Paulista for a week

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Day 1: The beginning
A mad house at SFO. I'm not used to peak-time traveling. In any case, arrived in DC ahead of schedule. But of course, the next flight was delayed - I knew it!!! That was because the agent was checking the visa one by one and the line was way out there even at the moment of departure...so primitive, what's up? Thanks to that though, I got to get some pointers, even Marta's number. Already a sign of Brazilian hospitality - off to a good start 😊. Allow me to just mention that I had the worst plane meal ever on this flight.

Needless to say, the arrival was delayed to 9:30a. Although getting into city via public bus & metro went super smooth, I didn't reach the hotel until past 11. After a quick catch up w dad and his colleagues, we headed to one of the Sunday feiras at Republica. On the way, we ran into a farmers market - totally awesome with gazillion bananas, biwa, avocado as big as a softball and sugar cane juice! I need to come back next week!! Feira in Republica was ok - arts, crafts and lots of food 😄.

Next, feira #2 a la Jardim. Direction was off and the cab driver dropped us in front of a store, uhhh, although the store looked enticing w variety of sweets 😊. No luck. Next, Japanese immigrant museum in Liberdade, oh wait, there it is, the fair! It was an antique market. I later realized that it was just underneath MASP, the most notable building in the area, haha. After a brief browsing, we made our way to Liberdade, straight to Japanese immigrant museum. It was nicely presented with well-organized storytelling. We had just enough time to go through it before the closing at 5:30p. It was getting dark and cold outside, we retreated to the hotel. At ~7, we went to dinner at A Figueira Rubaiyat in Jardim, a fancy steakhouse - an appropriate kick off for me! The huge and spacious seating area was under one big fig tree whose trunk sat smack in the middle - totally chic. Food was equally stylish. Meat, superb, the kind that doesn't weigh on you 😊.

Day 2: Manic Monday
Overcast...not surprised about this by now 😱. Today's agenda: concur Centro! ~9:15a, I started walking to Republica via Consolacao along with the commuters. After ~30-40min, I arrived at Republica. There were a lot more people than yesterday, working and not. I thought I'd totally blend in since SP has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan - wrrrong. I stood out alright, although people didn't seem to be taken aback by me like some other places.

The starting spot of the self-guided walking route was Nossa Senhora do Roasrio dos Homens Pretos...wait that?! It was super run down with graffiti...okaaay, moving on. Next stop was Mosteiro de Sao Bento - wait here? Must be. The bldg itself looked nice but it was just congested there with people hanging out there or passing to go to the metro station. Well, I spotted a nice 50s style cafe so I grabbed a shot of espresso, which I could totally use. Ahhh, recouped. Continuing on to municipal market via rua 25 de Marco. It's a stretch of street fulla ppl and everything chinatown / donqui style, if you know what I mean. Market was in a huge warehouse with meat, seafood and fruits. I picked up biwa & passion fruits. They were soooo yummy! The market reminded of the one in Valencia.

Continuing on south. Next, Patio do colegio, where the city started, then Se. Walking walking walking and I realized I was already at Se. Ei, how did I miss the Patio?? Dunno but it seemed I was back on track when I turned a curious corner. It was the theme of the day - things I was looking for popped up out of nowhere!! Patio do colegio was nice and calm for once in Centro 😊. Se is a large open space that ends at majestic metropolitan cathedral. From Se, I followed the stone-lined road up toward Convento de Sao Francisco, along with the lunch crowd and all. Ei, there it is, Banespa bldg, the empire state bldg of Sao Paulo, cool. I was just around the corner earlier too. That means I'm right by the metro stn, cool 😄. It was past noon and I went back to Jardim to regroup for the afternoon excursion.

A bit past 2p, I headed into Jardim Paulista to treat myself to the cafe scene here 😄. Attack #1: galeria dos paises. It is a 24hr store that has seating area and gourmet stuff! Why don’t I have this in Cali?? Straight to the bakery corner 😱. Oooo yes, from petit four to cakes. They had pasteis Santa Clara and pasteis de nata, which might have originated in Portugal but not sure. This is where I started seeing bolo (paper-thin jelly rolls) and Brigadeiro (chocolate balls. Attack #2: pao de queijo. The place is simply called pao de queijo and they make a small basket at a time to keep it always warm, mmmmmmm!!!!!! Are you kidding?!?! This was like an eye-opener. Where have I been all this time?! Slightly warm and stretchy, chewy and pleasantly salty - so out of this worrrrrld!!! Attack #3: Suplicy cafe, a nice cozy that serves good cafe. Met up w dad & the gang for dinner.

Day 3: Reuniting Tuesday
Overcast again, booo. Early out to make it back in time for the lunch appt! At 8:15, I hit the metro to Luz. It's connected to the land line train station that looks cool. There, I clearly felt my ginormous camera catching attention...gotta be mindful. Across the street, there is parque da luz which was actually nice and lively. It was well maintained and there were walkers, a nice sight 😊. I strolled around until 9:30 and it was time to hit the road.

I hopped on the metro back down to Paraiso. The plan was to walk Ave Paulista all the way from Paraiso to the hotel, 3-metro-station length. The starting point was the orthodox cathedral right next to the metro stn - and I mean right next to it!!! The glorious golden dome was buried under high-rise condos 😞 Middle-of-nowhereness to the max! So it seems to be the theme here.

Continuing on Ave Paulista...bam, Casa das Rosas, one of the few remaining bldgs on this street from coffee plantation era. I guess I didn't know where I was exactly :-p. Continuing down, you can see Hospital Santa Catalina (Stanford!) and rows of funky-looking high-rise. The highlight is MASP (i.e. MOMA), suspended 3-story-high bldg. Back on time at the hotel 😄.

~12:30, Tanaka kun, my classmate from Canada 20yrs ago, and his wife Chie san picked me at the hotel for lunch - talk about reunion!! We went to, none other, a ramen place in Liberdade 😱. Great time! They dropped me off at Expo Centre Norte in time for me to meet dad at 3p. Photoimage show was hustling and bustling. Checked out the expo for about a hour. By the time I got back to MASP, it was already past 5 and closed 😞. Fine. I took a detour to Pao de queijo and picked up PdQ, brigadeiro and bombocado, mmmmmm, can't get enough!! From the corner market, I also picked up giant figs and passion fruits, which are readily available everywhere. Later that evening, Rafael and his family arrived. Rafael was my classmate from Cordoba Argentina 2 yrs ago - another fantastic reunion!! Pretty wiped out, hit the sac by 11.

Day 4: Chillin' Wednesday
Started the day w Rafael at Starbucks latte...sweet, literally! I forgot about non-American milk 😊. It was really really cold today. With Rafael's family, we made a brief stop in Liberdade. From there, we headed to the municipal market for lunch. I didn't notice last time but there is an eating area upstairs. We had some Brazilian fair w rice, beans and stroganoff (?). As we browsed through the market, I learned that a persimmon-looking fruits called "caju" is growing from what was going to be cashew nuts, ohhhhh, caju & cashew. The fruit tastes unique and juicy.

We parted after the market and I went by the municipal theater. I was really close to it but missed it a few days ago. It's huge and looks majestic. It's just that graffiti was in sight 😞. From there, I hopped on metro to MASP. Since the bldg is suspended, the entrance is the elevator. There was the "romanticism" exhibition, which was good 😊. I was really exhausted from being cold or standing, I dunno, passed out ~10 😱.

Day 5: Misc Thursday
Energized again, went for a quick SB attack #2, this time, dulce de leche latte 😄. There is also Havanna kiosk and good DdL is readily accessible here. Rafael, Rudolfo and I headed out to Ipiranga museum where Brazilian independence was declared. The palace looked nice and well maintained. Museum housed the items that signify the history of Brazil. Came back to Jardim and grabbed a quick lunch at casa do pao de queijo...obsessed!

Afternoon was still super cold, hovering 11C, and dedicated it to Jardim Paulista the Rodeo Dr. Not much except that I got to know Havaianas and Kopenhagen, Brazil's own, thanks to Rafael. At ~5p, I started heading to the expo to join dad & co for closing. Cuz of 30min wait at Tiete, it took me ~2hrs to get to the expo!! The expo was still going strong with people scavenging display samples, lol 😄. Wrapped up ~8:30 and back at hotel a hr later...hungy :*( Dinner choice - Tordesilhas for traditional brazilian fare. Ambiant was nice and my carne seco was juicy and tasty. Good stuff. Back at 11p to meet Rafael & co for Vila Madelena outing. There was a street with 6 bars next to & across from one another. That day, Sao Paolo FC was playing in Morumbi and all bars; I mean all bars were full of people watching the game. Serious stuff. This is a local team. Imagine world cup!! Apparently, all banks were closed and the flights were 50%!o(MISSING)ff during the game time, not messing around. SP won that night, phew, no sad people. Bar suddenly got empty when the game ended too... Every game is like super bowl here?! That's awesome!

Day 6: Friday in search of cityscape
Despite late night, R&R and I had appt at 9 to hang out before my excursion of the day 😱. Rafael couldn't make it so Rudolfo and I did a photo-stroll along Ave Paulista until MASP. Close to 11a, I parted to hit Banespa bldg since, as the weather forecast said, there were cracks in the cloud, finally! It has an observatory deck that's open only during the week. Today was going to be my last chance.

Before Banespa, I hit Bovespa (SP stock exchange). Since all trading is being done online nowadays, the trading floor is empty and open to visitors. Through the metal detector, I was in. It seemed that I was one of the few visitors. After wondering around, one of the staff was super kind, borderline excessive, and took pictures for me in front of this and that...wow wow wow. He also hooked me up with super sweet lady to give me a tour. The message was that SP is the financial capital of the entire Latin America and there are recent initiatives to encourage more people to participate. After all that VIP treatment, the first man told me other places to visit in the centro. The lady even came out with me to show me where my next destination, Banaspa tower, was. Soooo sweet, obligada!!! As I was exiting, I saw a huge group inside and at the entrance - so glad I beat them. Luckily, the weather seems to be cooperating for the observatory. A brief wait put me on a tiny elevator to 26th floor, then to 35th floor tiny observatory deck. I had a pretty good view of the city and could recognize some places 😊. After ~5min, an attendant rushed us out though...

Afternoon excursion: Park Ibirapuera. It's a large SP's urban park located on the south side of the metropolis. It has lakes, museums and jogging route. Since there is no metro station next to it, I already walked my fair share of the day from Paraiso to the park. Still, I wished I was jogging here along the lake with many other people 😊. An Obelisque stands tall on the north end of the park.

At ~3p, I started my walk toward Jardim. I was pretty hungy from all that walking and it was a good time to grab that cheesy thing. This time, I got to another Brazilian staple, acai, hehe 😄. Dinner in Murumbi w dad & co. Bumper-to-bumper getting there ~8p. According to the cab driver, it's always like that ~8, not just Fridays. Kinda late for a traffic eh?

Day 7: Feira fulla Saturday
Out at ~9:30. First stop - Suplicy for latte & brigadeiro. From there, it was not too long of a walk to Praca Benedito Calixto in Vila Madalena where the fair is being held on Saturdays. Right by the Praca, there is a street full of musical instrument stores. It was hustling & bustling with young musicians - a pleasant sight. I mean guitar stores after guitar stores! Some street vendors were overflown from the Praca too. The fair itself in the Praca was a mixture of antique, arts and crafts. I strolled around until noon.

~noon, I sat down at a large bakery for a PdQ and acai juice. Again?! Yes, the very first day I had PdQ, I swore to myself I'd get one a day during my stay here. But! I learned the hard way that you can go wrong w PdQ 😞. At 1, I headed to the metro station to catch the walking tour, except I found out that the one I wanted wasn't on Sat aft. A quick adjustment of the plan. I decided to get Liberdade fair out of the way. Liberdade was crowded, especially around the food booth. Basically all fried skewers and what not. Asian stores away from the fair was unbelievably crowded too with the casher lines going to the other end of the store. Ok, what to do next...kinda hungy...maybe go to the municipal market and pick up some fruits. I started walkin toward the centro and the crowd grew bigger and bigger. By the time I got to Placa de Se, everywhere was PACKED!!! It wasn't the best time to be flipping maps out and with much dismay I gave up.

I came back to Jardim but didn't want to repeat my Jardim fixings. I know, lemme find Bella Paulista, brilliant! :p It's similar to Galaria dos paises, a 24-hr gourmet store with wide selection of sweets etc. Since I didn't know exactly which corner it was, I circled around a bit but in no time it popped up in front of me...SP does wonders 😄. Snack of the day: beijo, pasteis de nata, pasteis de santa clara, mmmmm :p~.

At ~6, I joined Tanaka kun and Chie san for a churrascaria attack, awww yeah! I had to do it here in Brazil! It was really nice; had huge slabs slow-cooking at the entrance, tons and tons of good stuff in the salad bar. The meat, all really good; juicy lamb, juicy fillet & blood sausage. 2 caipirinha servings were fighting with the meat in my stomach. Knock-out round was papaya cream. Apparently, they make it the best. It's a papaya milk shake with creme de cassis!! It tasted like good pleasant papaya - yes, that was a good one!!! Back to hotel for a brief rest and out again at ~11 to meet Kenji san and Mie san. Good times but had to say good bye at 1 when the place was closing up 😞. I had to stay up a little longer to pack as tomorrow morning will be bada bim bada boom!

Last day: Reinforcement Sunday
Chop chop, up at 6 so I can check out and make it to the walking tour of Se. It should be nice with better weather and less crowd. I was ahead of schedule so I stopped by Bella Paulista for a cup of tea and beijos 😱. The tour started at Sao Bento, then to Patio de colegio and Se. It took good 3hrs! The tour guide Andrea was super sweet 😊. I've been to all of them but I wanted to hear what she had to say and to openly bust out my 15-85mm lens 😄.

From Se, I headed to the farmers market from last week. It was actually pretty much in Centro. As I was clicking away, a lady from a stand gave me a hard time...R$10 for a picture. I was gonna buy a pack of biwa anyway so I made the deal, phew 😄. Of course they were kidding and kindly posed for a kodak moment 😊.

Since I only had 2hrs before heading to the airport, I hung out in good ol' Jardim for the remaining moments in SP. Of course, first thing first, PdQ!!! Mmmmmm, never disappoints. Cheese is just so nicely integrated and has pleasant saltiness and butterliness, ahhhh. I am going to miss it for sure 😞. The time has come. I went back to the hotel to get my bags and made my way to the airport...

It was an unconventional vacation plan - to stay just in SP for a week. Most travelers would pass by for the airport. Every travel source would say that it's not a tourist's city and it's more about the daily life. So I was hoping to capture the daily life as much as I could in a limited time. I definitely learned that we tend to identify Brazil with Rio and the beach culture, much like how Cali is represented in Baywatch. SP was clearly a toned-down business city with diversity and culture. Last but not least, I was very lucky to have reunited with so many people in SP of all places. Thank you all who made my stay so special!!!

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