Cajamar & Beautiful Riviera Sao Lorenzo

We arrived in Cajamar in the evening time, and were greeted by the friendly welcome of Ansely and Marco, our hosts for the night.  We were invited into a beautiful house, and the first of what would be many good meals in Cajamar.  Marco and Ansely had just arrived back from Europe that day!  They had had a tough day of international travel, with flight changes and other adventures, and we were amazed by their level of energy and graciousness as we sat down to a home cooked meal and a bottle of Chilean wine. 

The next morning an fun group arrived to pick us up for a visit to a Chocolate factory.  This place was amazing - its a huge operations, that produces 300 tonnes of chocolate every day, according to our guide.  We had to wear full protective clothing on our tour, to make sure we didn't bring any dust or foreign elements into the production area.  Huge vats of chocolate churned around us, and miles of pipes and tubes carried the ingredients through the factory, it was amazing to see.

That afternoon we met with the mayor of the city, and his photographer, which resulted in a new friend and our pictures in the local papers the next day.

 On the way back we stopped to see on old church, get some icecream in the town square, and see the river that was famous for its bad smell, thanks to the sewage that comes from Sao Paulo, upstream.  We also visited a historic building, still in original form, from the early days of the city, and heard the legends of it builders.

We had heard that we were in for a treat at the beach.  But we didnt expect what awaited us at Riviera sao Lorenzo.  Marco and Ansely drove us up to their rooftop apartment at this beautiful beach town, famous for its ocean views and natural setting.  The views were beautiful, and we had the benefit of some rest and relaxation, with Marco and Ansely showing us their favorite spots, and teaching us about the history of the development there, which was a very unique construction project, designed to be in alignment with the forces of nature and the natural landscape.  The buildings are placed so that the wind can still circulate and much of the land is left undeveloped.

We drove back to Cajamar for our final night, which was a special invitation from the Mayor to be his guests at the huge Rodeo festival that was being hosted in the city.  An estimated 20,000-30,000 people were in attendance on the last day of this epic event, where we got a taste of local festivities on a grand scale, heard some traditional Brazilian country music, and saw a little bull riding rodeo excitement.  Thanks to the mayor, and of course Marco and Ansely, we had first class treatment.  All in all, a wonderful time in Cajamar!