Brazil Part 2 - Sao Paulo back to Rio

---

Hello again!

(09/12/10) So, you might had remembered me saying at end of my last blog that I was to go on a 16 hour night bus to Sao Paulo?. WRONG! It was about 19 hours in the end!.. I wouldn’t mind so much but we had 2 drivers but every 1.5hrs would stop for about 20mins.. I could had driven it in about 3 hours I reckon! I didn’t really sleep and my mp3 player died quicker than I would had liked. It was nice to see some of the scenery, mostly rolling hills. I had hoped to meet Aussie Emily (met at Rio hostel) for lunch before she flew home however as I was about 4 hours delayed in the end she had gone about her day, which was fair enough. My first impressions of Sao Paulo were not to good. I had heard mixed things about this city. It is a big concrete jungle and one of the most populated cities in the world with more than 20million people. I’m not being English and ignorant here but hardly anyone speaks English, and that really needs to change for the World Cup as I can’t imagine the England rioters learning the lingo!.. I somehow negotiated my way on the Metro and got to the rather nice hostel. I was knackered and most of the day had gone so I wrote it off and barely moved from hostel. I did see Emily for about an hour which was welcomed because a) she is a nice girl b) she had loads of fruit and chocolate which she gave to me. Sweet. There’s a decent bar at the hostel but I was so tired I didn’t fancy it too much so had a relatively early night. Will save any opinions of Sao Paulo for the moment.

(10/12/10) I awoke at a respectable hour as decided (as planned) I would move on from Sao Paulo tomorrow so need to make the most of my time here. I was given a decent list of places to see from Leo, the Brazilian chap who worked at the hostel. Despite being advised to get Metro I decide to walk to my first destination which was the Museum of Football at Palmeiras FC’s stadium. Surprisingly it was the only footy museum in Brazil and it was pretty good despite not much of it in English. Plenty of interactive stuff and I can officially kick a ball at 93km/hour in my flip flops. It’s a rather hilly city I must say. I then walked down Avenue Paulista which is equivalent to Oxford Street with lots of shops, although it also had a park with the last remaining part of the Atlantic rainforest in the city. In the afternoon I went up almost 40 floors to the top of Edificio Banespa, which is a smaller version of Empire State Building. The views were incredible. As far as the eye can see were high rise tower blocks. Didn’t quite look real. Saw quite a lot including an outdoor ice rink (it was about 35’C!). For lunch I pointed at one of the cheapest options on a menu and ended up with a big steak! Still, I wasn’t one to moan and consumed it in a bout 5 minutes. I really like the centre of Sao Paulo. Quite the contrast to the high rise slums I had seen on way here. I strolled through a few parks but somehow took a wrong turning and end up walking a long a slim pavement on a 3 laned highway. I walked and walked assuming there would soon be a way to get back to the main town but it never came. And it was HOT! There were a few unsavoury looking people in the shadows and I was very keen to be anywhere but here. I walked past a group of dodgy looking people and after a while decided to turn back the way I came and quickly walked back past them again. One of them came up to me and said something in Portuguese which I immediately took as a threat so sped up into a light jog and then went through the gears as I heard footsteps chasing after me, and I felt I was now the Brazilian Forest Gump (Foresta de Gumpo?)… Then after a short time the footsteps were right behind me, accompanied by a yap??.. Turns out it was just the guy’s dog chasing me!! I would had looked a right wally.. Anyhow soon enough despite sweating buckets after my sprint through Sao Paulo I was now in a populated area and finished off in Praca da Se which is a bit like Leicester Square apart from it has South America’s biggest cathedral. It was good to see more of Sao Paulo. I think the people that visit for just a night don’t like Sao Paulo, where as those that spend more time really like it. I was there only one day but I certainly liked it. Big, wide, clean street and actually quite a lot to do if you had the time. Very multicultural (has biggeest Japanese population outside Japan) I stayed in a suburb called Vila Madalena which was mostly tree lined and low-rise. Really nice, but hilly area. A good day. In the evening I got given free pasta at my hostel and got talked at by a Brazilian guy that was very similar to Scarface. He had the look of Al Pacino and the same Latino accent. He actually had a lot to say about world politics and all that jazz, however I was just constantly wondering if he had a machine gun under the table like Tony Montana..

(11/12/10) The day today was ANOTHER travelling day. That’s almost 3 out of the last 4 that have been mostly travelling. Lucky all my forthcoming destinations are closer together. I left Sao Paulo today and headed to a colonial coastal town of Paraty (pronounced “Para-chee”) which is about half way to Rio. On the coach I sat next to an Irish woman who told me about her trip to Peru and Bolivia which really sound amazing. Wouldn’t be surprised if you get a blog on that next year! To be honest she went on a bit and I would had loved to have grabbed a few hours sleep. After almost 7 hours I had arrived and soon found my hostel which again was really cool. In fact every hostel to date has been very good. After grabbing some seafood for dinner I got roped into a pub crawl. It was a really good way of meeting people and I got chatting to quite a few. Some Brazilian, Scottish, Aussie and American. I particularly liked a Brazilian Israeli guy called Luis who lived in Tel Aviv but is in Brazil to sort out his divorce and was celebrating big time. He‘s the sort of person I wasn’t sure if he was homosexual, on drugs, slightly mentally disabled or just foreign. I think a bit of all perhaps? But he was fun. I drank a fair few Caiprinhas cocktails which I’m starting to like A LOT, but my god, they are strong! Many of us finished the night off getting the BIGGEST burgers you have seen - you name it, and it was probably in there somewhere…

(12/12/10) Surprise surpise, I am feeling a lil worse for wear. Those caiprinhas really do take an effect. I met up with Scottish Johnny and Californian Steve whom I met last night and we went to the beach along with 2 Argentinean guys. We chilled for a bit, played guitar and then got some football going. A Brazilian dude came along to get involved and showed us some fancy tricks, but he couldn’t handle a crunching Nick Jones tackle! He said to us he used to be professional but I wasn’t too convinced. The weather was stunning and I had a good look at the town which was so so beautiful. All the streets are cobbled and cars are not allowed, so often a horse and cart would run down the streets. Apparently at Full Moon the tide washes into the old town and gives the place a clean. Nice! In that evening, Johnny and I went to a Per Kilo restaurant which are popular in Brazil. You simple get all the salad and bbq food you want and they weigh it at the end. I ate loads and it worked out to be very cheap. The rain then absolutely pissed it down, although a good day was had.

(13/12/10) Today we got a boat trip which was meant to be for 5hours but was almost 8hrs in the end. In attendance were the gang from yesterday and a handful others. Paraty has some 60 odd islands in its vicinity and we visited a few. Some are tiny with nothing on, others are bigger and a few can be bought for a tidy sum of $4million - always good to have something to save for I say?.. Some of the islands could had been straight out of Lost for all I knew. I enjoyed the Argie’s company more and more and the Maradonna bitterness I once had has almost gone!. Despite slapping on loads of suntan lotion I managed to get a really pink and rather annoying sunburn on my back, Ouch! After getting in some rather choppy waters we retuned safe and sound and Johhny and I watched Manu on TV and had half a rather pricey pizza and a few beers.

(14/12/10) Today I took a jeep tour in the surrounding rainforest of Paraty. Our guide didn’t speak a work of the Queens and I was lumped with the only 3 (out of about 12) English speaking tourists. They were nice and polite enough to me but they were really (wrongly) opinionated and I had to listen to the nonsense and generalisations for about 7 hours. We stopped at various waterfalls and could jump in the pools when we wanted. The best one was by far the first one which had a 150feet 45’degree smooth rock that people use as a natural waterslide landing in a waterpool at the bottom. I went down a fair few times sitting on my arse and it was much fun even though the water was rather chilly. Some of the local kids were standing up and spinning down it before jumping in into the pool! Impressive! We stopped for a traditional lunch which appeared to be traditionally late in arriving.. Later that evening it rained loads again so I stayed and had a few beers there with a Slovenian (not many of those travelling) and French chap who looked like Lieutenant Dane from Forest Gump….That’s 2 Forest Gump references in the same blog now…

(15/12/10) This morning I hoped for a nice lay in, however I was woken by a little Indian lady who was staying in my hostel room - we were locked in! Bit random! We were soon set free and I spent a really nice chilled day strolling round the town and spent some time in a bar listening to some Bossa Nova music played by three gents. It’s a very relaxing sound!. In the evening I returned to the Per Kilo restaurant and ate a steak only slightly smaller than my head. Nice to have a day with nothing really planned.

(16/12/10) This morning I said good by to Paraty and boarded a 2 hour public bus heading for the pier to Ilhe Grande. It was mostly uneventful bus journey except the girls in front had the window open for a bit of ventilation which pretty much blew my head off and at the end of the trip I must had looked like an 80’s popstar as my hair really got the blow drying treatment. At the pier I boarded a 2 hour boat to Ihle Grande (translates to Big Island). Spoke to an Aussie girl onboard who lives down the same road as me in London! Big up the Deptford Massive! We passed a MASSIVE cruise liner out of the bay which was sending little boats of bloody tourists! Ilhe Grande is roadless and is covered pretty much all by tropical, mountainous rainforest and surrounded by sandy beaches. My hostel (which was a trek in itself) had a perfect view of the main bay but it was a sh*thole. Every hostel in Brazil has been excellent but this one had moody staff, is dirty and the locks don’t work on the lockers (does that still make them lockers?). Also when I arrived the place had a power cut for a few hours! Not happy. The worse bit of travelling is by far the actual travelling part of it - lugging heaving rucksacks trying to locate accommodation or transport in a new and normally hot climate. Certainly not looking to moan here but it does get a bit annoying. I didn’t arrive until late afternoon so just strolled along the main part of (the tiny) town and had a drink on the beach whilst listening to some guitarist… In the evening I got talking to English Danny and Kiwi couple Jake and Jade. We had an all-you-can eat barbeque and some beers on the veranda before the rain came down in buckets and buckets!.. We agreed to do a boat trip the following day so I spoke to the moron on reception:
Me: “Hi there! So when is the latest we need to book a boat trip for tomorrow morning?”
Idiot on reception: “Tomorrow morning.”
Me: “Oh right. What time is the latest would you say?
Idiot: “Breakfast time.”
Me: “Ok, but WHAT actual time?”
Idiot: “8:30am at latest”

(17/12/10) So I wake up early and get to reception before 8:30am and I am then told by same idiot that he won’t know about boat until 10am… (OH FOR F*** SAKE!!)… Anyhow, we didn’t go on the boat trip we wanted but instead went on one to the Blue Lagoon. The weather was perfect and we were joined by San Fran/Japanese Ken who was as a narrow-minded Yank as you might expect, but harmless. It was a fun old day and we stopped off at various other beaches. Later that night we headed into town, which is more adventurous than it sounds. Firstly it was a good kilometre or so along the beach. It was dark and we had to climb over rocks and small boats and had to wade through an inlet/river that was deeper than planned and I had to hold my shorts up fairly high! We strolled about town but even though it was a Friday night there was little going on. We grabbed some beers and saw the BIGGEST crab trying to pick a fight with a dog.. Not sure who won that one in. Fun old day with a nice crowd of people. And I ate some cake they sold on street.

(18/12/10) Today was ANOTHER transit day. My last.. Still far too many of those of late. I just missed (free) breakfast so was already in a mood.. I was heading back to Rio and was on the same speed boat (was fast and I had to cling on to not fall off back!) back to the mainland and minibus as the Kiwi lot and Ken. It seemed to take forever and I was starting to get annoying toothache. Didn’t get back to Rio until the evening. I checked into same hostel as before and was greeted by friendly Franklyn, who of course did not forget me. I even had the exact same bed! Later that evening I met with Kiwis Jake and Jade and Ken at their hostel in the Copacabana area. This was actually the first time I had stepped foot in the famous beach area. En-route I was humming that famous Barry Manilow song (not Mandy, but the “her name was Lola, she was a showgirl.. blah blah ..something ..Copa-Copacabana..!”).Where I staying (Ipanema) is regarded as the more upmarket area where as Copacabana is a bit more crap. I didn’t really see much of it. We went to a dire bar where the music was so quiet. I met a rather annoying but likable Australian who did her best to take the mick out of my English accent. She failed miserably! However it turns out her friend she was travelling with was in fact a dentist so in the middle of a bar on a Saturday night in Copacabana I had my head tilted back whilst some kangaroo-riding/child-of-a-convict examined my dentures!

(19/12/10) I thought today I would see Copacabana in day light., It was the first Sunday of the Christmas holidays and the place was packed. And I mean packed. Hard to compare. I couldn’t actually walk to the water! I took a leisurely stroll along the 4km stretch of Copacabana beach and then did the same along Ipanema and neighbouring Leblon. The skies were clear and it was on the hot side.. I would stop pretty often to sit in the shade and drink a coconut. Later that evening I went to rave in the favelas with the Kiwi’s. We paid for a door-to-door minibus and entry which is just as well as the place took ages to get to. It was as mad as expected. The rave was in a warehouse and the booze was cheap. The barman would charge different amounts for booze each time I went up there. Literally think he just made it up. The place was packed to the rafters and nearly all locals except about 20 gringos such as myself. The locals were as ever very friendly and not at one point was there any trouble. A local guy was showing us a dance which was not to different to the Macarena. Great night out!

(20/12/10) Good lord. Today was such a write-off. I didn’t leave the hostel until 5pm to get some food. Panic was a foot as Heathrow had now been closed for the 4th day and my flight home was tomorrow. I was getting rather worried. Other than getting some sushi that night I really didn’t do too much other than lay down with a hangover. Was my last full day in Brazil but I have seen everything I wanted to in Rio.

(21/12/10) Flight is going ahead!! Wahoo!. I’m very lucky as many have been cancelled. I didn’t want to venture too much so took a stroll to Leblon and back along the beach for the very last time. Again it was amazing weather and I think the first time I could look up to see the Christ Redeemer statue looking down on the city.. To be sure I headed early to the airport where I fly back to London via Sao Paulo.

Well, that’s it folks. Three weeks in Brazil. No where near enough time for such a big country. I must say I have enjoyed myself immensely. It is a fine old country and I certainly recommend it. I really only did a snippet but felt like I did a good cross-section of cities/islands/towns/beaches/natural sights. What really surprised me was the people. I said a phrase the other night which people agreed with so I am having this: “If they ain’t mugging you, they’re loving you”.. Quite proud of that. But its true. Only once did I slightly feel threatened and that turned out to be a little dog chasing me! The locals are really friendly and smiley and always seem happy to help. They also love a party. Of all the countries I’ve been to, not many locals mix in with travellers but here they do, and then some! It’s a beautiful place and I like to think I will comeback as there’s so much more to see.

Thanks for reading.

---

Photos

View from the top
Sao Paulo is HUGE!