When I originally planned the trip, Belo Horizonte wasn’t part of the list. I took my time deciding whether or not it’d be worth going. I spoke to someone from my gym who was Brazilian, and was encouraged to include it in the itinerary.

I arrived early and did the same as Brasilia, killed time in the airport before ordering an Uber. I managed to check in early at the Ramada Encore Belo Horizonte Minascasa which was great because it gave me more time to explore.

One reason I looked at Belo Horizonte is because of the Brazil Football Museum. Of course having no idea where it was I asked two ladies at reception. As nice as they were, they were lazy and couldn’t be bothered to help if it was hard for them to explain or give information. I asked if I could take a bus, they said it would be difficult to explain, told me what bus to take and basically told me to head out and figure out where to get the bus from!

After walking for about 2 minutes I thought it was crazy to even try and figure it all out in a place I’ve never been to, so I went back to the Ramada and waited for the English speaking receptionist who helped me check in earlier. He advised me to take an Uber, on first impression he was someone I could trust with when it came to advice. You tend to have a vibe about these things when you check into hotels, who you can trust, who to avoid etc.

My Uber driver Leonardo was one of the best I’ve had. He was funny, interactive. He was fun to talk to. We had a laugh, he came to the conclusion that I was a crazy. He laughed at my attempts to speak Portuguese. He was helpful with the tips on Belo Horizonte.

The Estadio Mineirao is the third Football Stadium I’ve attempted to get into, and luckily I manage to get in. Hallelujah! The museum was nice, good to learn some history on Brazilian football. I didn’t know at the time but we got a tour of the stadium included which was a bonus. It was the stadium where Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the Semi-Finals of the 2014 World Cup. For yu England fans who might give a shit, it was also the stadium which we drew 0-0 with Costa Rica.

The Estadio Mineirao is the first football stadium to be equipped with a solar powered roof. In fact it’s the only stadium used in the 2014 World Cup to get a certification from FIFA for fully complying with the requirements set on the host cities to be environmentally friendly.

A new $16.1m solar system feeds power to the local grid instead of directly to the stadium. It’s enough to save electricity for approximately 900 homes per year. Belo Horizonte stands out because of the efforts to be a more environmentally friendly city.

I walked around the Pampulha area trying to find a restaurant mainly for the Wi-Fi to order an Uber. Of course I sat and had some food as I hadn’t eaten all day. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

I arrived at the Ramada and needed to sort out my transfer for Foz do Iguacu. One of the female receptionists from earlier was kind enough to speak to the company and get all the confirmation. She handed me the phone upon learning that the person on the other end spoke English.

I enquired about booking a city tour. She tried to ring the company and said it was shut. It was only 7:30, I thought it was strange. Usually their lines are open till around 9 or 10. She suggested I come down to reception after breakfast and get it sorted. She said it would be fine. Again I thought it was strange as I’d be leaving it late but who am I to doubt someone who has probably helped many others? I just went with it.

I did as I was advised, I came down and spoke to another receptionist I hadn’t seen before. I believe his name was Paulo, he spoke fluent English. To no surprise everything was booked out and the tours started earlier than I anticipated.

Was it irritating? Yes. It’s not the first time I’ve been misinformed. It was a classic case of not trusting my instinct, which I’m sure everyone has done before. I should’ve pushed the female receptionist the previous night to try and contact the tour company.

We went over all options and there was nothing. I thought I’d end up wasting the day as I struggled to get around. Paulo suggested I pay R$150 for a private taxi tour. Whilst thinking about it, I noticed a car hire company desk in the corner. I thought what if I just drove myself and went at my own convenience? I enquired. To hire a car for a day would cost R$90! That’s the equivalent of roughly £22-£23 (based on Google’s currency converter as of this writing). I mean where in the world can you go and hire a car for that price? You could easily spend more than that at Nandos or Pizza Express.

At first I was sceptical about driving in Brazil. There are some crazy drivers here, but then I’ve been to Lebanon and didn’t think it would be as bad. If I compared the two, I’d say drivers in Lebanon simply don’t give a shit about safety, laws etc. Brazilians drive like their lives go at 100mph pace, as if they have a purpose and need to be somewhere, like their life depended on it.

My first stop would be the Gruta do Lapinha. A famous cave about 45 minutes drive outside of the central of Belo Horizonte. I’d never been to a cave before so why not experience something new.

As I go up to pay for my entry ticket, I’m asked if I have a student card. I jokingly tell the lady behind the desk that I have my NUS card from England at the hotel. She said I could’ve used it! I don’t think they care what student card you have, valid or not. Brazilian or not, she said I could’ve used it.

Of course I left my NUS card at hotel, why would I take it with me? It was in the card slot in my phone case and I had no reason to take it with me. The lesson here is to take whatever discount cards you have because you never know when it might be useful.

I’m sure none of you will be surprised to hear, I was the only none Brazilian on the group tour. I was joined by a family (one of whom kindly translated at different points of the tour). The tour guide didn’t speak English which I didn’t mind. Apart from going over bits of history of the cave, she went on about rocks and fossils which I didn’t care about. I’ve always loved that feeling of experiencing something new for the first time and the same goes for the cave.

Next stop, Pampulha. I walked through the area the previous day after going to the Estadio Mineirao. I spent around an hour here. Walked around Lake Pampulha which in actual fact is artificial. Something else I hadn’t come across before. Why bother have a lake if you’re going to make it artificial?

Another popular spot in Pampulha is the Sao Francisco de Assis. It’s a Church which was designed by guess who? You probably got it, Oscar Niemeyer. It was the first listed modern architectural monument in Brazil. In all honesty it didn’t really look anything special. The outside of it looks nice but had I not known it was a church, I’d have thought it was one of those toilets you see in the park.

Pampulha is one of the more popular places in Belo Horizonte. It reminds me of the sort of place you would see students converging to after a day of lectures, wanting to get away and not think about studying for a few hours. Or the family enjoying a day out feeding the ducks.

Next was a drive through to a place called Mirante. This place is one of the highest points in Belo Horizonte where you can get a good view of the city. I arrived to find out it was closed because of a suspected outbreak of yellow fever. As disappointing as it was not to get in, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s better not risk getting yellow fever.

The security guard suggested I go to Praca do Papa. It was a good alternative, you could call it the equivalent a consolation prize. Took some snaps and noticed up the hill there was an abandoned asylum which had a better view.

It looked deserted so I went and before I had a chance to admire the view, a security guard named Erlon comes out and tells me to leave. I explained to him that I wanted to take a couple of photos of the view. He was happy to let me take some photos. Erlon even took some photos for me and spent time talking to me. It goes to show how far being polite goes.

The last stop of the day was the popular principle square Praca do Liberdade. By this time I was knackered from all the driving and moving so I didn’t spend too much time. It was nice to rest, and watch the world go by for a bit.

I got back to the hotel, relieved that I survived driving on the wrong side of the road. I felt like I was on top of the world, having conquered the roads of Brazil. The first hour I tried being safe but it wasn’t any good. I got my elbows out and began driving like the locals. At times I had to drive like a mad man.

The day went without any mishaps, apart from one time where I was almost involved in an accident but nothing happened luckily. I’m putting this down to the sat nav the car hire company gave me. It was beyond shit! I usually complain about how bad my sat nav is but it was nothing compared to how bad the one I had for the day was.

The car hire company were nice enough to let me have the car for the next morning so I could drive myself to the airport and drop it off there. I woke up around 3am all packed and ready to set off. All I needed to do was ensure the car was filled up when I dropped it off.

There was a torrential downpour in the night. These are the kind of conditions I hate driving in. You can barely see anything, especially the white lines separating the lanes. Getting to the airport via a petrol station was a mission. Apart from about 5 petrol stations within the first 5 miles there was nothing. Even when I tried to do route diversions with the sat nav there was nothing for another 25 miles. I wanted to fill the car up with petrol near the airport so it would be full.

In the sat nav there have a direct route to the actual car hire place. I struggled to find it. My flight was at 6am I arrived at the airport with just over an hour before my flight. Those who know me can imagine how much I’d have been panicking. I circled the area 3 or 4 times before deciding to drop the car outside of the check in area. I checked my bags in and then went back to find the place.

With shear panic, I was losing sanity minute by minute. I was afraid of losing the money that would’ve been taken from me had the car not been returned. Before getting into the car I approached a policeman called Rocha. I think he was about to write a parking ticket for an illegally parked car. I asked him if he’d come with me to find this place. It was a last resort, to my surprise he said yes. I think he saw the desperation on my face and felt sorry for me! To the guy who was about to get a ticket, if you’re reading this, you’re welcome.

Rocha came in the car with me and directed me. He was 10 times better than the sat nav. The man was my hero. I regained composure and returned the car. I explained to the company that there wasn’t a petrol station in sight. Everything sorted, I got a lift back to the airport. Before rushing through security and to the gate, Rocha and I shook hands and he said it was a pleasure to help me. Day by day it continued to amaze me how nice people can me. This guy went beyond his call of duty. Without him I would’ve missed my flight.

I made it to the gate at the last call. I think another 5 minutes and that would’ve been it. As I made my way onto the plane, I looked back at the last couple of hours at how it all played out. It all seemed like a flash. It was a close shave, at least I know next time I hire a car, I’ll leave about 5 hours before my flight just to be safe!

I’m glad I went to Belo Horizonte. I could’ve stayed an extra couple of days. There are some waterfalls further on from Gruta do Lapinha recommended to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time. Like the situation in Brasilia with Pirenopolis I wasn’t too devastated because I was going to Foz do Iguacu to see the waterfalls. There seems to be a lot of things you can do in Belo Horizonte.