After landing in Sao Paulo on a Saturday afternoon, I was soaking in the sights of the 2 hour commute by car to the suburbs while catching up with my Grand Uncle. I succumbed to sleep for a few hours in the late afternoon to rejuvenate from all the excitement and travel. It rained in the evening and it reminded me about the Indian monsoon that I hadn't witnessed in a decade.
Day 1:
I went swimming in a outdoor pool associated with a leisure club and went to a nearby mall to have espresso with a cheese bun and to purchase a sim card from Claro, a company like Bell, Rogers etc. The espresso I had in a subway cafe was the best I ever tasted.
Day 2:
I saw the Centre via the Subway, Uber or foot. The Railway Station , The Mercado - Municipal Market, Catedral da Se de Sao Paulo (St Paul's Cathedral). Lunch was at Brasilrinho Restaurant where I ate a dish of kidney beans.
Day 3:
I walked along the Paulista Ave .This avenue is like the 5th Avenue of New Yok and the Yonge St .of Toronto . I spent time appreciating art at Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo ( MASP), Museum of Art. It was a special and free exhibition that was discovered by serendipity. Before heading to the upscale Iguatemi Mall with designer brands, we ate Acaraje - main course bun made of lentils ( See feature picture in the food slideshow a few lines below).
Day 4 -7 : Rio de Janiero ( details in different article)
Day 8-10: Iguazu Falls ( details in different article)
Day 11-14: Florianopolis, Island Beach Town ( details in different article)
Day 15
A different museum that I wanted to see was closed. My diary notes do not offer any clues. I indulged in espresso instead. I looked in awe at the "Gazette" building. In the night I spent time with family at the Churasscaria. Non vegetarians will love this. Every couple of minutes, staff will come and offer shaved pieces of different kinds of meat. I didn't realize I had a steak rare and I kept chewing on it for 5 minutes.
We took a family picture but I did not want to embarrass anybody by taking pictures of the food. It is something to be experienced, not photographed. Below is a slideshow of all the food I ate in Sao Paulo.
Day 16
Ibirapuera park had the green space that I wanted to see, quite like the Central Park of New Yok. Museum of Modern Art had innovative art pieces. The museum from Day 1 had more traditional paintings. Lunch was Middle Eastern food from Brasserie Victoria. Batman's Alley had lot of wall graffiti. Keep clicking the picture to see the slideshow. I picked only a few out of the many.
Day 17 - Last day
It rained the whole day but I started to find myself tired after the experience at Florianopolis. I was feeling a bit sad that the trip was close to an end. I was looking forward to familiar surroundings. The return flight was in the night and the evening rush hour traffic on a Wednesday was so bad that it took a little more than 2 hours to reach the airport. I got a good workout running around with my luggage. The check-in counter for Air Canada was getting ready to close ,but I made it back to Canada with the memories permanently etched in my mind.
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