I finally visited Brazil!
The flight from Dubai to Sao Paulo (via London) felt like a marathon in the air, but at least I was able to fly business class. Initially, I did not think I would enjoy business class on British Airways because the seats are arranged such that you face your neighbor, but they were separated by a fun divider that could be raised and lowered on demand. It's always nicer when I don't have to look at the person sitting next to me.
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| View of business class on British Airways |
I chose the seat in the back corner and facing a divider
wall, so I had a little cube all to myself. And, for the first time that I can
remember, I even slept for a couple hours because I wasn’t vulnerable to people
walking up the aisle or sitting inches away with no barrier. One of my more
amusing memories from the flight was when the flight attendant peeked into my
cube where I was lying as if she was looking into a baby’s crib. She just
wanted to check if I was awake and interested in breakfast. I was and I was.
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| Dinner time in my little pod |
I arrived in Sao Paulo in the late evening time, and rode to
the hotel alone in a giant minibus that could have fit 16 people. The main road
runs alongside a shallow river, and my initial impressions of the city were
just as I had anticipated. Ugly.
The next morning, I woke up to a beautiful view of the city
from my corner hotel room. There really aren’t and notable buildings in Sao
Paulo, but there is an interesting cable bridge near my hotel in the shape of a
rounded X. I learned that it is the only bridge in the world with two curved
tracks supported by a single concrete mast. My coworker also said that it was
on the cover of his college accounting book. The bridge must be exciting if
it’s the cover photo for an accounting book!
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| View from my room in Sao Paulo |
I had the entire first day to explore Sao Paulo on my own,
so I exchanged some cash at the front desk and took a taxi downtown. Everyone
warned me that Sao Paulo is very dangerous, so I left all valuables in the
hotel and kept my hands on my wallet at all times. I think I may have been
overly suspicious because I even ducked into stores if I noticed someone
walking behind me for more than a block or two.
Walking through the city center, I noticed some semi-nice
buildings (the Teatro Municipal for example), but I was sad to see that the adjacent
sculptures and fountains were completely vandalized by graffiti. It’s such a
shame when people treat their city so carelessly. Adjacent to the Teatro Municipal,
I noticed a race finishing and I was immediately jealous that I did not know
about it beforehand (of course I would have signed up)!
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| Grand architecture, ruined by graffiti |
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| A fountain that is far from its glory days. Very sad. |
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| The Theater was a beautiful centerpiece for the city |
There were a few pedestrian-only shopping streets that looked
vaguely like Europe, but with distinct elements reminding me that I am in South
America. I will always remember the public pay phones, which were housed in
very 80’s style plastic bubbles.
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| Pedestrian zone in central Sao Paulo with European architecture |
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| The pay phones remind me that I'm still in South America |
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| This is the only graffiti I can tolerate |
The main cathedral (Catedral Da Se) was actually quite beautiful, and the
sanctuary was full of people for Sunday morning masses. In front of the church
was a park with two rows of palm trees, and lots of people hanging out with family
and friends. I always associate South America with a deep religious atmosphere,
and this perception was reinforced by the crowds in and around the cathedral. One
of my more eerie encounters from the morning happened when I caught a monk
peering around the corner of a monastery in “Da Vinci Code”-style fashion!
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| Religious art in the public plaza |
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| The scene in front of Catedral Da Se |
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| Creepy monk |
My favorite place in the city center was the Mercadao Municipal, which looked like it could have been transplanted right out of Spain or Italy.
There were rows upon rows of vendors selling everything from produce to
bacalao, and also several shops with prepared food and wine. I did not make any
purchases, but it was really fun to bring back memories from my time living in
Barcelona.
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| Olives (and olive oil) |
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| Cheese! |
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| Meat! |
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| Stalls at the mercadao |
On my way back to the hotel, I thought it would be interesting
to walk across the iconic bridge, and I noticed a public bus that would take me
right past it. I just assumed that the bus would stop at every station on the
map, but I learned the hard way that it only stops if it has a request. As I
breezed past the bridge, I thought that I could just get off at the next stop.
I didn’t realize that the next stop was about a mile up the road. On the
one-way highway.
I got the bus with two options: Walk back to the bridge
against traffic, or take a taxi the long way back to the hotel. I was dead-set
on seeing this bridge up close, so I decided to walk along the side of the
highway like some sort of crazy poor person. When I finally reached the bridge,
I discovered that it does not allow pedestrians to cross!! I laughed to myself
at this ridiculous situation, hopped into a cab, and returned to the hotel with
my dignity somewhere on the highway.
- - - - - - - -
The week ahead was fantastic. Brazilian people are among the
most hospitable that I have ever met, and the local team was committed to
showing us a fun time in Sao Paulo. From shopping trips, to morning yoga
sessions, I really felt like part of the local team. Even though I don’t speak
Portugese, I was amazed at how easy it was to pick up words with my Spanish
knowledge.
The highlight of the trip was the evening that we went to the
Football stadium to watch a heated rivalry between Sao Paulo FC and SC Corinthians. The atmosphere
before the game was energetic, even bordering on dangerous, as the fans
prepared for their teams to clash. People were tailgating along the nearby
streets – eating pork sandwiches, drinking beer, and chanting the team songs
while they wore matching jerseys. We slowly made our way to the entrance, where
it was an absolute mob scene.
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| Pork sandwiches in front of the stadium |
The gate guards allowed only small groups of people pass
through the gates, so people were getting anxious. Once groups were finally
allowed to enter, people would literally run up the ramp like they were
contestants on Supermarket Sweep. Tons of pushing, shouting, and high tensions.
We also noticed some sort of altercation at the ticket collection point, and
the police even got out their batons and started beating someone repeatedly. I
didn’t catch what was happening, but it was very intense. I just looked
straight ahead and stayed as far away as possible!
When we finally entered the stadium, it was packed with
people and everyone remained standing throughout the entire match. Chants of
“Sao Paulo! Sao Paulo! Sao Paulo!” erupted every few minutes, and the
atmosphere quickly became one of celebration as the team continued scoring. The
game ended with an unlikely win over the opponents, which was a big relief for
me (mainly because I can only imagine the riots that would have ensued with a
loss).
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| Morumbi Stadium |
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| Our group at the football game |
Another afternoon, we went to lunch at a famous restaurant
in the city center called A Figueira Rubaiyat. So famous, in fact, that it was depicted in a Simpsons
episode when Homer visited Brazil. The restaurant design looked like a giant
green house, complete with a tree growing out of the center. The food was
absolutely incredible, and we had so much fun enjoying an extended lunch on
this holiday.
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| Lunch at the famous Treehouse restaurant |
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| The Simpsons ate at our table :) |
On the way back to the hotel, I noticed that some lanes of
the road were closed to traffic so people could ride around on their bicycles.
It brought me right back to my time in Merida, where bicyclists filled the
streets on weekend mornings. The scene was almost quaint, and completely
contradictory to the otherwise harsh reputation of the city.
On the last night of the trip, the team asked to take us out
dancing, but I just could not keep my eyes open for the 11pm departure from the
hotel. I knew that it would be a late night in the middle of nowhere (with no
chance to escape), so I opted to go to sleep at a normal hour. I slightly
regret not going out, but the idea of staying up all night in a crowded, noisy
bar just doesn’t appeal to me – especially leading up to two solid days of
flying.
My trip to Sao Paulo was so much better than I could have
imagined, and I am grateful to everyone who made it so memorable. Even in such
a short time there, I really soaked up the culture and enjoyed learning about
the local lifestyle.
Yes, it is a dangerous city, but I was lucky to stay clear
of any problems. I noticed women locking their purses to chairs in restaurants,
carrying decoy bags in their cars (in case they get held up at a stop light),
and keeping mace in their pockets. Precautions like this are part of life here,
but the danger doesn’t prevent people from enjoying life. I have so much respect
for everyone I met in Sao Paulo, and I can’t wait to go back some day and
discover even more of this fascinating country.
