My new favorite city is Sampa (or Sao Paolo to those of you who aren't local like me!). We had a wonderful time discovering this great city which made me feel like I was back home in NYC. Obviously, it's Brazil and there are some differences (Portuguese is a big one), but the city is great.
First, there is a METRO. My how I miss the subway now that I'm living in Lima, the city of cars and
mas or menos no public transportation. The subway system is wonderful...clean, efficient and cheap (although, I have to say that the bus system is pretty darn good, too). But, hands down my favorite thing is that they have book vending machines on the platform where you wait for the subway! What a great idea!
Of course, there's much more than just a good public transportation system. It's a huge city, full of very tall buildings, and 11,105,249 residents (and the most populous city in the southern hemisphere according to Wikipedia). To see these tall buildings we went to the 41st floor of the Italian Building where there is a very expensive restaurant with a beautiful view...and a lookout point that
they let tourists visit for free! Then, there was the beautiful municipal theater (to the right) and the Bovespa (the largest stock market in Latin America), the mercado municipal and some nice park along the way.
There were just so many little things that were fun and interesting. We went to one of the biggest bookstores in Sao Paolo and I managed to spend half an hour (or was it an hour) perusing the small English section.
Telefonica, one of the biggest phone and cable companies in Peru, was all over Sao Paolo (Arturo informed me that it's like that throughout most of Latin America, but I don't care; it felt like a little piece of home to me).
Another little piece of home was Arturo. He was proudly sporting his "PERU" shirt...which for some reason I just found adorable. Here he is, just quietly saying "Peru is here in Brazil."
Another piece of 'home' was that Vila Magdalena, the area we stayed in, was just like
Park Slope, Brooklyn! Don't ask me how, but it was. The cafes, restaurants, shops, moms with strollers...all of it! And I have to say, it was nice. We
enjoyed some delicious meals and snacks there, of course, soaking up the relaxed atmosphere.
Then there is the Impostometro. This is an ongoing count of how much the people of Sao Paolo have paid to the government in taxes. Many citizens complained that the government wasn't using their tax money in the best ways possible...and now the government is publicizing how much is actually being paid in taxes. This way there is more inter-communication between the government and its citizens. Nice, uh?
One of my other favorites (yes, I have many) was the art museum. It was incredibly well organized with an extensive list of very famous artists, include some of my 'old favorites' Monet, Manet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir and more.
Surprsingly, across the street, on the famous Avenida Paulista was a beautiful park. When I think back, this shouldn't have been a surprise. Sao Paolo is full of parks and green spaces. It's one of the things we both immediately commented on and just one of the things we loved about the city.
Along the way, we also realized how friendly Brazilians are. People would see us with a map and ask if we needed help. On our second day, a nice woman helped us find the metro station near our hostel. We had a nice time chatting with her and, in the end, she gave us her phone number and told us to call. Did she really mean this? We weren't sure, but we gave it a chance. We called and on Saturday night we met up with Carla and her brother and his German wife in the area for drinks. Then, they invited back to their apartment for some food and drinks with the family. Unbelievable! It was a great 'local' night.
One of the things I wanted to do in Brazil was eat sushi (I read they had amazing sushi) and eat at a churrasqueria. We did both. And both were delicious. Although we only have pictures of the churrasqueria, the sushi was delicious. The salmon melted in my mouth...yum...but the churrasqueria was more of an event. The restaurant picked us up in a van, fed us a lot of food, and then drove us home. The van was no extra charge. Great service, right? Plus, eating at the churrasqueria was fun because of the red light-green light system. We had a small standing, revolving "Yes, more" green colored and "No more" red colored circle. It was great to see Arturo stress out because the food kept coming. "Switch it to red!" was repeated over and over.
But, still more impressed us. While there were lots of green areas and parks throughout the city, there was also a "central park" to use NYC's expression because it was called Parque Ibirapuera. This was enormous and filled with people walking, rollerblading, jogging and just sitting on benches or the grass people watching. Oh, and there's also a big lake in the middle. It was lovely.
Immediately outside our hostel, on Saturdays, was a street market. This was market sold a bit of everything, but more fresh fruits and vegetables than anything. And oh how lovely they looked! They were all so neatly and beautifully displayed it was just great to see.
And last, but not least, is
futbol or football or soccer depending on where you're from. The Brazilians are indeed obsessed with the sport. So much so, that in one restaurant there was actually a goal in the toilet. Arturo did his best to relieve himself and score!
As those of you who are faithful readers to this blog know, Arturo loves to make tacos (and they are very delicious).
The only other 'exciting' thing that happened is my school's Kermesse. What's a Kermesse? Well, I knew it was an outdoor fair, but thanks to my grandmother's crossworld knowledge, I can now say that it is a word derived from the Dutch word kermis meaning and outdoor fair or carnival.
I've included some photos to try and show you how big of an event this was...and how 'sponsored' it was. The huge coca-cola bottle is just the tip of the iceberg. Major brands and stores were throughout the event, including Telefonica (phone company), Papa John's, Bembo's, China Wok, Burger King, Llama Gas, and all of the major banks including BCP (my bank), Interbank (where Arturo works and who put cash machines inside the fair), and Scotia Bank (where Arturo's brother works and who sold all of the tickets).
There were real carival/fair rides, including the swings, ship which swings upside down, paddle boats in the lake and more.
