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 Jorge Amado
By Brazzil Magazine
Mineral Spa Towns
The southern mineral spa towns of Minas are well-developed health resorts whose
excellent mineral springs have various therapeutic applications. Of the 13 spa towns,
Caxambu, with its century-old Parque das Águas, and São Lourenço, surrounded by the
green hills of the Serra da Mantiqueira, are of most interest to the traveler. Been
traveling hard and fast? Recovering from a tropical disease? Sick of seemingly idyllic
beaches? Overdosing on baroque? If the answer is yes to one or all of these questions, the
spa towns await you.
CAXAMBU
Brazilians debate the origin of the name Caxambu. Some claim it is a combination of two
African words: cacha (drum) and mambu (music), A cacha-mambu or caxambu
is a conically shaped drum from the Congo, which the founders of the city likened to
the knolls of the area. Others believe it came from the Indian catá-mbu (water
that bubbles), in reference to the medicinal fountains. Most couldn't care less where the
name came from.
It wasn't until 1870 that the springs were first tapped. Realizing the curative
properties of the waters, medical practitioners flocked to the town. In 1886 Dr Policarpo
Viotti founded the Caxambu water company (nationalized in 1905).
The water of Caxambu was celebrated on the international water circuit, winning gold
medals long before Perrier hit Manhattan singles bars. Caxambu took the gold medal in
Rome's Victor Emmanuel III Exposition of 1903, and another gold medal in the St Louis
International Fair of 1904, then the Diploma of Honor in the University of Brussels
Exposition of 1910.
These water Olympics were discontinued during WW I, and Caxambu's history was
uneventful until 1981, when Supergasbrás and Superágua, private firms, took over the
government concession. Caxambu is sold throughout Brazil, and in Miami, Florida, where the
US Food & Drug Administration has approved it. Caxambu is the only Brazilian mineral
water thus honored.
Caxambu is a tranquil resort for the elderly and the middle class, who come here to
escape the heat of Rio and the madness of Carnaval. Some couples have been coming here
every summer for 30 years or more.
Information
Parque das Águas
The Parque das Águas is like a Disneyland for the rheumatic. Given the
proper temperament and surroundings, nursing your ailments can be fun. People come to take
the mineral waters, smell the sulfur, compare liver spots, watch the geyser spout every
couple of hours, rest in the shade by the canal and walk in the lovely gardens.
The park is not only good, it's good for you. Liver problems? Go to the
Dona Leopoldina magnesium fountain. Skin disorders? Take the sulfur baths of Tereza
Cristina. Anemic? The Conde d'Eu e Dona Isabel fountains are rich in iron. VD? The Duque
de Saxe fountain helps calm the bacteria that cause syphilis. For stomach troubles, drink
the naturally carbonated waters of Dom Pedro (there's a water-bottling plant on the
premises). The alkaline waters of the Venâncio and Viotti fountains are good for
dissolving kidney stones, while the Beleza waters soothe the intestines. The multipurpose
water of the Mayrink fountains 1, 2 and 3 is good for gargling, eye irritations, and table
water (without the bubbles).
The park is open daily from 7 am to 6 pm, and admission to the grounds
is $1. Separate fees are required for paddleboats, the rifle range, hydrotherapeutic
massages at the bath house, the Jacuzzi, sauna, clay tennis courts, swimming pool, skating
rink and chairlift to the top of Morro Cristo.
Other Attractions
The eight-meter-high Igreja de Santa Isabel da Hungria, built by the
princess once she conceived due to the miraculous waters of Caxambu.
Take a Chácara Rosallan, an old farm with a flower orchard and fruit
grove. Rosallan is famous for two of her fruit liqueurs: jaboticaba and bottled
tangerine. Empty bottles are passed over the tiny tangerines and strapped to the tree; the
tangerine grows within the bottle and, weeks later, is made into a liqueur.
Getting There & Away
Seven daily buses make the 49-km trip between Caxambu and São Lourenço
on a winding, wooded road. There are four buses a day to São Paulo ($9, 6½ hours), and two to Rio ($8, 5½ hours),
at 8 am and midnight, via Cruzeiro and Resende.
SÃO LOURENÇO
São Lourenço is another pleasant city of mineral waters. Just south of
Caxambu, it's 275 km from Rio de Janeiro, 296 km from São Paulo and 401 km from Belo
Horizonte. The principal attraction is the Parque das Águas, featuring waters with a
variety of healing properties, a sauna and a lake with paddle boats. It's open daily from
8 am to 5.20 pm. Other diversions include goat-cart rides for children and horse-and-buggy
rides for adults.
Information
Tourist Office
In front of the Parque das Águas, the tourist office is open every day
from 8 to 11 am and 1 to 6 pm. Staff have a list of hotels and a map of the attractions.
Post & Telephone
The post office is on Rua Dr Olavo Gomes Pinto. The telefônica
is at Rua Coronel José Justino 647.
Circuito das Águas
Volkswagen Kombi half-day tours of the Circuito das Águas (Water
Circuit) can be arranged for $20 per person. If possible, organize it the day before. The
vans will take up to eight people, and normally visit Caxambu, Baependi, Cambuquira,
Lambari and Passa Quatro, but you can also talk (bribe?) the driver into taking you to the
mysterious stone village of São Tomé das Letras (80 km away). Taxis and vans congregate
at Avenida Getúlio Vargas.
You could also visit Poços de Caldas a city built on the crater of an
extinct volcano; this mineral spring town was settled by crystal-glass blowers of the
island of Murano, near Venice. There are full-day tours to Poços de Caldas that cost $35
and leave at 7 am.
Templo da Euboise
Members of the Brazilian Society of Euboise believe that a new
civilization will arise in the seven magic cities of the region: São Tomé das Letras,
Aiuruoca, Conceição do Rio Verde, Itanhandu, Pouso Alto, Carmo de Minas and Maria da
Fé. You can visit their temple on weekends from 2 to 4 pm, but you won't be allowed in if
you're wearing shorts or sandals.
Entertainment
São Lourenço's nightlife is pretty tame. In the evenings, teenagers
and young adults dress up and hang out on the fence and around the entrance of the Hotel
Metrópole. The club there has dances, a bar and music video on a large screen. If that's
not your scene, there's a cinema on Avenida Dom Pedro II.
Getting There & Away
There are six buses daily to Rio de Janeiro ($7, five hours), six daily
to São Paulo ($8, six hours) and 11 daily to Caxambu ($0.75, 45 minutes).
SÃO TOMÉ DAS LETRAS
In southern Minas, 310 km from Belo Horizonte, São Tomé das Letras is
a stone village at an altitude of 1450 meters. The name refers to the inscriptions on some
of the many caverns in the region. If you're into mysticism or superstition, this is the
place to go. Considered by local mystics to be one of the seven sacred cities of the
world, the town is filled with hippies, strange stories of flying saucers, visits of
extraterrestrials, a cave that is the entrance to a subterranean passageway to Machu
Picchu in Peru, and more. This is also a beautiful mountain region, with great walks and
several waterfalls.
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