Somebody in Belo right now?
Hi,
I'm hanging around here in Belo Horizonte since may and would like to meet some mongers to share experiences. My phone number: 9779-6535
A pleasant afternoon in Belo Horizonte (pt 1)
Arriving in Belo from RJ on the overnight bus, nicely timed so it´s just about light. Get my bearings and check into a hotel.
There´s plenty of directions for the ground zero mongering, but mostly they say ´close to the bus station´or ´non-descript building´which I didn´t find too helpful, so in case it is not covered already, here´s one description.
Get off the bus and climb the steps. You will be on a paved area where there is also some car-parking. Look around you. To one side there is a large, long building, higher up, and it looks a bit like an airport entrance. That´s the main bus station building where you buy your tickets (as opposed to get on the bus, which is below ground level).
Stand so that building is behind you. To your right and left are viaduct/flyover roads at each end of the paved square. Check the one at your left. As it descends, it forks in two. The right hand fork, at street level, is Rua Guaicurus, where you want to go. It is probably the dodgiest looking street you could pick but seems safe enough daytime anyway. At the start, there´s a key-cutters on the left and a fruit and veg store on the right. Couldn´t see a sign but after the first block it bends sharply and you start entering the mongering area. The first block is slightly uphill, then you cross a main road and it´s downhill all the way if you will excuse the pun.
If you get lost, over your left shoulder (to the side of the bus station ticket office) was a walkway signed as leading to the Metro. Follow it to the entrance of the Metro and you can look at a map of the immediate area.
Once I find Rua G, I follow it for a few blocks to find a hotel that looks like a real hotel. I book in to Hotel Rio Jardao (Rua Rio de Janeiro 147) which is only about 100yds from the action. It is 35R a night, grubby and run-down, but respectable enough, has clean sheets and towels, a hot shower ensuite and a lock on the door that works. And internet access in the lobby at 3R an hour.
After a quick nap, I cross over and start checking Rua Guaicurus.
(continued next post, as I´ve left my notes upstairs).