First of all, my apologies to the forum. I've been incredibly busy and absent, chasing money more than tail.
Anyway, it's about time to make a new contribution to the forum.
I was recently engaged in a project in Minas Gerais when I was invited by a friend to go to his home region (the northern area of the state, see maps). I ended up having a vacation in the area after my job was done and it truly surpassed my expectations.
General Info:
We're talking about a considerable area here, perhaps as big as half of France. The local inhabitants consider themselves as being culturally different from their southern cousins and you can notice this on the ground.
Roughly speaking, Northern Minas Gerais starts at the city of Diamantina (a six hour's drive from the capital, Belo Horizonte) and goes all the way to the border of the state of Bahia. The area consists, according to some, of two neighboring territories: the valley of the Jequitinhonha River and Northen Minas Gerais properly speaking.
I'm won't get too much into geography and general details, except for a few facts:
The land is mainly rather dry (they call the vegetation Cerrado, similar to the Savanna), but there are zillions of beautiful waterfalls and river beaches among very scenic rock formations, especially during rainy season.
Most of it is off the beaten track however and you'll need local guidance to find. For the adventurers, the valley of the Jequitinhonha River is especially advisable if you get someone to show you around. Forget about the bad reputation it has as a miserable, poor area, it's really great with a highly developed culture of spontaneous story-telling, local tales, jokes, excellent booze and fervent people; it's the sort of less obvious richness I would say, beyond the actual scarcity of material means. It's a rural area afterall, where poverty hits in different ways.
As for Diamantina, it is a beautiful and merry small historical-colonial town worth a visit on its own merit. Diamantina has a vibrant local carnival and hosts a branch of a university which makes it attractive for hunting students.
Culturally speaking, the further north you go, starting at Diamantina, the less theaters, cinemas, malls, mega-supermarkets you will see. People seek their fun mainly with each other, as our ancestors probably did.
Montes Claros is supposed to be the rather wealthy, regional capital of Northern Minas Gerais. There, the main hobby seems to be to talk (and to drink a lot with friends) and to bang. Generalizing, you could say people there are great conversationalists and very keen on screwing around.
Perhaps not so paradoxically, it doesn't surprise me that Montes Claros has produced far more intellectuals and artists than its looks and size would suggest.
There are many bars and zero theaters in Montes Claros, culture is actually alive wherever people gather, play, talk, drink. When I was there I experienced a decent choice of private parties where people sought to amuse themselves and also search for mating partners in a very warm and relaxed atmosphere. There is also, as I found out, a pretty vibrant yet confined P4P scene. The upper (middle-aged male) class organizes orgies among friends with paid girls with the same easiness as in other places they would, for instance, get together to go to a golf course or sit at a table to play bridge.
Montes Claros itself, where I stayed most of the time, has nothing, really nothing special to it as a city despite being a regional economic hub. It's a rather ugly city as a matter of fact. But it is, at least it was for me, a hidden treasure. I would however discourage anyone to go solo or without good local connections to such a place, simply because you'll need someone to open the doors for you and maximize your opportunities for fun and women.
The Super Wing
The friend who invited me over to Montes Claros and the surrounding area has, like so many other people there, a "real job" while being mainly known for his parallel skills. In his case, the local fame rests on his musical skills. Needless to say, his constant musical activity has earned him a vast social circle and supreme access to any private party or private gathering going on in town. And people just love to party there, at their homes and weekend properties, which perhaps also explains the lack of first-class mundane night venues/discos.
In 20 days around Montes Claros, I got a total of 4 bangs, out which 3 bangs were facilitated by my wing, mainly during private parties (one ONS, one happened after date 1 and delivered two separate sessions, one gave it to me after date 2).
I got just one bang which I managed on my own, sad to say but it's true. Moreover, even that single solo conquest is only partially so because I was crucially helped by the social prestige I had at a fancy bar, where I sat at one of the best tables, with personalized bottles of whisky (members have bottles with their names on it), in short, I had a considerable edge emanating from the situation with my drinking mates.
Of course you need to have everything else (game, smooth talking, assertiveness, decent looks etc etc) sorted out, but WITHOUT my entourage it would have been no doubt considerably harder to pull top quality (I would say this specific girl was a 8,5). This went even beyond the aphrodisiac effects of social prestige, this also meant I was one of them, I was someone the girls could trust because my presence had been widely approved and endorsed by known successful local players.
The Private Parties:
I could write a book about this, I think. But to keep it short we're talking about parties and gatherings at people's homes which partially take place in the open air, in gardens, around the swimming pool, around a campfire, behind the bushes in a darker corner.
Since my invaluable Wing introduced me really well and made honest efforts to consistently describe me as the greatest guy he had ever met, all I had to do was to go with the flow, tell my best lies and try to close.
The ratio was pretty much 50%-50%, with at times a slight advantage for us, with about 55-60% girls.
Quality of girls:
Obese girls were luckily a small minority, and among the middle-upper classes it was virtually inexistent (in Northern Minas Gerais, Junk Food and Western Trash are less widespread). Lots of Butterfaces, lots of pretty petit brunettes with very black long hair, some nice mix of european-indian-black, and even some japanese mix (I got lucky here once).
Overall the level of talent was just OK and not extremely high.
This was however compensated by the easiness of pulling and selecting your targets (my specific situation as a 'trusted' 'integrated' guy was great here). Also, I was frankly helped by the natural horniness of the girls themselves who are as discreet in public as they are sluts the minute they get out of sight from the rest of the party/family/friends.
Some Situations
I was walking around the garden at one of the first parties, checking out the girls, when I was stopped by a middle-aged lady:
She: "I can see you like it here, you seem really at ease"
Me (while holding my fourth glass): "Sure, I love it here, people are incredibly friendly and have a lot of life-wisdom. Plus, I hope I won't offend you, I think your women are really special"
She: "I noticed that. I saw you were checking out the girls."
Me: "I won't deny. They deserve only compliments and applause."
She: "If that's the case, you're doing it all wrong. Here in Montes Claros, if you like a girl you have to grab her. Look her in the eyes, get close, and if she smiles back just go for it. You're not a stranger here."
Me (emptying my fourth glass): "Hmmm, that's good to know. Thanks for the tip".
We talked and laughed for another ten minutes or so before I left. And the lady was damn right. ONS plus invitation to spend the next saturday-sunday at her "cottage" in the mountains (I didn't have a chance to go, unfortunately, or fortunately...).
--------------------------
My most stupid and dramatic drunken approach ever:
There was a campfire in the garden with a group of girls around it, me and my wing get close.
Wing: "Ah, have I introduced you to these great women? This is X,Y, Z.... They.....bla bla bla bla bla bla bla...."
Me: "That's really, really nice bla bla bla bla bla bla bla"
We start to chit chat and the whole group interacts.
In the group there was a very pretty petit Japanese mix with very nice Brazilian curves and ass whom I approached after my speech.
Me: "Look, there is something special I have wanted to tell you since the first time I saw you tonight"
Jap Mix: "Ohhh, I see" (she gets curious).
Me: "But I'm not sure if I will sound ridiculous. You see, to make confessions in public can be a bit embarrassing sometimes because you run the risk that people will think you're lying."
Jap Mix: "Well............ I think it's courage, what can I say? You need balls to speak out in public, I'm a bit shy myself I have to confess" (Jap Mix is smiling)
Me (getting closer): "Well, in that case I hope you won't mind what I'll say. But it's something I never ever told any woman before, you could say it's a compliment."
Jap Mix (smiling widely, her friends too): "Well, show me what you have to say then"
Me: "Look, this is really meant. I just wanted to thank you for merely existing. I think the world without you would be a lot poorer. You're really special. Thank you for existing, I'm really happy you exist!" (I sort of raise my hands in appraisal and smile shamelessly).
Jap Mix (smiling, red, surprised, friends look at her and at me like ahhhhhhhhh).
Me: "Look, this doesn't have to mean anything to you, of course. But I'd be greatly honored if you would join me for a talk and a little walk. I'm sure we would have a lot of nice things to share."
Jap Mix doesn't move. Friends seem amazed.
Me: I softly get her hand and raise it. I look again at her: "Here, come with me, unless, of course, your friends will get angry if I kidnap you. (I look at my Wing, who looks at the girls with a smile, then it's both of us smiling at the friends and they finally smile back in approval).
I walk away with Jap Mix. ONS? Nope. It happened at the end of date one.
-----------
"Fancy" Bar-Restaurant, I'm sitting with five local guys and my wing at a 'members only' table in front of a stage where music is played. Two bottles of whisky are on the table, buckets of ice, sparkling water, small appetizers etc etc. Great conversation, good jokes, lots of laughter, apparently it's a quiet night to chill out and have fun with the boys' club.
I see from a distance (what for me seemed) a 8,5 stunning, probably tall girl, with a skin the color of a rose apple, long straight black hair falling perhaps almost to her waist, beautiful face. I notice she's looking at our table although this wasn't too clear initially because she was about 15 meters away from us and the place was rather full of people.
I start looking at her with small breaks. At some point I am convinced we have contact, we look at each other for longer glimpses. I smile, she discreetly smiles back. It's the sign I should go.
Approaching like a cavalry officer I arrive at her table (she's with a girlfriend) and start some bla bla bla with a quick ensuing invitation for her to join me at our table. Her friend wasn't ugly at all, but she looked mean and pissed-off so I plainly ignored her until I promised I'd steal her friend from her "just for a second".
My drinking mates are very happy with her arrival: "Here guys, I told you this place was magical! Look, I think I have found my wife in your city. She doesn't know it yet, but I hope she won't deny her destiny!" I said this jokingly and this sort of added to the general joyfulness. I poured the lady some drinks, talked to her, gave her my best lies, quickly escalated with some discreet touching etc.
The cock-blocking from her friend was hideous. The friend finally came to our table and asked to talk in private to the lady.
The beauty: "Sorry, my friend wants to leave, I have to join her because we came together."
All the guys in a choir "Come on, come on..... she is more than safe with us and we will take care of her and comply with her wish to go home the minute she asks for it. But let her stay for a while."
I finally managed to get rid the cock-blocking friend using all possible means and persuasive tricks. The beauty accepts to stay with a "I think I lost a friend tonight, she was really pissed-off, she said this was treason."
Me: reassuring bla bla bla bla and "probably she's not your real friend, that's not how you should behave if you're a true friend bla bla bla. Plus don't forget you've just found the love of your life! You should celebrate afterall!"
Half an hour later we leave the table and I take her home, with a few detours. She was a hard nut to crack herself but after an entire afternoon and most of a night of hypnosis, brainwashing, bullshitting, entertaining, showing value and telling my best lies I finally got the prize. A few days later, with a fruitless and frustrating date in between, I managed to repeat the session.
--------------------------------
Conclusions Northern Minas Gerais Area
Logistics:
Montes Claros:
- Avenida Sanitaria (funny name indeed) has some of the more obvious bars and upscale venues. Downtown there are some discreet "cachaçarias" like Cachaçaria Duraes where food and booze is great in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
- I'd avoid the more 'plebeian' venues around the bus station area where I saw basically lonely drunken men (exception is a great place specialized in roasted quail, it's an attraction in town).
- There is a famous discoclub with expensive whores for the upper class (I believe it's the only flashy disco in town actually. Anyway, I forgot its name).
- Finally, there is out of town a small selection of farmstyle restaurants with live music which are rather nice if you enjoy a more rural joyful scene along with litters of cachaça. There is a very nice municipal market for meats, handicraft and whatever you might imagine a market needs to have. You can have great food at the counter at virtually anytime starting 4-5 AM. There is also a selection of very basic bars upstairs which are fun and worth a try.
- There are also a few 'love motels' in town, who cater to anyone in need of a place to fuck.
- No idea about hotels. I stayed at my friend's place, picked some 'love motels' when needed and also spent some time in the weekend homes when invited or at girl's places if she lived without her parents.
Actually, I did spend a few hours in a normal hotel, but this is because me and my wing were so drunk (and without a car) that we decided to crash for a couple of hours before undertaking the trip back home. I don't have a clue where this was, but it was rather cheap, basic and clean. No idea about being able to bring in girls, however, the receptionist looked funny at us, thinking we were a gay couple looking for shelter.... So, probably there is no curfew of any sort.
PROS:
- great sights, landscapes of unusual beauty of savannas, rocks, rivers, waterfalls, which are however only to be found (at least the best spots) if you have local support/tips. The areas around of Grao Mogol, Diamantina and to a lesser extent Januaria are especially nice landscape-wise. Mind the dry season: it can get very hot and the low humidity in the air can be really annoying. During this season your body will react more violently if you drink a bit too much and your diet is on the heavy, festive side.
- great booze & food : Northern Minas has the best cachaça in Brazil and a varied and abundant traditional cuisine, if on the heavy side. If you like meats, stews, spices and chilly that's your place.
- prices are considerably lower if compared to spending time in Rio. It's hard to break this down because of my particular situation but I'd say it's about 25% less expensive on average.
- Diamantina is a lovely town, merry and beautiful with some great hinterland (again, look for local support). Good ratio of approachable girls if you are connected. It's an easy, compact place to figure out, no need for me to go into detail here.
- Montes Claros: the sort of wealthy regional capital is far bigger and, frankly, it's an ugly town if you're not in the nice outskirts and fancy properties. The city has no cultural attractions or landmarks but it has a lot of hidden fun: parties and a fine selection of bangable, horny girls if you have game, the right connections and get the 'right place, right time' thing happening.
CONS:
- The area is rather far from everything else (i.e. main tourist routes). Montes Claros is about 430 kilometers north of Belo Horizonte, the state capital. This is actually also a blessing in disguise. By the way, no problems with foreigners, as long as they speak portuguese and behave nicely and are positive-minded. You won't get a heroes' welcome because you're a foreigner nor will you be avoided, it just depends on yourself and your situation. That's my impression at least.
- You absolutely need to speak at least good conversational Portuguese.
- You absolutely need good local connections. I guess it would be frustrating for the lonely foreigner to be left out of everything fun in an ugly city without attractions. Pipelining in advance, making friends, preparing the ground for such a trip shouldn't be that hard however. People are very friendly once reassured. I'd focus on proactive, brotherly, fun-loving male wing(s) however as girls as guides and hosts could limit your freedom to hunt fresh meat elsewhere or cock-block you in jealous competition. Or, if you don't have good local connections, you could try your luck in Diamantina (small walkable city, a very nice, scenic urban attraction on its own merit, good selection of friendly, open-minded girls, nice hinterland etc etc).
- Bad public transportation, few taxis, transportation sucks. You need to carefully plan your moves, stick to friends with cars, get numbers from cabdrivers or limit yourself to a few areas to go on foot near Av Sanitaria or downtown. In my case, because I was always with people, this wasn't an issue and a couple of cab driver numbers were enough to save me in most "emergency" situations.
Disclaimer
I'm not into racial issues and with all due respect I personally don't care about it, I'm colorblind. This report is based on my personal experience and I can't obviously guarantee that anyone going to the mentioned areas will have the same ride I had or will go through the same things. Finally, I can't give away specific contacts like my Wing, girls etc. etc. Thank you.
Anyway, it's about time to make a new contribution to the forum.
I was recently engaged in a project in Minas Gerais when I was invited by a friend to go to his home region (the northern area of the state, see maps). I ended up having a vacation in the area after my job was done and it truly surpassed my expectations.
General Info:
We're talking about a considerable area here, perhaps as big as half of France. The local inhabitants consider themselves as being culturally different from their southern cousins and you can notice this on the ground.
Roughly speaking, Northern Minas Gerais starts at the city of Diamantina (a six hour's drive from the capital, Belo Horizonte) and goes all the way to the border of the state of Bahia. The area consists, according to some, of two neighboring territories: the valley of the Jequitinhonha River and Northen Minas Gerais properly speaking.
I'm won't get too much into geography and general details, except for a few facts:
The land is mainly rather dry (they call the vegetation Cerrado, similar to the Savanna), but there are zillions of beautiful waterfalls and river beaches among very scenic rock formations, especially during rainy season.
Most of it is off the beaten track however and you'll need local guidance to find. For the adventurers, the valley of the Jequitinhonha River is especially advisable if you get someone to show you around. Forget about the bad reputation it has as a miserable, poor area, it's really great with a highly developed culture of spontaneous story-telling, local tales, jokes, excellent booze and fervent people; it's the sort of less obvious richness I would say, beyond the actual scarcity of material means. It's a rural area afterall, where poverty hits in different ways.
As for Diamantina, it is a beautiful and merry small historical-colonial town worth a visit on its own merit. Diamantina has a vibrant local carnival and hosts a branch of a university which makes it attractive for hunting students.
Culturally speaking, the further north you go, starting at Diamantina, the less theaters, cinemas, malls, mega-supermarkets you will see. People seek their fun mainly with each other, as our ancestors probably did.
Montes Claros is supposed to be the rather wealthy, regional capital of Northern Minas Gerais. There, the main hobby seems to be to talk (and to drink a lot with friends) and to bang. Generalizing, you could say people there are great conversationalists and very keen on screwing around.
Perhaps not so paradoxically, it doesn't surprise me that Montes Claros has produced far more intellectuals and artists than its looks and size would suggest.
There are many bars and zero theaters in Montes Claros, culture is actually alive wherever people gather, play, talk, drink. When I was there I experienced a decent choice of private parties where people sought to amuse themselves and also search for mating partners in a very warm and relaxed atmosphere. There is also, as I found out, a pretty vibrant yet confined P4P scene. The upper (middle-aged male) class organizes orgies among friends with paid girls with the same easiness as in other places they would, for instance, get together to go to a golf course or sit at a table to play bridge.
Montes Claros itself, where I stayed most of the time, has nothing, really nothing special to it as a city despite being a regional economic hub. It's a rather ugly city as a matter of fact. But it is, at least it was for me, a hidden treasure. I would however discourage anyone to go solo or without good local connections to such a place, simply because you'll need someone to open the doors for you and maximize your opportunities for fun and women.
The Super Wing
The friend who invited me over to Montes Claros and the surrounding area has, like so many other people there, a "real job" while being mainly known for his parallel skills. In his case, the local fame rests on his musical skills. Needless to say, his constant musical activity has earned him a vast social circle and supreme access to any private party or private gathering going on in town. And people just love to party there, at their homes and weekend properties, which perhaps also explains the lack of first-class mundane night venues/discos.
In 20 days around Montes Claros, I got a total of 4 bangs, out which 3 bangs were facilitated by my wing, mainly during private parties (one ONS, one happened after date 1 and delivered two separate sessions, one gave it to me after date 2).
I got just one bang which I managed on my own, sad to say but it's true. Moreover, even that single solo conquest is only partially so because I was crucially helped by the social prestige I had at a fancy bar, where I sat at one of the best tables, with personalized bottles of whisky (members have bottles with their names on it), in short, I had a considerable edge emanating from the situation with my drinking mates.
Of course you need to have everything else (game, smooth talking, assertiveness, decent looks etc etc) sorted out, but WITHOUT my entourage it would have been no doubt considerably harder to pull top quality (I would say this specific girl was a 8,5). This went even beyond the aphrodisiac effects of social prestige, this also meant I was one of them, I was someone the girls could trust because my presence had been widely approved and endorsed by known successful local players.
The Private Parties:
I could write a book about this, I think. But to keep it short we're talking about parties and gatherings at people's homes which partially take place in the open air, in gardens, around the swimming pool, around a campfire, behind the bushes in a darker corner.
Since my invaluable Wing introduced me really well and made honest efforts to consistently describe me as the greatest guy he had ever met, all I had to do was to go with the flow, tell my best lies and try to close.
The ratio was pretty much 50%-50%, with at times a slight advantage for us, with about 55-60% girls.
Quality of girls:
Obese girls were luckily a small minority, and among the middle-upper classes it was virtually inexistent (in Northern Minas Gerais, Junk Food and Western Trash are less widespread). Lots of Butterfaces, lots of pretty petit brunettes with very black long hair, some nice mix of european-indian-black, and even some japanese mix (I got lucky here once).
Overall the level of talent was just OK and not extremely high.
This was however compensated by the easiness of pulling and selecting your targets (my specific situation as a 'trusted' 'integrated' guy was great here). Also, I was frankly helped by the natural horniness of the girls themselves who are as discreet in public as they are sluts the minute they get out of sight from the rest of the party/family/friends.
Some Situations
I was walking around the garden at one of the first parties, checking out the girls, when I was stopped by a middle-aged lady:
She: "I can see you like it here, you seem really at ease"
Me (while holding my fourth glass): "Sure, I love it here, people are incredibly friendly and have a lot of life-wisdom. Plus, I hope I won't offend you, I think your women are really special"
She: "I noticed that. I saw you were checking out the girls."
Me: "I won't deny. They deserve only compliments and applause."
She: "If that's the case, you're doing it all wrong. Here in Montes Claros, if you like a girl you have to grab her. Look her in the eyes, get close, and if she smiles back just go for it. You're not a stranger here."
Me (emptying my fourth glass): "Hmmm, that's good to know. Thanks for the tip".
We talked and laughed for another ten minutes or so before I left. And the lady was damn right. ONS plus invitation to spend the next saturday-sunday at her "cottage" in the mountains (I didn't have a chance to go, unfortunately, or fortunately...).
--------------------------
My most stupid and dramatic drunken approach ever:
There was a campfire in the garden with a group of girls around it, me and my wing get close.
Wing: "Ah, have I introduced you to these great women? This is X,Y, Z.... They.....bla bla bla bla bla bla bla...."
Me: "That's really, really nice bla bla bla bla bla bla bla"
We start to chit chat and the whole group interacts.
In the group there was a very pretty petit Japanese mix with very nice Brazilian curves and ass whom I approached after my speech.
Me: "Look, there is something special I have wanted to tell you since the first time I saw you tonight"
Jap Mix: "Ohhh, I see" (she gets curious).
Me: "But I'm not sure if I will sound ridiculous. You see, to make confessions in public can be a bit embarrassing sometimes because you run the risk that people will think you're lying."
Jap Mix: "Well............ I think it's courage, what can I say? You need balls to speak out in public, I'm a bit shy myself I have to confess" (Jap Mix is smiling)
Me (getting closer): "Well, in that case I hope you won't mind what I'll say. But it's something I never ever told any woman before, you could say it's a compliment."
Jap Mix (smiling widely, her friends too): "Well, show me what you have to say then"
Me: "Look, this is really meant. I just wanted to thank you for merely existing. I think the world without you would be a lot poorer. You're really special. Thank you for existing, I'm really happy you exist!" (I sort of raise my hands in appraisal and smile shamelessly).
Jap Mix (smiling, red, surprised, friends look at her and at me like ahhhhhhhhh).
Me: "Look, this doesn't have to mean anything to you, of course. But I'd be greatly honored if you would join me for a talk and a little walk. I'm sure we would have a lot of nice things to share."
Jap Mix doesn't move. Friends seem amazed.
Me: I softly get her hand and raise it. I look again at her: "Here, come with me, unless, of course, your friends will get angry if I kidnap you. (I look at my Wing, who looks at the girls with a smile, then it's both of us smiling at the friends and they finally smile back in approval).
I walk away with Jap Mix. ONS? Nope. It happened at the end of date one.
-----------
"Fancy" Bar-Restaurant, I'm sitting with five local guys and my wing at a 'members only' table in front of a stage where music is played. Two bottles of whisky are on the table, buckets of ice, sparkling water, small appetizers etc etc. Great conversation, good jokes, lots of laughter, apparently it's a quiet night to chill out and have fun with the boys' club.
I see from a distance (what for me seemed) a 8,5 stunning, probably tall girl, with a skin the color of a rose apple, long straight black hair falling perhaps almost to her waist, beautiful face. I notice she's looking at our table although this wasn't too clear initially because she was about 15 meters away from us and the place was rather full of people.
I start looking at her with small breaks. At some point I am convinced we have contact, we look at each other for longer glimpses. I smile, she discreetly smiles back. It's the sign I should go.
Approaching like a cavalry officer I arrive at her table (she's with a girlfriend) and start some bla bla bla with a quick ensuing invitation for her to join me at our table. Her friend wasn't ugly at all, but she looked mean and pissed-off so I plainly ignored her until I promised I'd steal her friend from her "just for a second".
My drinking mates are very happy with her arrival: "Here guys, I told you this place was magical! Look, I think I have found my wife in your city. She doesn't know it yet, but I hope she won't deny her destiny!" I said this jokingly and this sort of added to the general joyfulness. I poured the lady some drinks, talked to her, gave her my best lies, quickly escalated with some discreet touching etc.
The cock-blocking from her friend was hideous. The friend finally came to our table and asked to talk in private to the lady.
The beauty: "Sorry, my friend wants to leave, I have to join her because we came together."
All the guys in a choir "Come on, come on..... she is more than safe with us and we will take care of her and comply with her wish to go home the minute she asks for it. But let her stay for a while."
I finally managed to get rid the cock-blocking friend using all possible means and persuasive tricks. The beauty accepts to stay with a "I think I lost a friend tonight, she was really pissed-off, she said this was treason."
Me: reassuring bla bla bla bla and "probably she's not your real friend, that's not how you should behave if you're a true friend bla bla bla. Plus don't forget you've just found the love of your life! You should celebrate afterall!"
Half an hour later we leave the table and I take her home, with a few detours. She was a hard nut to crack herself but after an entire afternoon and most of a night of hypnosis, brainwashing, bullshitting, entertaining, showing value and telling my best lies I finally got the prize. A few days later, with a fruitless and frustrating date in between, I managed to repeat the session.
--------------------------------
Conclusions Northern Minas Gerais Area
Logistics:
Montes Claros:
- Avenida Sanitaria (funny name indeed) has some of the more obvious bars and upscale venues. Downtown there are some discreet "cachaçarias" like Cachaçaria Duraes where food and booze is great in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
- I'd avoid the more 'plebeian' venues around the bus station area where I saw basically lonely drunken men (exception is a great place specialized in roasted quail, it's an attraction in town).
- There is a famous discoclub with expensive whores for the upper class (I believe it's the only flashy disco in town actually. Anyway, I forgot its name).
- Finally, there is out of town a small selection of farmstyle restaurants with live music which are rather nice if you enjoy a more rural joyful scene along with litters of cachaça. There is a very nice municipal market for meats, handicraft and whatever you might imagine a market needs to have. You can have great food at the counter at virtually anytime starting 4-5 AM. There is also a selection of very basic bars upstairs which are fun and worth a try.
- There are also a few 'love motels' in town, who cater to anyone in need of a place to fuck.
- No idea about hotels. I stayed at my friend's place, picked some 'love motels' when needed and also spent some time in the weekend homes when invited or at girl's places if she lived without her parents.
Actually, I did spend a few hours in a normal hotel, but this is because me and my wing were so drunk (and without a car) that we decided to crash for a couple of hours before undertaking the trip back home. I don't have a clue where this was, but it was rather cheap, basic and clean. No idea about being able to bring in girls, however, the receptionist looked funny at us, thinking we were a gay couple looking for shelter.... So, probably there is no curfew of any sort.
PROS:
- great sights, landscapes of unusual beauty of savannas, rocks, rivers, waterfalls, which are however only to be found (at least the best spots) if you have local support/tips. The areas around of Grao Mogol, Diamantina and to a lesser extent Januaria are especially nice landscape-wise. Mind the dry season: it can get very hot and the low humidity in the air can be really annoying. During this season your body will react more violently if you drink a bit too much and your diet is on the heavy, festive side.
- great booze & food : Northern Minas has the best cachaça in Brazil and a varied and abundant traditional cuisine, if on the heavy side. If you like meats, stews, spices and chilly that's your place.
- prices are considerably lower if compared to spending time in Rio. It's hard to break this down because of my particular situation but I'd say it's about 25% less expensive on average.
- Diamantina is a lovely town, merry and beautiful with some great hinterland (again, look for local support). Good ratio of approachable girls if you are connected. It's an easy, compact place to figure out, no need for me to go into detail here.
- Montes Claros: the sort of wealthy regional capital is far bigger and, frankly, it's an ugly town if you're not in the nice outskirts and fancy properties. The city has no cultural attractions or landmarks but it has a lot of hidden fun: parties and a fine selection of bangable, horny girls if you have game, the right connections and get the 'right place, right time' thing happening.
CONS:
- The area is rather far from everything else (i.e. main tourist routes). Montes Claros is about 430 kilometers north of Belo Horizonte, the state capital. This is actually also a blessing in disguise. By the way, no problems with foreigners, as long as they speak portuguese and behave nicely and are positive-minded. You won't get a heroes' welcome because you're a foreigner nor will you be avoided, it just depends on yourself and your situation. That's my impression at least.
- You absolutely need to speak at least good conversational Portuguese.
- You absolutely need good local connections. I guess it would be frustrating for the lonely foreigner to be left out of everything fun in an ugly city without attractions. Pipelining in advance, making friends, preparing the ground for such a trip shouldn't be that hard however. People are very friendly once reassured. I'd focus on proactive, brotherly, fun-loving male wing(s) however as girls as guides and hosts could limit your freedom to hunt fresh meat elsewhere or cock-block you in jealous competition. Or, if you don't have good local connections, you could try your luck in Diamantina (small walkable city, a very nice, scenic urban attraction on its own merit, good selection of friendly, open-minded girls, nice hinterland etc etc).
- Bad public transportation, few taxis, transportation sucks. You need to carefully plan your moves, stick to friends with cars, get numbers from cabdrivers or limit yourself to a few areas to go on foot near Av Sanitaria or downtown. In my case, because I was always with people, this wasn't an issue and a couple of cab driver numbers were enough to save me in most "emergency" situations.
Disclaimer
I'm not into racial issues and with all due respect I personally don't care about it, I'm colorblind. This report is based on my personal experience and I can't obviously guarantee that anyone going to the mentioned areas will have the same ride I had or will go through the same things. Finally, I can't give away specific contacts like my Wing, girls etc. etc. Thank you.
