Uberlandia, Brazil

Uberlandia, Brazil, is not much of a tourist destination. I found that out when I was looking for some information on where I would be going after Argentina.

I pulled out the Lonely Planet guidebook and scanned the index for Uberlandia, but there absolutely nothing written about the city. I don't understand how a city of 600,000 people could be overlooked.

So why am I here as opposed to Rio de Janeiro? I am here to visit my Brazilian family.

Lesley, my oldest sister, came to this city as an exchange student in the early 1970s. In addition to her three biological siblings, she suddenly had six more sisters. Later, three of them came to visit in Kansas City in 1976.

Fast forward thirty years later, and now I am in Uberlandia to visit. The Brazilian sisters haven't seen me since I was 6 years old. Actually, Leninha visited my mother for Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. She is pictured at right in the photo. At left is Alicinha.