This are my reminiscence of my trip to Brazil. From 2/21 to 2/25 I will be in Sao Paolo trying to explore the city and from 2/25 to 2/29 will meet some friends in Rio de Janiero to have fun then from 2/29 to 3/2 will be in Foz do Iguazu to see one of the natural wonders of the world and then back to Rio de Janiero on 3/2 to get ready for my flight to Los Angeles on 3/3.
02/21/24 - I flew to Sao Paolo from Los Angeles via Avianca to lay over in San Salvador then another long lay over in Bogota then Sao Paolo. However my flight got delayed in Bogota for six hours, so instead of arriving at 1800 in Sao Paolo, I arrived on wee hours of 2/23 and I lost one day of my vacation because of the delayed lay over. It was quite a nuisance but what could I do?
Another mishap happened on my first day in Sao Paolo because my AirBnb tour guide canceled my tour of the city for the reason that I did not communicated with him when I arrived. He didn't know if I was in the city or not. Well, that's why I booked with a time because I needed to appear at the agreed time. But he ended up canceling the tour. So, I ended up touring myself that day.
I was quite tired that day because of the long trip but I don't want to spoil my day so I started late. I went to Liberdade which was supposed to be our meeting point and explored the Japanese town in that area then roamed around downtown area and found the cathedral where there's a lot of homeless people at the adjacent plaza. It was scary but I acted brave as I strolled the streets teeming with homeless people.
Walking deep inside the danger zone, I held my cool and just acted natural. Ambling with caution on the streets and appreciating the surroundings filled with graffiti and dirt. But there were some edifices that were also remarkable and well preserved. I weld to quickly snapped some pictures for my travel album.
Just like the Municipal Theater, which stood magnificently near downtown Sao Paolo. It was vintage yet stunning. I went inside to investigate and see the lobby, then they said that the tour inside is free and that I have to register online. I went to check online and I immediately schedule for the following day tour before noontime.
After the walk at the downtown, I headed to La Paulista Avenue where most of the modern buildings were found. The street was a kilometer long where you can see most of the hotels and telecommunication buildings. The street was just like in New York with some nice tall buildings and a lot of tourists on the streets enjoying to shop or eat at some of the restaurants.
Walking on the streets of Sao Paolo was a bit of fun and scary at the same time. There's that feeling that something might happen but there was none. I guess the impression that Sao Paolo was dangerous had made the experience more dreadful when in fact the threat of imminent danger was just around the corner. But there's always a win-lose situation when you take caution, but it is a win-win when there is nothing happened. It made the experience more amazing.
In the afternoon, I stayed at the hotel and tried to sort out some of my pictures as well as made plans for the adventures the following day.
02/22/24 - This day, I was quite timid and had woke up late. I left the hotel late at 10 AM and hired an Uber to drive me to Beco do Batman and when I arrived there I realized that I had an appointment at the Municipal Theater at 11AM so I just browsed the entrance of the alley and then called for another Uber to drive me to the theater.
When the driver dropped me at the downtown where the theater is located at 1050AM, I immediately told the driver to just drop me off at the corner near the theater and then I walked towards the building. I almost missed the tour but luckily I arrived there and the tour has not started yet.
When the tour started, the guide introduced himself and then we started the tour around the theater. The interior of the theater was very beautiful and scoured all the corners of it. When we were inside the theater, I was in awe of the inside and the stage and the canopies were awesome. I snapped a lot of pictures of the inside of the theater.
After the tour, I left the theater and decided to roam around the downtown. I roamed around the market side and decided to look for the number restaurant in Brazil in Avenida Republica known as "A Casa do Porco." I found the restaurant and had to register for the line. After I registered the rain started and I have to wait for like two hours before I got seated. But it's worth it because the food was delicious.
I ordered the tasting menu and it took me two hours there to finish the menu. The presentation were just amazing and the food were yummy. I took some pictures of the food, the menu, and also the interior of the restaurant for my video memory which I will post in my Facebook.
The rain had subsided, and my dinner had commenced. I then called for an Uber to drive me back at the hotel and then I called the day at that time.
02-23-24 - Today was the day of my photoshoot with Rodolfo, a photographer I hired from an AirBnb experience. I have to meet him at Avenida La Paulista where we will took most of the pictures. At 0900 AM I called for an Uber to drive me to Paulista because we will meet there at 0930AM. I arrived there early, so I waited for the team.
When it was about time to meet the photographer, his assistant named Thiago came first so we introduced ourselves together and then Rodolfo came after where we started the photoshoot after some brief introductions.
We took pictures all over the avenue for one-and-a-half hours and then we called it quits. We exchanged emails and whatsapp addresses so that we can keep communicating until all the pictures were sent. It was a successful photoshoot and hopefully all the pictures will be nice.
It was hot that day, so I decided to go back to the hotel and rest. I called some random people to meet and I have meet two people and had exchanged pleasantries with them. It was nice to meet some new friends over coffee and food. I gained some new friends and lose some bad ones in the past and this experience was just the same I guess. Hopefully, we get in touch again.
