After a hellish bus journey (I was sick - those of you who know me probably won´t be surprised - and we seemed to be travelling with the loudest and most unhygienic Brazilians), we spent our first day in Sao Paulo (and friday night) in the hostel, eating Mcdonald´s. Rock ´n´roll.
So our first proper day in Sao Paulo was spent exploring the city centre. Sky scrapers make up the whole of the city, and it´s easy to see why it is described as the New York of South America.
The centre was teeming with people - whole streets were packed full of saturday shoppers, enough to prevent any brave/foolish driver to get through. After stopping for (overpriced) lunch in a small square, we wandered down to the Mercado Municipial, a huge food market stocking every type of food you can imagine, and explored the various shops and streets that surrounded it.
On Sunday we headed to Liberdade, a Japanese neighbourhood (you know, when in Rome...) There was a market in the square, and it was chock full of people looking to pick up an oriental trinket. After a huge bowl of noodles from one of the food stalls, we walked around the lantern-lined streets, and somehow ended up on Avenida Paulista, a huge street, near the exclusive Jardins. Here we stopped for a Caipirinha before sitting down for a traditional (ahem) dinner of burgers and chips.
Monday was set aside for the football museum (I bet you can guess whose idea whis was), so we made the trek down to the stadium, only to find out that it is open every day of the week except mondays. Defeated, we headed to the Parque Ibirapuera, a huge park not far from our hostel, where we spent the rest of the day lying in the sun.
Tuesday: football museum take two. Not exactly being a fan of the sport (or any in particular), I didn´t think I´d really enjoy it, but it was actually pretty interesting - showing the cultural side of Brazil´s national treasure, as well as having some decent interactions.
All in all, I´ve enjoyed my time in Sao Paulo - there´s a lot to do, and there´s something for everyone. Even though negotiating this big city can prove difficult at time, getting lost can be half the fun, and this city is worth it.
So our first proper day in Sao Paulo was spent exploring the city centre. Sky scrapers make up the whole of the city, and it´s easy to see why it is described as the New York of South America.
The centre was teeming with people - whole streets were packed full of saturday shoppers, enough to prevent any brave/foolish driver to get through. After stopping for (overpriced) lunch in a small square, we wandered down to the Mercado Municipial, a huge food market stocking every type of food you can imagine, and explored the various shops and streets that surrounded it.
On Sunday we headed to Liberdade, a Japanese neighbourhood (you know, when in Rome...) There was a market in the square, and it was chock full of people looking to pick up an oriental trinket. After a huge bowl of noodles from one of the food stalls, we walked around the lantern-lined streets, and somehow ended up on Avenida Paulista, a huge street, near the exclusive Jardins. Here we stopped for a Caipirinha before sitting down for a traditional (ahem) dinner of burgers and chips.
Monday was set aside for the football museum (I bet you can guess whose idea whis was), so we made the trek down to the stadium, only to find out that it is open every day of the week except mondays. Defeated, we headed to the Parque Ibirapuera, a huge park not far from our hostel, where we spent the rest of the day lying in the sun.
Tuesday: football museum take two. Not exactly being a fan of the sport (or any in particular), I didn´t think I´d really enjoy it, but it was actually pretty interesting - showing the cultural side of Brazil´s national treasure, as well as having some decent interactions.
All in all, I´ve enjoyed my time in Sao Paulo - there´s a lot to do, and there´s something for everyone. Even though negotiating this big city can prove difficult at time, getting lost can be half the fun, and this city is worth it.
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