So far, this trip has been far from lonely. Sure, I’m traveling on my own, but it has been easy to meet people in all different places. The best thing though is when friends connect you, like my friend Daniel did, whom I had met in San Francisco six years ago…

A few Facebook messages and I’m going for a drink with Guilherme, a friend from Daniel’s studies in Belo Horizonte. He’s working as a graphic designer in an agency and took me to a nice Latin American restaurant Exquisito for beers and tacos.

We went on to that funny alternative geeky bar called Dona Teresa in the Consolação district. Madonna was greeting in oil on a canvas, the girls were hip and the guys bearded, so I liked it right away.

As for the beer, you have the choice between a choppe (a light draft beer) or a ‘long neck’, meaning it comes in a (big) bottle. People often share it, and as this is a tropical country, it comes in a cooler.

On for a final one, standing outside of a little corner bar on Rua Frei Caneca, for some people watching… Then, the garoa started to set in… a light drizzle of rain typical for the city, as Guilherme explained to me.

Time to go to bed, I had wanted to go out, but I’m feeling a bit tired, and the cold is still lingering, so I was a good boy and called it a night.