São Paulo

When we first arrived in Brazil we took day trip was to Sao Paulo. We liked it so much we stayed there again at the end of the trip. Here's a few quick facts:
*The city is the largest in Brazil and first in South America by population.
*Sao Paulo itself has a population of 10,886,518
*Greater São Paulo, which includes adjacent municipalities, has a population close to 20 million, making it the third largest in the Americas, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.
*People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos.
*São Paulo is the most ethnically diverse city in Brazil


The first time we went, we took a converted VW bus with about 23 other people on it (seriously--I counted) That was ridiculous, so the second time--we took a spacious bus. Here is me relaxing in my very own seat that I didn't have to share with anyone:


I quickly sniffed out a corn vendor--not as good as Mexican corn, but I love street food, and the corn was good. Here's Tavo trying to steal my corn:


You want my corn? I think not.


Can't stop eating corn long enough to take this photo:


Beautiful architecture all around--these were facades, actually.




And then we stumbled upon a ton of people...Let's go down there!

It was a market that extended for almost a mile

We met a group of kids who were playing music and singing--and they wanted us to join them. So we did--we didn't get any pictures, though. But we drank beer, sang, and spoke pidgin Portuguese with them for a good 30 minutes!

Below is another pic, just to give you an idea of how crowded it was:


After spending a few hours doing that, time to relax with a beer and our journal

in our favorite park...



Just so you know--this is the grossest bathroom in all of Sao Paulo:

by the park

Tavo met some skaters and took a turn with their board

Take the train back to where we catch our bus. Public transportation everywhere we visited in Brazil was phenomenal. In fact, we only took a taxi once--back to the airport. Otherwise the buses and trains were extremely user friendly and quick.


And secure!