Brasília Off The Beaten Path

This very modern starkly white building was created in 1989 by the Legion Of Goodwill as a symbol of universal solidarity. The exterior is made of 7 white triangular planes set on their short end with the points coming together at the top to form a cone and support the largest raw crystal imaginable. Inside is a huge open meditation space. The floor is laid out with a labryinth. From the outside you walk barefoot on a black granite spiral to the center, which is directly under the crystal set at the tip of the cone (rather like the setting of a solitaire diamond in a ring), then your next step is on to white granite where the spiral slowly takes you from the center to the outside. When you have completed your meditative journey you have a drink of energized water. The building exudes a feeling of great serenity.
I recommend a visit for anyone with the time. The architecture is magnificent.
The Legion Of Goodwill organization stresses love as the answer to all problems between people and love of nature as the answer to all our environmental problems.
The photo of the tip called the Temple of Peace is this building.

address 75/76, 915 Sul
take bus 105 or 107 from the city bus station. It is on the far western corner of the southern "wing" of the city, near several huge hospitals. Open 24 hours.

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You may know by now that Brasília was planned with the shape of an airplane. So, people who live in this area live either on the North Wing or the South Wing (this one is where I live. What people (even Brazilians) don't know is that the wings are really pleasant place and could make very nice places to stroll around. South Wing is even better because, due to its being populated first, the trees are taller and there are more birds. Besides that, the blocks numbered from 403 to 415 (specially from 408 on) present the older buldings, all in nice 60s style. The vegetation is not native, but a transplant of the Atlantic Rainforest species. Since there are many fruit trees, there are also many birds, which makes the superquadras good enough for some birdwatching. In the beginning of the rainy season (Oct - Nov) there is also a very cool choir of cicadas all day...

Pirenopolis is a charming small twon about 160 km away from Brasilia. It could be an option for a one-day trip but just keep in mind that the road to there is in terrible condition.

Otherwise, as I already said, the town itslef is rather pleasant with its cobbled streets and colonial houses. I had the feeling that if I take out the palm trees it would look a bit like a small Bulgarian town, so I felt quite cosy there.

Two things that I noticed:
- the restaurant offer delicious and at the same time cheap food, and
- it is a good place for buying silver. the prices are definitly good and the work is fine.

Well, it you had read my tip about the cathedral you probably remember that in order to get inside of it you should go trough something like a black walled tunnel.

So, I was passing trough it when I saw something like a stain on the wall. When I had a closer look I found this night creature on the wall even tough it was a sunny day.

It was obviouly ussed to tourist attention because me an a couple of other tourist took a picture of it and it did not move at all :)))

Everything in Brasilia is "off the beaten path", because there are no beaten paths. In the picture, you see the area between the "Business" area and the Public Authorities (autarquias) buildings. The Cathedral is also in that area.

One morning I woke up looked trough my window and saw what you see on the picture.

Well, it prooves that there are birds in Brasilia :)))

A view of lake Paranoá from Ermida Dom Bosco.