“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” ― J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

After visiting with my aunt, my cousin gave us a ride back downtown – we had walked to my aunt’s.   We went to Thermas Antonio Carlos to inquire about getting some spa treatments. 

Thermas Antonio Carlos is a bathhouse that was built at the end of 1920s, and inaugurated in March 1931.  It was a place for sick people to get sulfurous baths and other treatments.  Today it has been completely restored and it is mostly frequented by tourists. 

They have also added a couple of stores with natural products and also a café/restaurant.  The café overlooks a water fountain and also leads to the outdoor areas that also has a few tables.

We scheduled an ofuro bath and massages for the end of the day.  From there we went to the Bird Zoo.

We don’t like to see animals in cages, but this place is more like a sanctuary.  They gave the birds a lot room.  They also rescue old and sick ones.

We hadn’t had lunch yet when we got there, but the place had only sweet snacks. I had a brownie and Michael had a banana nut cake.

It was fun to see and read about the beautiful birds. We spent a couple of hours there.   There are a lot benches throughout, so from time to time we sat and just took in the beauty of nature, and the realization of how blessed we are.

From there we went back to the bathhouse for our treatments.  We could have the bath treatment in separate tubs, but we chose to be together in an ofuro – wooden soaking tub.  We could choose a scent and an oil.  We chose lavender and rosemary.  It smelled delicious!  It was so relaxing.

After having the bath on the second floor, we went to our massages.  It was odd, my massage was on the first floor and Michael’s was on the third.  It is a big place with many tubs and masseuses. We got the relaxing massage, and it was.  I think I fell asleep.  Next time I will probably choose another type of massage, such as a lymphatic massage.

After the massage, instead of eating at the café there we decided to walk around and see what else was out there.  Michael mentioned pasta, so I decided to go to the oldest restaurant in town, Cantina do Araujo.  The food was very good, but the service lousy.  Our waitress was inattentive.  She brought our order to the table and never came back.  We had to flag other waiters to get water and then the bill.

On Monday morning, we returned the rental, got my sister’s car and drove to my hometown.  I worked Monday and Tuesday.  On Wednesday we left Brazil and got into NY at 5:30am on Thursday.  It was the perfect time to arrive.  There was no traffic getting home.

Our next adventure will be in Park City, Utah.  Park City was our first trip, just a couple of weeks after we first met. It will be nice to go back.

Here are some pictures of our Sunday in Poços De Caldas, Minas Gerais- Brazil.

“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.” ― Stephen King,  Shawshank Redemption