São Paulo

First off, Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Allison and Lizzie's moms, and all the other moms out there! We love and appreciate you very much!

Last night, we learned that Vila Madalena was the "east village" of São Paulo. Venga was a delicious restaurant and we had an array of tapas such as baccala (salted cod), breads, croquetas, ham, fish, and cheese. We drank sangria and wine and caught up with my old friend, Eduardo.

After dinner, Eduardo suggested a bunch of bars and we said we wanted to do something locals would do. So where else would he take us? A samba bar! It was a hole in the wall that was super casual and had an awesome band. It was called "O Do Borogodo", which roughly means in sentiment, "bottom of the barrel". It definitely had the dive-y feel, but was awesome. We drank caipirinhas that were flavored strawberry, lime, and passion fruit and some local brews. You're also given a slip of paper when you walk in, where you're suppose to record all the drinks and have to cash out at the end. Very efficient!

They were several very good samba dancers and were very fun to watch - supposedly all the ladies want to dance with the good ones. Even the waiters get into the mix showing off their moves and one of the best dancers was wearing a Knicks / Carmelo Anthony t-shirt - go NY!

One of the best parts of the night was when a waiter delivered a note to Eduardo from a mysterious girl who asked if he was available! It felt a bit middle school, but supposedly this was common. It was incumbent upon Eduardo to write back (which he did using my back) and was about to give the slip of paper back to the waiter. The waiter then decided to do Eduardo a solid by telling him who it was. We all decided engaging in the back and forth was not necessary, but flattering nonetheless and courageous since Eduardo was with 3 girls!

Eduardo Explaining the Note

Eduardo Responding to the Note

Around 3 am we finally headed home after some sweaty samba dancing. Eduardo - many thanks for taking us out and showing us such a local, non-touristy experience. I will never forget it and will be forever grateful! You single-handedly made São Paulo worth it!

So today, we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, and headed to Ibirapuera Park which is considered the Central Park of São Paulo. There were runners, bikers, and families everywhere. We enjoyed the people watching and the pretty trees and lakes.

Ibirapuera Park

After our jaunt, we grabbed a cab and headed to Liberdade, known for being the Japanese neighborhood. There is a sizable Asian population in Brazil and especially in São Paulo. On Sunday mornings, there is a street fair where folks sell knick-knacks and street food. We walked around the neighborhood and ended up at Korea House. Allison pointed it out, but it was also listed in my guidebook as the best Korean BBQ joint. A bit of a hole in a wall, we found the bulgogi and bibimbap to be tasty. The naeng myun (cold noodles) needed more mustard and vinegar which they did not serve as extras which is typically served. Also, we had hoped that food ordering would be easier, but the waitresses did not speak Korean.

After our Korean lunch, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed a cab to the airport to head to the famous Iguaçu Falls - one of the top 3 waterfalls in the world. It is on the Argentina and Brazil border, and Paraguay is nearby as well. Our flight was booked on GOL - the low cost domestic airline which is also a Delta partner.

View of the São Paulo Sprawl from the Plane

Checking in and the security was very smooth and so was our flight. Our hotel, Del Rey is in the town of Foz de Iguaçu and was rated well on Tripadvisor. It also had rooms with 3 twin beds. However, our room ended up having 1 double and 2 twins. The staff were also super welcoming and with a Four Square check-in, you get a free caipirinha. For the win!

We ventured to the local churrascaria buffet called Bufalo Branco. The host gave us a 20% discount, even though the hotel said we would get 10%. C-A-L for the win, again! The salad and appetizer buffet was fresh and the barbecue of various meats that were doled out from skewers were also quite tasty and flavorful. We all wished Amanda was here to share in the buffet experience! My favorite, ironically, was roasted pineapple that had cinnamon and nutmeg. As my friend Mikey knows, Koreans do love pineapple!

After our long and filling meal, we headed back to the hotel to catch up on sleep, but also to rest for our big day at Iguaçu tomorrow. It's suppose to rain so we're not happy about that, but we hope it will be intermittent!

Brazil!

After the 2.5 hour delay, we finally landed in São Paulo. The flight was very smooth and since I was up before 5 am yesterday, I slept very soundly on the flight.

Coincidentally, a Korean Air flight landed about 10 minutes before our flight and we had to share the baggage claim belt. For the amount of people and the size of the airport, you would think they would have more belts and space. But alas, there wasn't. I also did my good deed for the day and helped a Korean mother with 3 carts of luggage, a stroller, and a toddler through customs.

After retrieving our bags, we found the pre-paid taxi service - Guarucoop and went to our hotel. We are staying at an Ibis Budget in Paulista which is a part of the Accor Hotels (includes Novotel and Sofitel). Finding triple occupancy hotels was actually difficult as it appears hotels have either a double bed or 2 twin beds. I had weighed staying at a nicer hotel and making one of us either sleep on the floor or sleep head to toe.

Instead, we have a double bed with a twin bunk bed. Allison took the bunk and the bathroom is split with a toilet room and the shower stall that faces right into a full length mirror. We have found the setup very humorous especially since there is a opening for your face on the shower door.

After some rest and some showers, we got on the subway which was 50 meters from our hotel and headed to Luz terminal. We wanted to see the Pinacoteca Museum which showcased the history of art in Brazil. The galleries were very open and sun-filled. My guidebook noted it was a "sunlit joy to be in" which it was. Also, today was free admission today, so we enjoyed the museum even more. For the win!

The museum is also in the Parque de Luz and by mid-afternoon, we were very hungry. So we ate in the museum restaurant that had outdoor seating surrounded by very tall palm trees, gazebos, and sculptures. There were various street performers and several very large cops that seemed to keep an eye on us.

Luz Terminal

We eventually left and walked through the Luz Train terminal that had old school charm and headed back to Paulista. Paulista is the business district with some shopping, so we strolled the streets and even popped into a church.

Paulista

We headed back to the hotel for a quick nap and are now heading out to dinner to meet my friend Eduardo at a tapas restaurant called Venga in Vila Madalena.

Eduardo went to Georgetown with me and actually we worked at the same company right out of college. Eduardo left a few years later, but we went through the training program together. I realized Eduardo lived in Brazil when he posted a pic on Facebook about a month ago.

Eduardo and I were in the same school - School of Foreign Service (SFS). We were the same major - Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA). And we were the same concentration - Business, Information, and Communication (BIC). Yup, I know - doesn't sound pretentious at all. ;-)

Can't wait to catch up and explore São Paulo with an old friend!