Hi,

I am actually doing some research on a trip I hope to take to Asia in September and I got side-tracked with Brazil. Perhaps just receiving an email from a Brazilian friend stating that she wants me to visit her in April has something to do with it. Ha. Anyways, crazy me is going to try to do 2 trips this year-Brazil in April and China in September. Wish me luck. Ha.

Anyways, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Ilha Grande and Ouro Preto are definitely on my list (I’ve already been to Florianopolis and Kataratas Iguazu). Diamantina was also on my list until I found out that I’d need to go back via bus from Ouro Preto to Belo Horizonte (3 hours), then take a 6-hour (at least) bus ride to Diamantina, then I’d have to backtrack another 6-hours back to Belo Horizonte and from there, I could fly to Salvador (there is no airport in Diamantina). If I omitted Diamantina from my itinerary, then it would simply be Ilha Grande, Rio, Ouro Preto and then fly to Salvador. That sounds relatively easy considering Brazil’s massive size.

So, if I decide to go to Diamantina, then it BETTER be worth it. Right? Ha. If you know anything about me, then you know that I am a sucker for old and impressive colonial towns (like Ouro Preto)-and I don’t mind visiting them even if there is inconvenience involved. However, if Diamantina is good only for a half-day stopover rather than a significant draw onto itself (like Ouro Preto), then I’d prefer to skip it. What’s your opinion? Does Diamantina merit a trip in its own right or is it more of a stopover destination that deserves basically 3-4 hours worth of exploring (like a cute but small colonial district characterized by a pretty square and a few sights within a stone’s throw from the main square)?