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Published: June 29th 2009
SAO PAULO
JAPANTOWN(LIBERDADE)The bus from Campo Grande was supposed to arrive Sao Paulo at 1pm, 2pm already and we were still stuck in traffic, I got worried as I told Rapha the bus arrival of 1pm, we pulled in to the station at 3:30pm, very embarrased I apologized profusely to Rapha who greeted me with his usual big smile, but first thing he said to me is you're so thin!! Hey backpacking is not easy, I lose when when I travel because i move around a lot.
So good to see my old friend, we met in Africa he on his motorbike and joined the truck for a short duration of time in West Africa until Cameroon when he decided he had enough and went back home to Brazil. He was good fun, always enthusiastic and very emotional in his words and expressions, I made a promise to him that I will visit him once I go back to South America and here i am. We took a bus to his place close to the center of town, the city reminds me of the bustle of Rio, his apartment is really nice, tad bit noisy cauce it is close to the street but
very cool place! Right away he made me feel at home, we chatted about Africa once again, reminiscing.
Moments later his family came, his wonderful sister and his nephew a 16 year old dude who is a taekwondo fighter, they dont speak much English but we somehow understood each other. They told me i am welcome to their home and felt like they were my family, very hospitable I felt so comfortable and at ease. Rapha took me to a restaurant across from their apartment and we had a big lunch so i was still stuffed when they served dinner at home, i met most of his family and his lovely girlfriend, i felt so weird, normally I am in hostels and this is the 1st time I am at a friend's house and getting all the Brazilian hospitality, the food was great, the drinks the stories, Rapha translates back and forth Portugues to English which made things fun, but tiring for him. Went to bed pretty late and woke up late the next day as I slept in.
Rapha planned things for the day so after breakfast we drove in his motorbike to get to an ATM
machine then he realized he forgot the lock for his bike so we went back to his place, Alejandra his gf called and will pick us up in her car so we can wonder around town, so we waited for her. our first stop was a big park where the beautiful people jog and play some type of racket sport, people sit in the grass enjoying the warm sun, Rapha mentioned you dont see anyone smoking while walking in the park, good thing. There were a few museums and other recreatinal things within the park, at the moment there was a fashion exhibit. We left the park and went to have a look at the places close to rapaha's heart, where he grew up, his first job, where he jogs, bike etc...trip down memory lane of sorts, then we stopped at a place for acai ice cream with banana toppings and granolas, delicious! this fruit is a berry from a palm tree, well the skin of it, it's purple ans stains your teeth and lips, very rich in calories and is delicious!!
After having siesta we headed to have dinner at a pizza place calles blessed hour in English,
the pizza is to die for!! The pizza here in Sao Paulo is one of the est in the world and how true it was, usually am picky with my pizza, this one takes my vote. it was getting cold so we sat inside, the place was bustling long queues, on friday nights the Paulistas, the locals here are called, go for pizza for dinner with friends and family. Got back late we slept right away as we have a long day tomorrow. Along with Rapha and Alejandra, Rapha's sis and BF and I went to town on a Sunday morning, hardly anyone in thecenter, we will go and hear a mass with Gregorian singing at Sao Bento church, all of us have not been to church in ages! we met Rapha's cousin she speaks good English and she will be our guide for the day as she knows a lot about Sao Paulo, like Rapha she is full of energy! After 10 minutes we are ready to leave the church so left and started walking around town and seeing the sights, unfortunate to see a number of homeless people around sleeping in sidewlaks, and smell of piss pervades in
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Ibirapuera Park the alleyways. Sao Paulo downtown is a mass of tall huge buildings, a concrete jungle! But i love it! Lots of nice buildings,some well maintained some not. For lunch we headed to Mercado Municipal, where they have stalls of fruits and just about everything that is needed in the kitchen, but not cheap though, this place is beautiful full of people even on a Sunday. we had lunch on the 2nd floor of pastels a specialty here in Sao Paulo, very tasty.
Decided the next day i will walk around on my own, Rapha gave me a key to the house so i can wonder around on my own, I asked the security guy at the lobby of the apt. bldg, where is the nearest metro station, he said it in Portugues and pretended to understand him, we did that a lot in Spanish countries then ask again later but this time is no point as I cant understand a thing anyway. So walked to the big avenue called Paulista where all the tall skyscrapers are, its a bustle of noise and very crowded, i kept walking until I found a metro station, Consolacao or something, i went down
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Ibirapuera Park it and asked the guy at the ticket counter how i get to Liderdade to see Japantown, I understood I have to connect so off i went, the train is very nice, clean and efficient, very short wait unlike at home. So i looked at the map and it was easy, made it to Liberdade with ease. Walked around, feels like Chinatown but cleaner, lots of stores and restaurants, i saw one with a long queue, the place is called Bom Prato and at the top it says 1 reais, i take it that was the price per plate and is why it has the longest queue like a line in a bank. did not go there of course, i kept walking until i saw gonzaga street and remembered in the LP a nice place there to eat, I found the Ramen House only the name is different but i take it was the same one, $10 soup , the best i have had, well worth it, i entered the place and everyone from the waitres to the cooks greeted me in japanese! Then as i have my meal as I was sat at the bar i can see the
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Ibirapuera Park chefs at work really fun for me. After i finished my beer i left and everyone said bye to me in unison. Did some food shopping, found the yakisoba balls i have been craving then took the train back. Rapha and i went for a walk to a pastry shop in the evening and we talked about my next plans, we debated a bit on how i should move on then when i indicated to him i might leave tomorrow he balked! You just arrived(4 days ago) you cannot leave yet! there goes the plan, i probably have to wait one more week before i can move on, dont get me wrong, him and his family are amazing but I felt I am intruding so much i felt uneasy to stay longer, but it may well be.
Decided to visit the Butantan Institute a scientific research institute specializing in serpents, yes snakes, they milk them like cows to develop antivenin, Rapha got the directions for me and I took the bus across the street from the apt. with a written note in Portugues and Rapha had me say it out loud repeatedly to make sure I can be understood,
por favor, quero descer na...but in the end I got stage fright and all i can say is Instituto Butantan, I got a nod from the driver and 30 minutes later i was told to get off and follow the signs, presto i am there.
It is a huge place cant figure out where to begin, bought my ticket and followed the program, went to the serpentarium where they kept the snakes outdoors then to the Microbilogy museum where hordes of kids on a day trip occupied the place running and screaming and queuing up on microscopes. i hurriedly left the place and went to the Biology museum where they keep snakes indoors, quite fascinating considering i hate snakes then 10 minutes later the hurricane that was the kids on a day trip invaded the premises and I have to share it with them, we got to the tarantula exhibit the kids just passed through quickly as they cant see it, so i grabbed one of them kids pointed to a spot and he freaked out! ooops..
Asked for directions to get back to town, found the bus and off we go lots of traffic already at 2pm, when
i saw a metro station I quickly got off and took the metro to my fave place in Sao Paulo, Japan town, had my lunch at a per kilo place which is in the LP and bought some sushi in the store and went back to Rapha's. Vandam and Rapha came later they went to the mall we shared the sushi but they dont like wasabi,for me its not complete without it.
Rapha decided to go with me to see the Ipiranga museum, after his daily early morning bike ride we took the metro and a bus to get to this place, really nice complex, we saw the statue of independence or something, it has the cutest girl receptionist and the tomb of their 1st king or emperor, Dom Pedro.
We then went to the museum on the other side of the park, as we walk we saw lots of dudes skateboarding, really good as well, Rapha had a go. At the entrance we saw that the museum is shut because the workers were on strike! We had a look around anyway the building is very nice yellow and vibrant and they have a fountain at the front. There
was also a TV show taping there we were asked to be interviewed on camera but I begged off as I cant speak Portugues so we left in a hurry, the sky is clouding up and trickles of rain dropped but never amounted to anything but we left and made our way back to town,w e tried to eat at Raphas favorite Japanese restaurant but it was shut so we went to the mall and that is where I found out Transformers is showing tonight so i bought a ticket, good thing it was a 5 minute walk from his apt. Movie too long, good special effects lousy acting, hot chick.
The next day Rapha and Fernanda took me to a party, one of their friends just came out of the hospital and they are throwing a surprise party, at first I did not want to come thinking they wont speak any English and I will be like a wallflower in the corner staring at the ceiling. Soon as we got there I got kisses from the girls left and right, of course that is how they greet here in Brasil, girls kiss you on the cheeks, guys you
shake hands not like in Argy Bargy you get a kiss as well! I got talking to a really hot chick, a bit oldermaybe in her late forties but deliciously gorgeous! She runs an English school somewhere in town and she speaks English quite well. A few others spoke to me most have to be translated by Sandra the hot MILF from Portuguese, another dude who speaks and teaches English spoke to me at length and I dont know why and how but we ended up talking about his being a clairvoyant and his odd religion which I never heard of, after a few beers i thought i had it and tried to get away from him,Fernanda saved me and we went out the veranda, the apartment is on the top floor of a tall bldg and we have to open the window because people are smoking and you can see the bottom so i try not to look down. Some guys were also having a party on the other building so we waved at them. For entertainment there was a guy singing samba music his name is Boca and quite good. I trully enjoyed this small party they welcome
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Fernanda eating acai we warmly though they never met me before, the wife of the guy we are throwing the party for was quite hot as well, when we said our byes she wont stop kissing me! quite enjoyed it actually she was a bit drunk, Sandra the hottie asked me to visit her school and she will show me around, hmmmm..she's single I learned from Rapha 2 days later, too late...
Took Rapha to my favorite spot in Sao Paulo, Liberdade, it is Sunday and lots of stalls selling things were outside in the plaza near the metro stop, there were food as well, I tried the fried camaron it was similar to "ukoy" a Pinoy dish i loved it so good but Rapha wanted to walk around so we left the food stalls and we ate at the Ramen place , my fave restaurant here, took awhile for us to get seated, relly crowded. Rapha loved it and the hostess that seated us chatted with us for a bit, Vivian, lived in London for 6 years and was quite happy to chat with us in English, he thought Rapha was a foreigner too as we were conversing in English. We
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Pacaembu Stadium. walked to Liberdade going and back so i was able to see different areas of the town, lots of graffiti some really good and also a lot of homeless people, quite a sad sight to see. Then Rapha realized he forgot his phone and glasses at the restaurant so he hurriedly went back taking his motorbike with him. Tonight I leave for Florianopolis after 9 days with Rapha, sad to leave but am itching to keep moving again.
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