Sao Paulo - Bom Dia Brasil

Technically, I was already in Brazil at the Iguazu Falls, but it didn't feel like Brazil back then. Now that I have made it to Sao Paulo - Brazil's biggest city - I really am in the last country of my travels.

Before coming here, people told me that there is not really much to do and that it is a city that probably is better to live in than visit. But since my plan was to head from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro over the next few weeks, I was here anyway and might as well check out the metropolis.

Upon arriving, I chilled by the hostel pool before making new travel friends during happy hour at the hostel and, since it was a Friday, went out to a Reggaeton club at night, where we danced the night away.

The next day, it was time to explore the city with a street art tour through the neighbourhood of Pinheiros, which is within walking distance to our hostel. Normally, I am not the biggest fan of street art, but this tour was very interesting as it included a short brief about the history of Brazil, Sao Paulo and how Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are in a constant friendly battle about which city is better (I cannot see Sao Paulo getting even close to winning that contest to be honest). It was an interesting tour and the main highlight came at the end when we entered Batman Alley, which is, well, an Alley with lots of really cool art - some of it Batman-inspired

In the afternoon, we chilled again by the pool, before having a delicious Japanese dinner (big Japanese population in SP), coming back to the hostel for happy hour and then going out for some live music/party on the streets and checking out the Batman Alley again at night.

The following day, I joined a walking tour through the city and historic centre. I am sorry to say, but the city is not beautiful at all - sometimes even ugly. The historic centre was a bit better, but yeah, I could see why people said that skipping Sao Paulo is not a loss. Shame.

On my last day in Sao Paulo, a few of us went to the Sunday market in the Japanese quarter for some lunch (Brazilian and Japanese) and to check out a small local market. Leaving the area, we were heading to the main street of the entire city, Paulisa, as it is closed for traffic on Sundays. It was cool to just walk along the street, seeing little street parties with different kinds of music happening everywhere, people dancing, drinking, eating, running, and just enjoying a nice day in the centre of the city. We stopped at a few street parties and joined in, while buying drinks and food at the various street vendors.

Even though I cannot really recommend anyone to go to Sao Paulo, I had a great time there, probably because the people I met (Brazilians and non-Brazilians) were super fun to hang out, to party and to just spend time with and learn about their cultures, new places to explore, etc. I was happy that I took the time to check out the city.

With that, it was time to say goodbye to most of them as I was heading to my next destination - the colonial town of Paraty.Read more