So! Week 13 y'all! What what! This week we left Floripa for six days to have an amazing adventure in Sao Paulo and then Assis!
I stayed over at Zuz' house so we could get a half six in the morning taxi to Floripa airport. The last time I was at the airport, I was panicing like mad. I was in a new country with no contacts and no idea of my destination.
Now? Well we were going passed road signs and I could place them in my head, I knew which way was south and which way lead to the centre. I felt so much more confident and kind of like a local. It felt good :)
Being from England I was of course prepared for Stansted & Heathrow heavy duty airport security, so when I didn't have to declare liquids and was allowed to take my two pieces of luggage (bottom left and bottom right bags in picture), I was rather taken aback. We got our 8am flight and had arrived in Sampa (the local nickname for Sao Paulo) by 9am. Exciting times!
Transport:
SP has it's own metro, and if I'm honest if it had more lines, it could probably rival London's. On the other hand, although the SP airport has nothing on the international space station look of Rio's airport, it is still nonetheless not exactly an appealing building and the most uninspiring building to be in.
We took a 40 minute bus ride (R$4.40) from the Guarulhos terminal to Metro Tatuapé (the nearest metro station), where we then bought a Cartao Fidelidade. At the station you can either buy a single or return "viagem" or you can buy one of these Cartaos. It's three reais each way (£1) and you can buy either 8, 20 or 50 viagens for the Cartao. We bought eight and we paid R$24 (£6) - see the picture below for the Cartao. You use them like Oyster cards on the London Underground; eight "viagens" was all we needed for three days :)
I stayed over at Zuz' house so we could get a half six in the morning taxi to Floripa airport. The last time I was at the airport, I was panicing like mad. I was in a new country with no contacts and no idea of my destination.
Now? Well we were going passed road signs and I could place them in my head, I knew which way was south and which way lead to the centre. I felt so much more confident and kind of like a local. It felt good :)
Being from England I was of course prepared for Stansted & Heathrow heavy duty airport security, so when I didn't have to declare liquids and was allowed to take my two pieces of luggage (bottom left and bottom right bags in picture), I was rather taken aback. We got our 8am flight and had arrived in Sampa (the local nickname for Sao Paulo) by 9am. Exciting times!
Transport:
SP has it's own metro, and if I'm honest if it had more lines, it could probably rival London's. On the other hand, although the SP airport has nothing on the international space station look of Rio's airport, it is still nonetheless not exactly an appealing building and the most uninspiring building to be in.
We took a 40 minute bus ride (R$4.40) from the Guarulhos terminal to Metro Tatuapé (the nearest metro station), where we then bought a Cartao Fidelidade. At the station you can either buy a single or return "viagem" or you can buy one of these Cartaos. It's three reais each way (£1) and you can buy either 8, 20 or 50 viagens for the Cartao. We bought eight and we paid R$24 (£6) - see the picture below for the Cartao. You use them like Oyster cards on the London Underground; eight "viagens" was all we needed for three days :)
Our Accommodation:
We took the Metro to our closest stop: Sao Bento and had a confusing time trying to get there. But eventually we did and it turned out we couldn't have asked for a more perfect location! Our hostess lived in a cute and cosy apartment along the "Viaducto" from the station, less than five minute walk. Her apartment was incredible! Really artsy and welcoming. She had a curious (this is an understatement) cat called Betinha ("beh-teen-yah") which would probably translate to Betty. The cat was more like a dog/teddy bear because it would be all in your face when you sat down and then nip you if you stroked it for too long. I of course couldn't help but fall in love! We made a cat trap by placing my empty rucksack in a corner and waiting for her to get in it. It didn't take long, and it worked twice!
Our hostess' mum let us in the apartment just before midday and we gratefully put our bags down and made tea/coffee. I won't lie, I did actually get some ideas in case I ever went for a similar lifestyle in the future.
The plan!
We then suited and rebooted and headed back out. We decided to take it easy that afternoon, having just arrived and not really knowing our bearings. So, we hopped on the metro and off to Avenida Paulista - one of the most popular streets in SP.
Avenida Paulista:
Avenida Paulista is known for it's skyscrapers and it was incredible how high some of them were. It took the best part of the afternoon to walk the street - it is actually that long - and we then headed back. Not before however we had met - would you have guessed it - the Big Issue lady of Brazil! :O This isn't even a name we gave her, there is apparently a Brazilian Big Issue equivalent!! It's called "Ocas"... As soon as the poor (pffttt) woman mentioned "Big Issue" I very much lost interest, sorry lady!
We met her outside a museum on A.Paulista where there were a lot of police on the other side. According the Big Issue lady there are riots on that road every day after 6pm. That day was "Dia dos Profesores" (Teachers Day), but what the teachers were protesting against I will never know. It seemed quite a big deal though because we saw news cast helicopters flying towards it later on in the evening.
Back at Sao Bento!
We took a small detour home and ventured into the Sao Bento Church. Now, I don't actually follow any religion or believe in any faith, but I'm like my mum in that churches and cathedrals are a must see when travelling abroad, so I was curious. Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures once inside.
This church to me seemed rather a more welcoming church than others I've seen in Latin America (ie. Peru). It was more inviting and seemed less dramatic and sinister of it's image of Christ. I remember going to a nunnery in Arequipa, Peru and the portrayals were horrific, all blood and gore; it was rather terrifying. Here however, it seemed more about honouring Christ in a positive way, re-instilling the belief in people - as he was on the cross behind the altar - and it felt a more peaceful a place.
I like to meditate for five minutes when I go to a church because it is a place of absolute (most of the time) silence, and here I felt very peaceful and I finally felt like I had set foot in SP. Often we don't stop to really take in our present situation, and this is what I like when I travel. Finding a place to just sit and feel like you've actually arrived, so it doesn't feel like someone else' visit when you leave.
We then tried to find a supermarket and then headed back to the apartment. I had passed out by 11pm, when our hostess Vivi walked in. Tired much? I think perhaps so...
An amazing first day!
We took the Metro to our closest stop: Sao Bento and had a confusing time trying to get there. But eventually we did and it turned out we couldn't have asked for a more perfect location! Our hostess lived in a cute and cosy apartment along the "Viaducto" from the station, less than five minute walk. Her apartment was incredible! Really artsy and welcoming. She had a curious (this is an understatement) cat called Betinha ("beh-teen-yah") which would probably translate to Betty. The cat was more like a dog/teddy bear because it would be all in your face when you sat down and then nip you if you stroked it for too long. I of course couldn't help but fall in love! We made a cat trap by placing my empty rucksack in a corner and waiting for her to get in it. It didn't take long, and it worked twice!
Our hostess' mum let us in the apartment just before midday and we gratefully put our bags down and made tea/coffee. I won't lie, I did actually get some ideas in case I ever went for a similar lifestyle in the future.
The plan!
We then suited and rebooted and headed back out. We decided to take it easy that afternoon, having just arrived and not really knowing our bearings. So, we hopped on the metro and off to Avenida Paulista - one of the most popular streets in SP.
Avenida Paulista:
Avenida Paulista is known for it's skyscrapers and it was incredible how high some of them were. It took the best part of the afternoon to walk the street - it is actually that long - and we then headed back. Not before however we had met - would you have guessed it - the Big Issue lady of Brazil! :O This isn't even a name we gave her, there is apparently a Brazilian Big Issue equivalent!! It's called "Ocas"... As soon as the poor (pffttt) woman mentioned "Big Issue" I very much lost interest, sorry lady!
We met her outside a museum on A.Paulista where there were a lot of police on the other side. According the Big Issue lady there are riots on that road every day after 6pm. That day was "Dia dos Profesores" (Teachers Day), but what the teachers were protesting against I will never know. It seemed quite a big deal though because we saw news cast helicopters flying towards it later on in the evening.
Back at Sao Bento!
We took a small detour home and ventured into the Sao Bento Church. Now, I don't actually follow any religion or believe in any faith, but I'm like my mum in that churches and cathedrals are a must see when travelling abroad, so I was curious. Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures once inside.
This church to me seemed rather a more welcoming church than others I've seen in Latin America (ie. Peru). It was more inviting and seemed less dramatic and sinister of it's image of Christ. I remember going to a nunnery in Arequipa, Peru and the portrayals were horrific, all blood and gore; it was rather terrifying. Here however, it seemed more about honouring Christ in a positive way, re-instilling the belief in people - as he was on the cross behind the altar - and it felt a more peaceful a place.
I like to meditate for five minutes when I go to a church because it is a place of absolute (most of the time) silence, and here I felt very peaceful and I finally felt like I had set foot in SP. Often we don't stop to really take in our present situation, and this is what I like when I travel. Finding a place to just sit and feel like you've actually arrived, so it doesn't feel like someone else' visit when you leave.
We then tried to find a supermarket and then headed back to the apartment. I had passed out by 11pm, when our hostess Vivi walked in. Tired much? I think perhaps so...
An amazing first day!