Day 43: Sao Paulo

After a heavy night, we scraped ourselves out of bed and with Eva and Daniel, got an Uber downtown to join the free walking tour. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day and I think I was still drunk. How and ever, we signed up for the tour (where we bumped into some fellow travelers we'd met in Tetris) and we met our guide, Rafa. He gave us a brief introduction to the historical and political history of Brazil before setting off. We were introduced to some of the impressive modern architecture of the city, as well of some of the less remarkable and less interesting colonial architecture. What I found fascinating about the place was the infrastructure - huge 8 carriage motorways that pass underneath major public spaces; and street art, as well as it's aggressive cousin graffiti, was everywhere. We walked around for the entire day, stopping periodically for drinks and snacks (more acaí) and we finished with a "Bauru" a kind of sandwich particular to Sampa, piled high with layers and layers of roast beef with heaps of grilled cheese oozing out of it. I gave in and shared one with Lynn (a decision I came to regret).

After the walking tour, we set Eva and Daniel free to see if we could capture some of the madness of Rua 25 de Março, a famous shopping street. However, by the time we found the place, everything was wrapping up. All that we saw were massive shops selling cheap, plastic crap and lots of street vendors screaming their lungs out. We decided to call it a day and head back. Besides it was starting to get dark.

Wanting to experience as much of Sampa daily life as possible we decided to get the subway. But, always trying to find the most efficient route, I suggested we walk to a station that would mean we could go direct without changing lines. It didn't look far, going by the map. The problem was, because of the hilly nature of the city and the non-linear street pattern of the old town, it was not that easy to orientate ourselves. We were walking about slowly, with our little guide map out, trying to figure out how to get to the subway station, when a young woman approached us and in broken English asked us where we were going. We tried to explain, and this is when I noticed a sense of urgency about her. Her partner came over then, a child in his arms and together they suggested firmly we get out of here. I then realised how stupid we'd been. Wandering around the dodgy part of town as it was getting dark, map out, two gormless looking, pasty white girls, alone and looking lost. We may as well had a neon flashing sign over our heads saying "ROB US!!!". We took the couples advise and swiftly made our way back to the nearest subway. Lesson learned.

A very straight forward and comfortable subway ride later and we arrived in Vila Magdalena, and walked the short (safe) distance back to our hostel. Thoroughly knackered at this point, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed for the night, but Lynn was desperate to find some samba music. So, after a little nap, we buddied up with one of our dorm mates and wandered down the town to find Bar do Baixos, as recommended by the bar staff.

It was Saturday night in Sampa and the atmosphere was electric. Every bar sparked with energy - people gathered on the streets outside, having a good time, music everywhere and booze flowing. And then we found the Bar do Baixos - no windows, no doors, just big openings onto the street were people had merged around the lively musicians. It was so alive! The music would penetrate your bones! But Lynn was in need of proper food... so we had to abandon the Samba, get food and head back. (Sadly on our return it was over - sound restrictions meant they had to stop playing music by midnight).

Back the direction we came from, we found a nice restaurant and sat out on the terrace. We had the sweetest waitress, who even though she spoke virtually no English, went to great lengths to communicate with us - a standard attitude I've found out here in Brazil! That delicious, gluten-y Bauru from earlier came back to haunt me (either that or the Jambu from the night before) and I couldn't get food from my fork into my mouth... The smell of it just made me gag. I had to politely sit there looking at this amazing dish of Brazilian barbecued meat sat in front of me while Lynn and our dorm mate wolfed down their delicious meals. Wrapped in a little box (on top, a kind note from the lovely waitress wishing that we enjoy our stay in Brazil), I took my dinner home with me. Lynn and the Argentinian girl from our dorm went hunting for more Samba. I had to call it a night...

Accommodation: Sampa Hostel
Weather: Warm in the sunshine, but overcast. Nice balmy evening for strolling about and sitting out.