is also a great woollen clothes market there
(predictable) which sells great woollens in real good styles at reasonable prices. The view
from top was beautiful.at some places, we could see streaks of sunlight falling on the
land .if the clouds’opened up’ at any place.it was great! Just a few streaks falling
over selected areas.is a very picturesque sight. The view from top was breathtaking.
Greenery on all sides.feels very .’untouched by humanity’.you get it.
After that, we also visited an unnamed lake which also was excellent. Amidst the hills, it
is a very quiet lake and has a very’picture-postcard perfect’ features.very photogenic.
On our way back, we visited Ducha de Preto.which is a waterfall. Not very big but
definitely enjoyable. Ducha de Preto literally means’black waterfall’(I think) which was
apt because the rocks beneath the water were black in colour. They had built stairs and
bridges to go as’into’ the waterfall as you can. The waterfall then divulges into several
little streams that quietly flow away making a very gentle sound.CUTE.
At night, the market-places of Campos are lit up and you feel as if its Christmas. Beautifl
lighting, well decorated shops, LOTS of cafes.you feel VERY VERY cosy and comfortable
here. The shops look gorgeous and classy. Genuinely feels kina like .um.European.
Campos is VERY famous for chocolate. Wherever you go, there’ll be chocolate shops. You can
eat chocolate of LOTS of varieties, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, chocolate
this.chocolate that.you can actually smell the chocolate when you come closer to a
chocolate shop.
Campos has loads and LOADS of restaurants(tourism being a major industry) and most have
their chairs and tables lined up on the broad pavements.under the shade of
umbrellas.occasional lamp-posts will have a gas-heated burner kinda thing to keep ypu
warm. So if you’re gettig frozen, just stand beside the nearest such lamp-post.
We ate at one of those many restaurants that I mentioned above. Beer with pastels.I love
it! The molten cheese mixed with palmitos and the occasional olive is very very.CUTE to
eat.:-) The atmosphere was great.festive like.everybody just laughs, has fun and I am
telling you.it feels like new-years eve or something.I don’t know why I was feeling
’Decemberish festive’ kind of. I would’ve put up one such photo of the beautifully lit
traditional cafes, restaurants and shops but that photo I have already agreed to give to
someone to make it a cover page of one of their books.so I guess I’ll tell you all to
just see that book, when it comes out! Don’t want it to seem’familiar’ to anyone when they
see the book.so.am not putting it up. The day ended at 3 degrees celsius and I was
happy to snuggle into the blankets and the warmth of the heater at the hotel.but I was
also sad to be stuck indoors. It was a beautiful night.
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