Brazil's Biggest City

We were off the boat for 8am, leaving behind the comfortable surroundings and the convenience of having everything done for you. Outside the cruise terminal was a melee of taxi drivers wanting to take you to the airport, but we had been told to use Uber instead. We soon saw why, the one quote we were given was 150 Reals, Uber with the top tip, was 30 Reals.

I'd booked a lot of the flights for this trip more than 6 months ago and periodically would get notifications of changes, usually times but sometimes airports. Our flight had changed to the smaller domestic airport in Rio, however, what I hadn't noticed was the destination airport, within Sao Paolo had also changed. So the taxi that was picking us up was waiting at the wrong airport. You live and learn, need to pay closer attention, you're not on the boat now.

The first impression driving from the airport was of how many high rise buildings there were. Though with a population of nearly 12 million, you do have to put them somewhere. It also didn't feel as hot as Rio, though it was still in the early 30 degrees.

Once we'd sorted our rooms out we went for a stroll on the nearby Paulista Avenue. Think Oxford St but with 6 traffic lanes. However, on Sundays traffic is banned between 8am and 4pm and it is taken over by pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, along with bands, dancers and street vendors. It was a great environment for a leisurely walk, having a beer and something to eat. Which is precisely what we spent the afternoon doing.Read more