Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pt 2

It seems like you can´t walk more than a couple of blocks in Sao Paulo before stumbling across another museum or art exhibition, no complaints here! Lots of amazing churches and architecture too, parts of the city are stunning when the sun begins to set.

My last few days were spent taking in culture, and drinking the admittedly bland but cheap Brazilian beer. The weather has been amazing, all days over 20 degrees, and sunny clear blue skies.

You would need months to see all the Sao Paulo has to offer, but I feel the urge to leave the largest city in the southern hemisphere to go somewhere smaller and closer to the beach...

More photos here

Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pt 1

Sao Paulo.... Many people I have met on my travels advised me to skip the city, saying it was nothing more than a sprawling concrete jungle. But I met enough people who said it was worth the stop, and as it is also described as the food and culture capital of Brazil I figured I needed to see for myself... And I´m very glad I did.

It is always nice to get off a long bus ride and know exactly how to get where you are going. Sampa has a subway metro right in the bus station, after a quick chat with the information office I was on my way. As with most of the hostels I have stayed at recently the rest of the occupants were sitting on their laptops, I picked the wrong hostel to meet people...

Luckily there is a staggering amount of stuff to see and do, first thing the next morning I set off to visit the $16,000,000 Brazilian football museum. Situated in the Estádio do Pacaembu, this massive museum is basically a shrine to Brazilian football and the evolution of the game, extremely impressive. After that I saw the Museu de Arte Brasileira and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. After a heavy shower during the early morning of arrival it was clear skies and sunshine for the rest of my time here.

The next day I walked to Ibirapuera Park, 2sqm of grass, lakes, bikepaths right in the middle of the city, also housing several museums and the planetarium. A beautiful day to be walking around, it seemed like much of the city joined me, there was a constant stream of cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders, not to mention families strolling through the park. Not what I had expected when I came to Sao Paulo.

Another thing I didn´t expect in Sao Paulo? To be roped into playing a game of cricket on a Sunday afternoon. Daniel (who I met in Montevideo), myself and some others formed team "Rest of the World" battle it out against team "India and Pakistan". Twenty-five overs an innings and I was 8th down the line to come into bat. It was a hot day, but I was sweating more than usual.....

My first innings scorecard?

Balls faced           Runs Scored           Out
       2                           0                    Stumped (after a huge airswing)

A duck! Not surprising, my time at the crease barely lasted a minute. It was a long, shameful walk back to the pavilion. With only 104 runs to our scorecard, we were quickly bested by the opposition who hit a 6 at least once an over. I dropped a hard catch, but saved a few boundaries. We still had some time left before dark so we played another quick 10 over innings.

My second innings scorecard?

Balls faced           Runs Scored           Out
       2                           1                    Caught (sending the ball up and behind after a miss-hit)

My bowling was slightly better. After sending the first two balls wide I managed to get the next six right down off-side, at a decent pace given my lack of practice and ability, for one run.
Again we lost to the much better team, but I drowned my sorrows in cheap Brazilian beer, and semi-officially retired with a batter average of 0.5.

More photos here

Curitiba, Brazil

From Florianopolis I took a bus north and stopped in the city of Curitiba. I took a train ride through the mountain ranges down to the small historic city of Morettes, wandered the Curitiba city streets, and visited the amazing Oscar Niemeyer art exhibition / museum. A pretty relaxed few days, preparing for the trip to the monstrous city of Sao Paolo...

More photos here

Florianopolis, Brazil

So far, so good Brazil...

After a great sleep I awoke to gorgeous sunny blue skies a made my way up to the deck for breakfast. I was greeted with a fresh omelet, a massive thermos of sweet hot coffee and a huge platter of fresh fruit - apples, bananas, mandarins, oranges, kaki - all fresh and delicious! Being the only person at the hostel has its advantages, and I made short work of the meal.

On Saturday I was treated to a traditional Brazilian meal called Feijoada, prepared by the wife (an amazing cook who prepared breakfast every day) of the caretaker. I was full after my first plate, but surrendered to seconds and thirds due to the constant cries of ´como mas´ (Eat more!). They speak no English, and I no Portuguese so most of my conversations consist of smiling and ´Si!´, we make do.

Although I had spent a few days at the beach in northern Uruguay, it had nothing on where I am staying The hostel overlooks a (crystal clear) canal , and is only a short walk over the bridge to a long stretch of deserted beach. A short bus ride away are more great beaches, some picking up pretty sizable swells.

Again, it is low season and it would be a completely different experience during summer, but I am really enjoying the relaxed, beach-town atmosphere of the place.

Local fisherman spend their mornings playing dominoes on the tables the line the canal, and spend their evenings cast-netting and fishing on the rock walls and beaches. Not a bad life....

The days are amazing when the sun is out, but when the weather turns for the worse it quickly becomes clear that there is little to do otherwise, even less when you are travelling by yourself... Time to head north again.

More photos here

Getting to Brazil

My intention was to catch a bus from Punta del Diablo (Uruguay) to Florianopolis (Brazil). As part of my Brazil visa requirement this ticket was purchased in Montevideo the week before. Due to the fact that Punta del Diablo is a small coastal town, the bus does not make the detour into the town so I was to wait by the highway to be picked up.

Already long past dusk I took a taxi out to the highway and proceeded to wait by the side of the road for the 7:30 PM bus. 

Finally, at 8:00 PM I saw my bus approach. Relieved to be getting out of the cold wind and to be continuing my travel north, I stepped out onto the outer lane with arm and ticket raised to flag it down.....and it kept on going.....

In disbelief I ran out on the road behind it, frantically yelling and waving, but to no avail. As it vanished around the curve of the road I stood stunned by the side of the road, contemplating my next move.

I waited for another 30 minutes on the slight chance I was mistaken and another bus would be along. I soon gave up on this fantasy, remembering when I bought the ticket I was told that particular bas company only made the trip once a week...

Dejected and angry I made the 10km walk back to the township, failing to flag down the small number of cars that passed in an attempt to hitchhike back. It was a long, dark and dusty walk back to the hostel I had left two and a half hours ago...

Back at the hostel I hastily made a plan to keep me going. There was a bus to Chui (a very small town on the border of Uruguay) in 5 minutes, after quickly buying some US dollars from the hostel owner (I had spent all my Uruguayan money in the belief I would not be back) and made it to the bus with minutes to spare. 

I arrived to Chui at 10:30 PM, and wandered the dark and empty streets until I found the seemingly abandoned bus station. After 10 minutes a light came on and an employee appeared, I was told a bus into Porto Alegre, Brazil, would arrive in 10 minutes. They would not accept payment in US dollars, and had no EFTPOS / credit card facilities so I hurriedly rushed to get my cash changed. This was done by a dodgy looking guy loitering on the street outside the local casino, but it was done without any problems.

I made it back to the bus station without any knives being pulled on me, and with relief I boarded the bus. After the hassle I had of getting my Brazil visa, the border crossing went without a hitch. After a mostly sleepless bus ride I arrived to  Porto Alegre  at 7:00 AM, and bought the onward ticket to Florianopolis.

I tried without success to get my original ticket refunded, but if my Spanish was very poor my Portuguese was beyond abysmal!

At 9:30 AM I boarded the bus to Florianopolis, glad that I had not lost too much time but annoyed at the needless waste of money... The bus ride was long but uneventful, and I finally arrived in Florianopolis at 8:00 PM. Not the best time to be hunting down a hostel (which I had booked but the address was vague), I caught two more local buses and finally arrived in Ilha de Santa Catarina....

Brazil, you better be worth it!

Punta del Diablo, Uruguay

Now this is more like it! Small beach town, one paved road, no high-rises to be seen! And miles and miles of unspoilt and deserted beaches!

Great days spent swimming in the cold but invigorating Atlantic ocean, followed by hours lying in the sun or reading in the hostel´s hammock.

I also walked along the long stretches of beach to the adjacent national park, checking out the Santa Teresa fort, the greenhouses (complete with Spanish speaking parrots) and local surf spots. The water was pretty cold but refreshing, unfortunately the wind came up the last few days which put and end to that.

It is a charming little place, very relaxed and a great way to finish my final leg of Uruguay.

More photos here

Punta del Este, Uruguay

After a lot of running about I finally obtained my Brazilian visa and continued along the Uruguayan coast to Punta del Este. It is very much like the worst of the Gold Coast (concrete sprawl and high-rises everywhere) but with even less charm and worse beaches. It didn´t help that the people at the hostel I stayed at sat on their laptops all day watching movies. During peak season the town fills up with rich Argentinians and Uruguayans but it was a ghost town during the days I was there.

I couldn't leave fast enough....

Some photos here

Montevideo, Uruguay

I arrived to Montevideo on their version of Labor Day, and was greeted with empty streets and closed shops. After checking in to my hostel I decided to walk to the beach, after a few blocks I was approached by a teenage kid muttering spanish. No thinking he was talking to me I kept walking when suddenly he takes out a huge carving knife and proceeds lunge at me! I bolted! I wasn't sure if he was planning to rob me or just wanted to scare me and show off to his friends nearby, but I didn´t stick around to find out!

Two streets away I met with some other people at the hostel and continued to the beach by a different route, feeling lucky that I got away without losing anything...

Not the best introduction to the city...

Montevideo has a lot of interesting museums and art exhibitions, mainly in wonderful old buildings, so I spent the rest of my days checking them out and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.

I took in a domestic football match between Penarol and River Plate (1-0) at the Estadio Centenario, a FIFA classic world stadium and the site of the first football world cup in 1930 (which Uruguay also won). It also has a great football museum showcasing the countries footballing history and a chance to walk around the deserted stadium.

I didn't sort out my visa for Brazil earlier, so I'm staying longer than I originally anticipated while that gets sorted out. It will give me a chance to relax and take care of some business before the next leg of my trip...

More photos here

Colonia, Uruguay

I caught the ferry from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plate and arrived in sunny Colonia del Sacremento, Uruguay. A very small but charming town, I spent the afternoon wandering around the UNESCO listed historic area where the remains of the Portugese and Spanish occupation can be found.

After leaving the cobblestone streets I walked along the beach front to view an old bull fighting ring and was treated to a gorgeous sunset on my return.

More photos here