Day 8

Not a massive amount of interest to bore you with. On Wednesday we left Sete Lagaos (sad to go) and after a 10-hour coach journey on crap roads (not all tarmac, loads of slow lorries) we arrived at Uberlande, a ´small´city with a population of 800,000. It´s not on many maps and is in no guide books, so it feels like a real forgotten outpost. This is where the Rotary district conference is being held.

We´re all in a hotel, which is nice after being hosted as we have a little more time to ourselves. Had my laptop been working I´d have been enjoying the broadband pipe into the room, as it is, I´m having to use the hotel´s office computer for this.

We´ve not seen a great deal here - the best thing was a music school, with 2000 part time students. No money, few resources, but loads of enthusiasm and talent on show. No french horns strangely.

Duty-wise, Stef and I were kidnapped by Alfredo on the first night, so we missed the opening ceremony - thank god - 3.5 hours of processions, speeches, zzzzzzzzz. We presented yesterday in front of 100 or so people, and for some reason the slide of cats Jimmy and Maggie got spontaneous applause.

Last night we saw a really funny covers band, who played some Brazilian music (including that of a good band - Skank), and some English songs, the lyrics of which they clearly couldn´t understand.

Today: museums, afternoon off (at a sports centre), then the ´Governer´s Ball´, which starts at 11. Not quite sure when Brazilians sleep.