About good and bad taste in houses

I think that architecture is one the arts that influences us the most, since we are surrounded by it and we actually live in it. I´ve always criticised Sao Paulo for being a very ugly city, with few trees and lots of pollution, but Ive noticed that not everyone lives in factory-like buildings like the one above.

There are very few but nice Little middle class houses to be seen, among the clutter or hydro wires that abound in the city. You could argue that its an inevitable consequence of big industrialised cities, but I have to say that if you visit Mexico city for example, that is way bigger that Sao Paulo, you will find whole neighbourhoods filled with nice colonial houses, and even the poorest ones are painted in nice colours.

Sao Paulo´s public transit system

As I mentioned before, when in Sao paulo y stay in the Serra da Cantareira area to avoid the asphyxiating mega city of Sao Paulo, nevertheless I always have to go there at least once. This time I tried the public transport, using the subway and bus system.

I have to say that I´m a big fan of the subway when in a big city, unless you are in the historical part of Rome or Paris, in which case I rather walk. But in any other huge city, the best way to avoid endless traffic jams is to move by subway.

To make it to the subway I had to take these huge accordion buses, that they now use in Sao Paulo. First surprise was the cost. Being used to very cheap bus fares in South America, the bus fare was R3.50, that is 1.20 US which is´nt outrageous, but then there is no transfer, so when I got to the subway I had to pay again, so in the end it cost me the same as in Toronto or New York, the quality of the buses and subway being more or less the same.
Then the bus part was fast when it moved on the exclusive bus lane, but afterwards it got into some endless windy roads that made a 10 click ride into more than an hour long.
People in Brazil are very friendly too and are very helpful when you loose your bearings.

From Montevideo to sao Paulo ... - Rafting at Brotas Sao Paulo state

"50 clicks  N.E from the mega city of Sao Paulo, Brazil is a small colonial town called Brotas, where people normally go to visit its beautiful colonial palaces, remnant of a by gone era of a coffee plantation elite, but also to do water sports at the Jacaré Pepirá River, that runs very close to the town,



One of the fun things to do is "Water rafting" , provided you gather a large enough group to fill a raft. I went with the "Vaca Nautica° operators, right in downtown Brotas. We did 15km stretch an hour and a half. i was very satisfied with the cost benefit, being about 30 bucks a person all inclusive, that is gear ,transportation and even a post trip snack.

Rua Santa Ifigenia, the gadget paradise of Sao Paulo

As I continued to roam the commercial area of downtown Sao paulo, I arrived at my destination, which was the Rua Santa Ifigenia a place that you must and will know if you want to buy something related with computers,audio,electricity or whatever you need, they will always send you to Santa Ifigenia.



Besides there being very colourfully painted shops in a city that primes for its grey buildings, you will find all types of Chinese knock off gadgets or legit parts for any electronic or electrical device.

Praça da República

The Praça da República is located smack downtown Sao Paulo and has a Metro station (subway) located on, and named after it. During the business week, it can be a spooky experience to visit, but on Sundays you will find that the city and the park itself wind down to a more human pace.

On its premises you will find an assorted variety of kiosks that sell all types of souvenirs like fancy rocks and beautiful birds carved in stone. Also some really nice paintings sold by the very people that created them.

Considering the high cost of living in Sao Paulo, the prices are not that bad, and you can buy very descent paintings for under 50 bucks.

O Orelhão

I´m amazed at how some people can be colourful (in a good sense) without effort. In more boring places you would need to hire a model an set up props to get a scene like this. Cheers to Brazilian originality.
By the way, these ubiquitous phone booths in Sao Paulo are called Orelhao, which translates roughly to Big ear.

Chilling with green coconut water

Over my many trips to Brazil and other tropical countries I have come to appreciate the benefits of fresh, cold green coconut water, served at many roadside barracks all over the country, in some cases the vendors will knock off the top of the coconut with a  single machete blow.
Besides being refreshing and rich in potassium etc. its something natural and a local fruit that only grows in tropical places. I laugh at people that travel half the way around the world and only drink coke, when you have dozens of tropical fruits with plenty of juice and exotic flavours that you will not find elsewhere.























Now here´s something that you might not know, and it is that on chopping the coconut open (done free of charge by the machete welding vendor), you can spoon out a white jelly , that is the coconut´s pulp  that´s also yummy to eat by itself or with sugar.

Embu, the colonial Brazil

Blogging has been kinda slow in 2013, in part due to my laziness in processing and my aversion to writing. Why did I get into this in the first place?
Anyway while in Sao Paulo,Brazil, I dropped by this Little colonial Town called Embu. Its as colonial as you´ll get close to the mega city of Sao Paulo.

Iguazu Falls, Niagara can Wait

Comparisons are odious. I think that Iguazu and Niagara are both spectacullar, but Iguazu has that tropical side that makes the difference.

See Pdf

A week in Sao Paulo

A must see in Sao Pulo is its beautiful Cathedral da Se.

Sunset in Sao Paulo

The bell at sunset, taken in Serra da cantareira, Sao Paulo, Brasil

O gato no fusca - The cat on the bug

On asigment in Sao Paulo, I saw this siamese cat elegantly resting on the hood of a Beatle. He also posed for some portrait shots.

The Sky and the Orchids

Nothing like a beautifull sky and a gorgeous flower to cheer you up. Back in Brasil were both are abundant.

the view from Serra da Cantareira

If you ever go to Sao Paulo (Brazil). Do the extra 30 clicks and stay somewhere in the Serra da Cantareira, for some great views and clean air.

Colores del Parana - Parana colours

Some pics I took on board the ferry that croses the Parana river from Brazil to Paraguay from Guairá to Salto del Guairá