Day 1
We arrived at São Paulo bus terminal at 5am tired after only 5 hours sleep on the coach. To be fair the coaches are so comfortable and you can lean back really far. Normally I sleep well but this time I was sat next to a woman who felt the need to get up and take a look at each stop, consequently waking me up each time. Also some nutter speaking to herself whilst everyone was trying to sleep! The bus terminal is massive. I suppose it needed for such a massive city. We jumped in a taxi not wanting to walk around the unknown at 5am. Our hostel was behind a a secure gate and a perfectly speaking Brazilian guy let us in. Our room wasn't ready yet, however he took the time to show us around the large hostel giving is the full tour. He let us chill in the 'social room' until our room was ready. I went straight for the sofa and continued to snooze until around 7am when breakfast was served. Josh and I weren't sure if we were allowed but helped ourselves to some breakfast. The cake was AMAZING, I took two slices it was so good. We chilled in the 'social room' for a good few hours till our 4 bed dorm was ready. Josh mumbled something about the Liverpool vs Chelsea game which was apparently a really important game and that he was going to speak to the receptionist. He came back with a map leading to a pub which showed the game obviously hoping I'd agree. Of course I did and we started the 20 minute walk to get to the pub O'Malley's. I can't help but point out that out of 3 locations so far 2 have started football related! Not that I mind, my dad had two girls until I was 10 when my little brother was born so I grew up playing FIFA and supporting Birmingham city. We walked through a beautiful part of São Paulo, the shopping district! So there's my pay back later :) Eventually we made our way to O'Malley's and we're greeted by a group of Liverpool fans who quickly checked who we support before allowing us to sit with them. We grabbed some kind of ale and watched the game. The game ended as a last minute draw which kept josh in high spirits. We stayed after the game and had a beer with two men who work in São Paulo, Matt and Steven from Liverpool and Ireland . It was interesting to hear their stories and encounters in São Paulo. Feeling a bit tipsy we decided to take a walk to the shopping district on a famous street called Oscar Freire. We came across a massive Havaianas shop and I decided to buy some flip flops as memorabilia. What better place to buy them then in Brazil!
The two guys from the pub had told us about the sky bar where you can get the best view of the São Paulo skyline. We started to walk there but as I was desperate for a wee hopped in a taxi. It was sooo posh! It's a boat like shape so the whole building which is also a hotel really stands out. A man greeted us out of the taxi and escorted us to the lift. Josh and I actually questioned if we would be allowed in with our flip flops and casual clothes. We got to the top and walked through a posh restaurant to the terrace. The view was perfect, you could see really far out to the city and the skyline. Josh ordered two drinks which came to the equivalent of £13. A beer for him and a dirty martini for me, not bad really considering the view we had! We spent a while taking in our surrounding, even glimpsing at the expensive menu imagining what we would order if we weren't on a travellers budget. We made our way to back to our hostel to decide our next move. We were greeted by the other two people in our dorm Abdul and Fatima who were really lively and helpful. They'd been in São Paulo a few days so we got good advise, they'd also booked their next coach to Foz do Iguacu. Our lovely helpful receptionist Vanessa had booked it for them so I went to enquire. She kindly booked the 14 hour journey from São Paulo to Foz do Iguacu at 6.30pm, which only cost for both of us £65 and was over night so cut out the cost of a hostel. This time I was sat next to Josh so hopefully would get a better night sleep! We started planning and choosing our hostel before finally falling asleep, both tired from the lack of sleep the night before
Day 2
I woke up bright up and early feeling fresh from a good nights sleep. Dad was in São Paulo so I spoke to him via whatsapp for a bit sending our locations. 13 miles away was the closest he ever got. Although with his hectic schedule I wouldn't get to see him it was nice to know another of the Pendleton's was nearby :) I got up at 7am and showered before josh even had chance to open his eyes. When Josh woke we walked down and had breakfast (2 slices of a different amazing cake) then started to plan where to explore on our final day in São Paulo. Fatima had mentioned about how great the graffiti was here so we decided to go see some of the best down 'graffiti alley'. It was pretty cool and very colourful! A lot of talented artists had made their mark. It's a shame that some idiots had decided to tag their names all over the masterpieces, however the graffiti was still pretty epic. We also walked past a grave yard, the graves were massive with statues and just really over the top. I can only presume it is where the rich are buried in São Paulo. We then decided to explore some more of the famous avenues including Oscar Freire again, Paulista and Augusta. All were fascinating, ranging from shops to financial buildings and places to eat. We saw a Mc Donald's, craving something familiar we went in to eat. We definitely regretted it, there's so many good food stalls around. So we made a promise no Mc Donald's for the rest of the trip! After walking around São Paulo for what seemed like miles we made our way back to the hostel to collect our back packs for the 6.30pm coach journey. Vanessa the receptionist ordered us a taxi and gave us both a massive hug goodbye. She'd took a really liking to us, especially Josh! So that's São Paulo done and now it's time for the long overnight journey to the falls.
I can honestly say I have not felt threatened once in Rio or São Paulo. We heard so many stories, but I honestly feel its just keeping your wits about you. Avoiding dodgy areas and making safer decisions like taking a taxi in the dark early hours rather then getting the metro where you're exposed. I'm still waiting for someone to attempt to slash my 'slash proof bag'! I half hope someone tries just to get my money's worth. Touch wood we remain safe for the rest of the journey, I think it's important never to fully let your guard down!