After 2 month in Brazil, I headed off to Chile in order to study there.
I arrived at 10 P.M in the night on the international airport and some friends of mine picked me up from the airport. It was actually fucking cold (I have to express it that dramatically) and remembered a quote I had heard somewhere before:
"Chile is not a warm country. You do not need a tropic helmet there and you will not find wild animals".
Well the second thing I remember from that day was the efficiency of its public transport system. It is unbelievable how fast you can move in Santiago de Chile, but it is also quite expensive.
This first 3 weeks, where I actually did not know a lot of persons I had enough time to go through Santiago. The city is beautiful. Unlike Sao Paulo, where many people do not care a lot about historic buildings, Chile puts a lot of effort in maintaining their colonial style buildings. The city is also very clean, organized and although it is huge, it seems like you live in a village due to its rectengular organization of streets.
The only problem I had in Santiago in these early days and actually nearly throughout all my stay was the climate. Although Chile is not as cold as Austria, Germany, Norway or Finland, its houses are made for summer. Therefore being there in winter includes suffering from cold as heating system are only available to very rich people and housing isolation is not that good. So everybody freezes and everybody catches a cold, especially foreign students who do not expect this kind of extreme climate.
A further interesting fact about Santiago is the demography of the city in terms of individual buying power. Unlike Sao Paulo where rich and poor live so closley that a guy from a favela is used to watching men in Armani Suits and know all luxury car brands by heart in Santiago everything is very very seperated.
In the south of the city live the poorer people. Plaza Italia (Italian place), which is in the middle of the city is the geographic seperation point between middle class and upper class. Although this is not 100% true, it reflects the basic situation. In the north of the city live the rich people of Santiago and at the same time of Chile. Mostly people from strong European descendent, white with Spanish, but also German, English, Croatian and Arabic names, which reflect the immigration waves. One can observe this fact by taking a ride in the metro from south to north of the city. It is very easy to obeserve how the way people look, talk and behave will change dramatically.
Not only people change, but also the city seems to change. The north of the city looks totally different than the south of the city. The wealth in Santiago is very unevenly distributed.
Concerning security, I have to say that Santiago is definitley the most secure big city in Latin America, but you have to behave prudently like in every city in this region. One problem might be that unlike in Brazil everybody immediatly knows by looking at an American or European, that he/she is not from Chile. This has also a lot of good sites as Chileans like foreign people a lot. I will write about my experiences in this sense in another post. However you feel observed sometimes, especially when you go alone in the night, but I have to say I have never had a security problem in Chile.
The people of Santiago generally are different than in other parts of Chile. From my experience they are more serious and more stressed, although Santiago is not such a fast city like Sao Paulo.
Santiago is also a party city and going out in Santiago is still quite cheap. So you can have party all the time and every day.
Santiago is also a city full of cultural events. A lot of cinemas and theatres are scattered throughout the city. The quality of the performances varies a lot, but entertainment is generally quite cheap in Santiago.
I will dedicate a specific post to my culinaric experiences in Santiago and some more about the things I have learned from the people there.
Warm Regards to my dear readers,
Patrick
Donnerstag, 24. Februar 2011
Sonntag, 12. September 2010
Eating in Sao Paulo
Hey Guys,
today I will write about the most important thing in Brazil: eating!
Brazilians are people, who like to eat. They like to eat delicious things and they like to eat a lot of them.
Eating in Brazil is for example more important than working, as I could observe each day in my work. Independent on the workload or the urgency of work, at 12:00 o'clock A.M, some people always called me: "Vamos almocar!" (Let's go and have some lunch). At this time people are hungry, because the Brazilian breakfast nearly doesn't exist. People drink a "cafezinho" (Brazilian coffee). The "cafezinho" consists of 50% sugar and 50% black coffee, because the day should start in a sweet way. Who know's it might be the last... (Brazilian way of thinking)
The choices for going to lunch are vast in Brazil because "eating" is a big business in Brazil.
The most economic choice is to go to a "boteco". The "boteco" is a kind of restaurant, where you will meet all kind of people. From Managers in suits to people who work in the outdoor construction business. Although Brazilians respect hierarchies, they don't think in hierarchies, which means: We are all equal Brazilians and our only boss is god. Even god seems to be Brazilian, if we believe the common Brazilian expression: Deus e brasilero! (God is Brazilian).
The kind of meals which are presented in the Boteco are very Brazilian and very similar to each other: Rice, beans and meat. Although it is supposed for one person, it would easiliy sate a typcial small Austrian family. A special meal in the boteco is the "Parmiggiano". This portion is supposed for two persons, incredibly huge and consists of meat, which is covered with a cheese layer and swims in a delicious sauce....
Well as girls normally avoid the Boteco, because they think it's more a "men place" and we also liked some good company we often joined them to eat in the "Minero" restaurant.
The "Minero" serves food from Minas Gerais (A Brazilian Federal State known for its mines, beautiful women and cheese), which in my opinion is the bust stuff I have eaten in my life. Normally you have there a big buffet, where you can choose from a vast offer of meat, salads, potatoe based food etc. You pay either per kilo of your plate (kilo) or you pay a fixed price (fechado). After the meal you normally order dessert or sweet sins, as I call them. Although this desserts are so delicious that I cannot express it in words, I really think that they can shorten your life significantly if you consume too much of them. The king under the sweet sins is the "brigadeiro". It's a conjunction of many many different layers of chocolate and converts a rainy day in Sao Paulo into mental stay at one of the beaches of Salvador da Bahia. I think that's the real function of Brazilian food in the colder southern regions of Brazil :D.
At weekends when there is no work to do, people go eating.... A very nice thing in Sao Paulo is the rodizio, where you pay a fixed price and get food until you cannot eat anymore. There are different possiblities: I tried rodizio in the typical Churrascaria, in the Japanese Restaurant (unique incredible experience), and in the Pizzaria.
Before going to Sao Paulo, people told me that there is the best pizza in the world and I can only confirm them from the depths of my heart. It's really a crime that the rest of the world is not importing pizza from Sao Paulo, but is really naive enough to think, that they can prepare it on their own...
On Wednesday's and Saturday's many restaurants serve "Feijoada", the most typical food of Brazil. A lot of beans, many strange parts of the pork, a heavy dark sauce, a lot of rice and caipirinha. Even small portions of this food can fill your stomach for days. Therefore I would call it a very effective food which prepares you for a lot of cachaca in the crazy nightlife of Sao Paulo.
However, I got really hungry now... ;-) If there is something like food tourism, then Sao Paulo should be World Leader in it and when you are for a longer time in Sao Paulo, I can recommend you to do two things: Work hard and eat more!
Bon Appetit!
today I will write about the most important thing in Brazil: eating!
Brazilians are people, who like to eat. They like to eat delicious things and they like to eat a lot of them.
Eating in Brazil is for example more important than working, as I could observe each day in my work. Independent on the workload or the urgency of work, at 12:00 o'clock A.M, some people always called me: "Vamos almocar!" (Let's go and have some lunch). At this time people are hungry, because the Brazilian breakfast nearly doesn't exist. People drink a "cafezinho" (Brazilian coffee). The "cafezinho" consists of 50% sugar and 50% black coffee, because the day should start in a sweet way. Who know's it might be the last... (Brazilian way of thinking)
The choices for going to lunch are vast in Brazil because "eating" is a big business in Brazil.
The most economic choice is to go to a "boteco". The "boteco" is a kind of restaurant, where you will meet all kind of people. From Managers in suits to people who work in the outdoor construction business. Although Brazilians respect hierarchies, they don't think in hierarchies, which means: We are all equal Brazilians and our only boss is god. Even god seems to be Brazilian, if we believe the common Brazilian expression: Deus e brasilero! (God is Brazilian).
The kind of meals which are presented in the Boteco are very Brazilian and very similar to each other: Rice, beans and meat. Although it is supposed for one person, it would easiliy sate a typcial small Austrian family. A special meal in the boteco is the "Parmiggiano". This portion is supposed for two persons, incredibly huge and consists of meat, which is covered with a cheese layer and swims in a delicious sauce....
Well as girls normally avoid the Boteco, because they think it's more a "men place" and we also liked some good company we often joined them to eat in the "Minero" restaurant.
The "Minero" serves food from Minas Gerais (A Brazilian Federal State known for its mines, beautiful women and cheese), which in my opinion is the bust stuff I have eaten in my life. Normally you have there a big buffet, where you can choose from a vast offer of meat, salads, potatoe based food etc. You pay either per kilo of your plate (kilo) or you pay a fixed price (fechado). After the meal you normally order dessert or sweet sins, as I call them. Although this desserts are so delicious that I cannot express it in words, I really think that they can shorten your life significantly if you consume too much of them. The king under the sweet sins is the "brigadeiro". It's a conjunction of many many different layers of chocolate and converts a rainy day in Sao Paulo into mental stay at one of the beaches of Salvador da Bahia. I think that's the real function of Brazilian food in the colder southern regions of Brazil :D.
At weekends when there is no work to do, people go eating.... A very nice thing in Sao Paulo is the rodizio, where you pay a fixed price and get food until you cannot eat anymore. There are different possiblities: I tried rodizio in the typical Churrascaria, in the Japanese Restaurant (unique incredible experience), and in the Pizzaria.
Before going to Sao Paulo, people told me that there is the best pizza in the world and I can only confirm them from the depths of my heart. It's really a crime that the rest of the world is not importing pizza from Sao Paulo, but is really naive enough to think, that they can prepare it on their own...
On Wednesday's and Saturday's many restaurants serve "Feijoada", the most typical food of Brazil. A lot of beans, many strange parts of the pork, a heavy dark sauce, a lot of rice and caipirinha. Even small portions of this food can fill your stomach for days. Therefore I would call it a very effective food which prepares you for a lot of cachaca in the crazy nightlife of Sao Paulo.
However, I got really hungry now... ;-) If there is something like food tourism, then Sao Paulo should be World Leader in it and when you are for a longer time in Sao Paulo, I can recommend you to do two things: Work hard and eat more!
Bon Appetit!
Montag, 2. August 2010
Sao Paulo Nightlife
Today I will write about the Nightlife of Sao Paulo and try to include many different aspects of going out in this great town.
On my first weekend here in Brazil, I wanted to go out in order to get to know the nightlife of Sao Paulo. However when you are in Sao Paulo for the first time, there are a lot of reasons, why you should better stay at home. The main reasons are:
.) Logistical reasons: It takes you approximatley one hour and two buses to get to the place you would like to go
.) Security: Sao Paulo has another dimension than European cities and most other cities of the world. Many negative things are happening here at night. There are also many positive things happening here at night. Let's say there is some kind of balance.
Well at this weekend I decided not to go out... big mistake!!! :D
My first "Go out - Experience" here in Sao Paulo was an unexpected phone call at 11:30 P.M. The person told me to be ready in half an hour to go out. Well that's Brazilian flexibility :D
The best thing which can happen to you is when somebody takes you with his/her car to the place you want to go out. This is called "Carona" in Brazil and avoids a lot of logistical issues and walking around in small black alleys near some poor neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo :D
A typical thing about the "Carona" is that you are not the only person which will be invited. So you actually go all around Sao Paulo picking up friends and spending a lot of time on telephone conversations. But I have always enjoyed these kind of things, because you visit different people, take one or two drinks at their homes and go to the next guys.
When you finally reach the balada (disco), university party, festa (open space event) or whatsoever you just pay an "all-you-can-drink" ticket with your credit card and then you start to drink (Brazilians drink a lot) and to flirt.
Let's start with drinking:
In Brazil people prefer to drink beer. Well you cannot compare Brazilian beer with German, Austrian or Czech beer but it is okay.
Brazilians also like to drink Cachaça, a very strong alcoholic beverage, which is a basic ingridient of Caipirinha. If you don't want to get headache the day after the party (resaca) avoid mixing beer with Cachaça. If you want to have a lot of fun at the party mix it like hell!! :D .
Now comes flirting:
Well flirting or let's say "courtship" works very different in Brazil than in Austria, because people are more informal and easy going. Before going out, guys usually prefer to talk about girls for hours. The objectives of the evening are very clear:
.) Take as much girls as possible (Pega as mulheres!)
--> IMPORTANT NOTE: To take a girl in Portuguese means to kiss her (French kiss). Not more!
The cool thing about Brazil is that it is actually more difficult to get a hug than a French kiss from a girl. I suppose, it is a cultural thing but only god knows why... So just enjoy it. Normally when there is a foreigner (gringo) around, it's a hobby for Brazilian boys to help the gringo to get the girls. When the gringo achieves to kiss (French kiss) a Brazilian girl, the Brazilian guys start to clap, shout "Pega gringo, pega!" call the gringo a "matador"and "pegador"and everybody is happy! :D
In Brazil, a French kiss from a girl does not mean that she is automatically interested in you. That always causes a lot of confusion in foreigners. The most important thing is to take things easy, although it might be difficult somtimes ;-)
So going out in Brazil is all about meeting friends, drinking beer and kissing girls. And to be honest it's not too difficult to meet all these needs during an average weekend.
That's the beauty of Brazil. The informality of the people enables them to get what they want and if they don't get it, they will be happy anyway as they don't take things too seriously.
Although I will leave Brazil very soon and head towards Argentina and then Chile, I will write some additional stories about my life here in Brazil. I hope you will enjoy reading them.
Stay tuned for new stories of my upcoming experience in Santiago de Chile!
Thanks for reading!
Patrick
On my first weekend here in Brazil, I wanted to go out in order to get to know the nightlife of Sao Paulo. However when you are in Sao Paulo for the first time, there are a lot of reasons, why you should better stay at home. The main reasons are:
.) Logistical reasons: It takes you approximatley one hour and two buses to get to the place you would like to go
.) Security: Sao Paulo has another dimension than European cities and most other cities of the world. Many negative things are happening here at night. There are also many positive things happening here at night. Let's say there is some kind of balance.
Well at this weekend I decided not to go out... big mistake!!! :D
My first "Go out - Experience" here in Sao Paulo was an unexpected phone call at 11:30 P.M. The person told me to be ready in half an hour to go out. Well that's Brazilian flexibility :D
The best thing which can happen to you is when somebody takes you with his/her car to the place you want to go out. This is called "Carona" in Brazil and avoids a lot of logistical issues and walking around in small black alleys near some poor neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo :D
A typical thing about the "Carona" is that you are not the only person which will be invited. So you actually go all around Sao Paulo picking up friends and spending a lot of time on telephone conversations. But I have always enjoyed these kind of things, because you visit different people, take one or two drinks at their homes and go to the next guys.
When you finally reach the balada (disco), university party, festa (open space event) or whatsoever you just pay an "all-you-can-drink" ticket with your credit card and then you start to drink (Brazilians drink a lot) and to flirt.
Let's start with drinking:
In Brazil people prefer to drink beer. Well you cannot compare Brazilian beer with German, Austrian or Czech beer but it is okay.
Brazilians also like to drink Cachaça, a very strong alcoholic beverage, which is a basic ingridient of Caipirinha. If you don't want to get headache the day after the party (resaca) avoid mixing beer with Cachaça. If you want to have a lot of fun at the party mix it like hell!! :D .
Now comes flirting:
Well flirting or let's say "courtship" works very different in Brazil than in Austria, because people are more informal and easy going. Before going out, guys usually prefer to talk about girls for hours. The objectives of the evening are very clear:
.) Take as much girls as possible (Pega as mulheres!)
--> IMPORTANT NOTE: To take a girl in Portuguese means to kiss her (French kiss). Not more!
The cool thing about Brazil is that it is actually more difficult to get a hug than a French kiss from a girl. I suppose, it is a cultural thing but only god knows why... So just enjoy it. Normally when there is a foreigner (gringo) around, it's a hobby for Brazilian boys to help the gringo to get the girls. When the gringo achieves to kiss (French kiss) a Brazilian girl, the Brazilian guys start to clap, shout "Pega gringo, pega!" call the gringo a "matador"and "pegador"and everybody is happy! :D
In Brazil, a French kiss from a girl does not mean that she is automatically interested in you. That always causes a lot of confusion in foreigners. The most important thing is to take things easy, although it might be difficult somtimes ;-)
So going out in Brazil is all about meeting friends, drinking beer and kissing girls. And to be honest it's not too difficult to meet all these needs during an average weekend.
That's the beauty of Brazil. The informality of the people enables them to get what they want and if they don't get it, they will be happy anyway as they don't take things too seriously.
Although I will leave Brazil very soon and head towards Argentina and then Chile, I will write some additional stories about my life here in Brazil. I hope you will enjoy reading them.
Stay tuned for new stories of my upcoming experience in Santiago de Chile!
Thanks for reading!
Patrick
Montag, 5. Juli 2010
A small Sightseeing Tour
On Saturday I actually wanted to go out and waited for a promised phone call of a working colleague, which took so long that it actually never came... This is true for many things in Brazil ;-)
I transformed the problem into an opportunity by personally commiting to do a small sightseeing tour on Sunday. Now I was happy to stay at home, because if you want to go out in the city jungle of Sao Paulo you better plan it beforehand and look for the right buses and metros or you will end up somewhere and it will take you 1-2 hours to find back to the place you wanted to go. I used google maps to plan my route. The official transport site of Sao Paulo (sptrans.com.br) also gives you directions and a lot of options to find your destination, but in the end produces a lot of bullshit as well.
On the next morning I left the house in order to start the sightseeing. I crossed my lovely neighbourhood "Moema". I personally call it my fortress, because it's an island of security in this town made for raising children, entertainment and rich people as the prices here are like in London. I take the first bus. So far I have never arrived by bus directly where i had wanted to go. Therefore I asked the ticket cashier guy in the middle of the bus to tell me, when I should leave it. Most of the time the friendly guy will do this. Sometimes he won't tell you because he has just more important things to do like chatting with his girlfriend (the short term version of girlfriend here in Brazil is called "Kiss-friend") or you caused him too much work by paying with 20 REAL and forced him to search for the change.
After successfully getting out of the bus I headed to the subway station (20 min walk). The Metro (subway) here in Sao Paulo is super safe, fast, easy to use and somehow cheaper than the buses. It meets all the logistical needs of the "paulistanos" (inhabitants of Sao Paulo) and therefore remains a big paradox in this city, but a very nice one!
One metro station is called "Liberdade". I leave the metro and suddenly I am in the middle of .... Japan. Japanese people all around me talking in Portuguese with Italian body language. The buildings in nippo-stlye, the street lamps in red with lights in lotus shape and Japanese words printed on many houses. Also many Chinese, Korean and Japanese restaurants, Karaoke bars and a special brand of ice cream, which is only available in this neighbourhood called "MELONA". Absolutley delicious! The Museum of Japanese Immigration and the Japanese Gardens are also a must-see here in Liberdade like the street markets where you can get e.g. fresh prepared Maracuja, Ananas and Organge Juices like a lot of cheap Chinese stuff.
After Liberdade I went to the metro station "Praca de luz" in order to visit "The museum of the Portuguese Language". I can recommend this museum for people interested in learning Portuguese or languages in gerneral, because it shows the flexibility of this language. It seems that as long somebody can somehow understand you, your Portuguese grammar is not necessary incorrect. The grammar mutations of Portuguese have no similar examples in other Roman Languages like Spanish as far as I know.
The final part of the day is filled by a visit of "Parque Ibirapuera". It's the "Central Park" of Sao Paulo and this definition is justified. If someone says, Sao Paulo is a big cement desert he is only partly right, because if you spend your weekends in Ibirapuera you will have the feeling that Sao Paulo is the greenest city on earth. I walked for 4 hours in this park but couldn't see any end... It's full of people on the weekends who practice sports like basketball, football, biking, jogging, skate boarding etc. The park provides all necessary facilities to spend your day like two museums, sport fields, a big park for skaters, restaurants, biking lanes and even a big lake. It's the only place in Sao Paulo, where you can experience absoulte silence and a place where thousands of people recharge their batteries for their next working week.
By the way the paulistanos are very hard working people, who are used to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning (traffic reasons) and return at 10 o'clock in the evening (traffic reasons). So you see the big issue in Sao Paulo is traffic. Therefore it takes me one additional hour by bus to get back home after a fulfilled day of travel in a city full of opportunities.
See you!
I transformed the problem into an opportunity by personally commiting to do a small sightseeing tour on Sunday. Now I was happy to stay at home, because if you want to go out in the city jungle of Sao Paulo you better plan it beforehand and look for the right buses and metros or you will end up somewhere and it will take you 1-2 hours to find back to the place you wanted to go. I used google maps to plan my route. The official transport site of Sao Paulo (sptrans.com.br) also gives you directions and a lot of options to find your destination, but in the end produces a lot of bullshit as well.
On the next morning I left the house in order to start the sightseeing. I crossed my lovely neighbourhood "Moema". I personally call it my fortress, because it's an island of security in this town made for raising children, entertainment and rich people as the prices here are like in London. I take the first bus. So far I have never arrived by bus directly where i had wanted to go. Therefore I asked the ticket cashier guy in the middle of the bus to tell me, when I should leave it. Most of the time the friendly guy will do this. Sometimes he won't tell you because he has just more important things to do like chatting with his girlfriend (the short term version of girlfriend here in Brazil is called "Kiss-friend") or you caused him too much work by paying with 20 REAL and forced him to search for the change.
After successfully getting out of the bus I headed to the subway station (20 min walk). The Metro (subway) here in Sao Paulo is super safe, fast, easy to use and somehow cheaper than the buses. It meets all the logistical needs of the "paulistanos" (inhabitants of Sao Paulo) and therefore remains a big paradox in this city, but a very nice one!
One metro station is called "Liberdade". I leave the metro and suddenly I am in the middle of .... Japan. Japanese people all around me talking in Portuguese with Italian body language. The buildings in nippo-stlye, the street lamps in red with lights in lotus shape and Japanese words printed on many houses. Also many Chinese, Korean and Japanese restaurants, Karaoke bars and a special brand of ice cream, which is only available in this neighbourhood called "MELONA". Absolutley delicious! The Museum of Japanese Immigration and the Japanese Gardens are also a must-see here in Liberdade like the street markets where you can get e.g. fresh prepared Maracuja, Ananas and Organge Juices like a lot of cheap Chinese stuff.
After Liberdade I went to the metro station "Praca de luz" in order to visit "The museum of the Portuguese Language". I can recommend this museum for people interested in learning Portuguese or languages in gerneral, because it shows the flexibility of this language. It seems that as long somebody can somehow understand you, your Portuguese grammar is not necessary incorrect. The grammar mutations of Portuguese have no similar examples in other Roman Languages like Spanish as far as I know.
The final part of the day is filled by a visit of "Parque Ibirapuera". It's the "Central Park" of Sao Paulo and this definition is justified. If someone says, Sao Paulo is a big cement desert he is only partly right, because if you spend your weekends in Ibirapuera you will have the feeling that Sao Paulo is the greenest city on earth. I walked for 4 hours in this park but couldn't see any end... It's full of people on the weekends who practice sports like basketball, football, biking, jogging, skate boarding etc. The park provides all necessary facilities to spend your day like two museums, sport fields, a big park for skaters, restaurants, biking lanes and even a big lake. It's the only place in Sao Paulo, where you can experience absoulte silence and a place where thousands of people recharge their batteries for their next working week.
By the way the paulistanos are very hard working people, who are used to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning (traffic reasons) and return at 10 o'clock in the evening (traffic reasons). So you see the big issue in Sao Paulo is traffic. Therefore it takes me one additional hour by bus to get back home after a fulfilled day of travel in a city full of opportunities.
See you!
Montag, 21. Juni 2010
My new home and the daily walk to work
Well, I am in Brazil now for 10 days and a lot has happened so far...
I moved my location from the hotel to a "Predio de apartamentos", where I stay with a very nice girl from AIESEC, her mother and sometimes their sympathic maid, who comes 2 times a week for cooking, washing, ironing and doing the necessary shoppings for the family.
The neigborhood is called Moema, which is characterized by fresh air (that's rare in Sao Paulo), rich people, a lot of bars which serve great food but not necessarily the best beer. Last but not least you see there apartment-blocks with big fences, barred windows (even on the 12th floor) and security personal who works 24/7.
However, it is peaceful here. Only the airplanes which seem to start and land approximatley all 30 minutes more or less directly above our apartment disrupt the sound of silence. But that's Sao Paulo... it's loud here and Brazilians like that. The louder the better. Meanwhile I have the most peaceful sleep of all times, because I got used to noise.
Each morning then I get up at around 7 o'clock and after the everyday routine take a walk to the company. It takes me around 40 minutes and is always an adventure. Since I am in Sao Paulo, I know why all major car companies have offices in this area of Brazil. Because there are cars everywhere... in front of you, in the back, beside and even under you, at least when you are on one of these endless bridges. You have to take care in Sao Paulo.. the streets here have special rules and if you want to avoid to get run over by a car, which could happen here everywhere and all the time, you better look twice..
By walking through the city one can observe a lot of things.. Sao Paulo is not one city, it is many cities. The first kilometer from Moema downwards you think you are in a typical neigborhood in middle Europe because it is green, it is safe and there are nearly no cars compared to the rest of the city. Only the always friendly security guys and the big fences all around are blurring this image...
Then you are on the "Avenida Jose Diniz", which is actually full of cars, buses and motorbikes. An endless stream of traffic, which never ends. Maybe on sundays for a few hours, but that's it.
When you are on a bigger freeway bridge, the sun is shining and there is no wind (luckily it's nearly always a little bit windy), you can feel the smog in your nostrils and throat. However a look from the bridge to the horizon, where you can see the impressive skyline of Sao Paulo and the giant flow of traffic beyond you, recover all bad feelings. You think you are in New York or Chicago...
The last part of my walk leads through a poorer neigbourhood of the city. You can see a lot of garbage on the street (not typical for Sao Paulo actually), which is in some way used by these people who partly sleep on the street.
Although you can find poor people like in Sao Paulo in all developing or semi-developed countries, the fascinating and scaring thing is that 40 metres away of this poor neighboorhoud and homeless people, there is a big white house with fence and security personal... It is the office of a lawyer....
I could write 50 more pages about my impressions so far, but I will them concentrate around some topics... Reading becomes easier then.. writing also...
In the next section, I will write something about the nightlife and food of Sao Paulo... :D Stay tuned...
I moved my location from the hotel to a "Predio de apartamentos", where I stay with a very nice girl from AIESEC, her mother and sometimes their sympathic maid, who comes 2 times a week for cooking, washing, ironing and doing the necessary shoppings for the family.
The neigborhood is called Moema, which is characterized by fresh air (that's rare in Sao Paulo), rich people, a lot of bars which serve great food but not necessarily the best beer. Last but not least you see there apartment-blocks with big fences, barred windows (even on the 12th floor) and security personal who works 24/7.
However, it is peaceful here. Only the airplanes which seem to start and land approximatley all 30 minutes more or less directly above our apartment disrupt the sound of silence. But that's Sao Paulo... it's loud here and Brazilians like that. The louder the better. Meanwhile I have the most peaceful sleep of all times, because I got used to noise.
Each morning then I get up at around 7 o'clock and after the everyday routine take a walk to the company. It takes me around 40 minutes and is always an adventure. Since I am in Sao Paulo, I know why all major car companies have offices in this area of Brazil. Because there are cars everywhere... in front of you, in the back, beside and even under you, at least when you are on one of these endless bridges. You have to take care in Sao Paulo.. the streets here have special rules and if you want to avoid to get run over by a car, which could happen here everywhere and all the time, you better look twice..
By walking through the city one can observe a lot of things.. Sao Paulo is not one city, it is many cities. The first kilometer from Moema downwards you think you are in a typical neigborhood in middle Europe because it is green, it is safe and there are nearly no cars compared to the rest of the city. Only the always friendly security guys and the big fences all around are blurring this image...
Then you are on the "Avenida Jose Diniz", which is actually full of cars, buses and motorbikes. An endless stream of traffic, which never ends. Maybe on sundays for a few hours, but that's it.
When you are on a bigger freeway bridge, the sun is shining and there is no wind (luckily it's nearly always a little bit windy), you can feel the smog in your nostrils and throat. However a look from the bridge to the horizon, where you can see the impressive skyline of Sao Paulo and the giant flow of traffic beyond you, recover all bad feelings. You think you are in New York or Chicago...
The last part of my walk leads through a poorer neigbourhood of the city. You can see a lot of garbage on the street (not typical for Sao Paulo actually), which is in some way used by these people who partly sleep on the street.
Although you can find poor people like in Sao Paulo in all developing or semi-developed countries, the fascinating and scaring thing is that 40 metres away of this poor neighboorhoud and homeless people, there is a big white house with fence and security personal... It is the office of a lawyer....
I could write 50 more pages about my impressions so far, but I will them concentrate around some topics... Reading becomes easier then.. writing also...
In the next section, I will write something about the nightlife and food of Sao Paulo... :D Stay tuned...
Samstag, 12. Juni 2010
Day 1
After waiting 2 months for my visa, I could finally fly to Sao Paulo....
The fly was really okay and in the end not as long as I expected it to be...
I can recommend everybody to visit the airports of Frankfurt and Zurich.. Especially Zurich is impressive as it has an own airport-subway, which drives you from the airport to the gates... During the ride you will hear typical Swiss noises in the background like moos and yodellers... simply awesome
After arriving in Sao Paulo, I went from one queue to the next... The reason for these queues remains a mystery for me because in the end there was no logical reason, why they had existed :D... I waited 2 hours for a promised taxi, which never came... and then decided to take the next taxi... I had the longest taxi ride of my live (approx. 2 hours).
The city as such is huge and there is a constant stream of traffic, whether day or night going through the city.... I will not mention hear how cars behave in this traffic system and how crazy bikers act.... If you have visited bigger cities in China, India or even southern Europe, you will know what I mean...
On the way I have got a first impression of the city... especially the skyscrapers with regard to amount and scale are very impressive... Looks like in New York. There is also a quarter here called "Brooklyn". Although I had known that there is often no space between skyscrapers and favelas, which means rich and poor people, it still has been very depressing to observe these huge gaps with my own eyes.
After arriving at the hotel, where I will stay for the next 3 days, I was faced with western prices but "enjoy" western quality standards.. The view out of room on the 8th floor would fit for many cities in the USA... most likley New York or Chicago.
The weather also fits, as Sao Paulo at this time of the year is very cloudy, but it is not cold at all, although it is actually winter.
In the afternoon of my first day, I visited "Shopping Center Morumbi", which is also huge, like everything in Sao Paulo... A big collection of stores, which sell brands you know at western prices or even higher. The second floor was filled with restaurants. Some highlights were the "German Biergarten" with all kind of German beers and sausages like the "Australian Steakhouse", which offered grilled kangaroo. But also typical Japanese, French and Italian food was available.
In the end I tried Brazilian food: a steak with salat, rice and "Guarana Antarctica"... it was really good.. especially Guarana is a beverage that I will drink more often ;-)
At the end of this day I would like to tell you two curiosities, which I could observe in Sao Paulo...
1.) The cashier system at the supermarket:
In the supermarket you stand in a queue.. that's pretty normal.. but then you come to a monitor which announces the number of a free cashier, where you are supposed to go to... So you have a queue, the monitor and around 11 cashiers, which are organized in two lines opposite to each other and serve customers...
2.) A very special sign...
In the Shopping Center, a BANK announced to close 2 hours before and reopen 2 hours after each game of the Brazilian National Soccer Team during the World Cup...
Okay that's the news of DAY ONE...
More to come....
The fly was really okay and in the end not as long as I expected it to be...
I can recommend everybody to visit the airports of Frankfurt and Zurich.. Especially Zurich is impressive as it has an own airport-subway, which drives you from the airport to the gates... During the ride you will hear typical Swiss noises in the background like moos and yodellers... simply awesome
After arriving in Sao Paulo, I went from one queue to the next... The reason for these queues remains a mystery for me because in the end there was no logical reason, why they had existed :D... I waited 2 hours for a promised taxi, which never came... and then decided to take the next taxi... I had the longest taxi ride of my live (approx. 2 hours).
The city as such is huge and there is a constant stream of traffic, whether day or night going through the city.... I will not mention hear how cars behave in this traffic system and how crazy bikers act.... If you have visited bigger cities in China, India or even southern Europe, you will know what I mean...
On the way I have got a first impression of the city... especially the skyscrapers with regard to amount and scale are very impressive... Looks like in New York. There is also a quarter here called "Brooklyn". Although I had known that there is often no space between skyscrapers and favelas, which means rich and poor people, it still has been very depressing to observe these huge gaps with my own eyes.
After arriving at the hotel, where I will stay for the next 3 days, I was faced with western prices but "enjoy" western quality standards.. The view out of room on the 8th floor would fit for many cities in the USA... most likley New York or Chicago.
The weather also fits, as Sao Paulo at this time of the year is very cloudy, but it is not cold at all, although it is actually winter.
In the afternoon of my first day, I visited "Shopping Center Morumbi", which is also huge, like everything in Sao Paulo... A big collection of stores, which sell brands you know at western prices or even higher. The second floor was filled with restaurants. Some highlights were the "German Biergarten" with all kind of German beers and sausages like the "Australian Steakhouse", which offered grilled kangaroo. But also typical Japanese, French and Italian food was available.
In the end I tried Brazilian food: a steak with salat, rice and "Guarana Antarctica"... it was really good.. especially Guarana is a beverage that I will drink more often ;-)
At the end of this day I would like to tell you two curiosities, which I could observe in Sao Paulo...
1.) The cashier system at the supermarket:
In the supermarket you stand in a queue.. that's pretty normal.. but then you come to a monitor which announces the number of a free cashier, where you are supposed to go to... So you have a queue, the monitor and around 11 cashiers, which are organized in two lines opposite to each other and serve customers...
2.) A very special sign...
In the Shopping Center, a BANK announced to close 2 hours before and reopen 2 hours after each game of the Brazilian National Soccer Team during the World Cup...
Okay that's the news of DAY ONE...
More to come....
Mittwoch, 7. April 2010
The last month in Austria...
My story starts in Austria.
If we would live in a perfect world without borders, visas and especially bureaucracy, I would already be in Sao Paulo, sitting in a all-you-can-eat restaurant and enjoying imported Beer from Bavaria...
But you know, life created some hurdles and walls and only allows people to fulfill their dreams, if they have the willingness, nerves, time and courage to persist and wait.
I think this is especially true for South America.
So I am still waiting for my Brazilian visa and enjoy the first sunny days in Austria in a all-you-can-eat restaurant with original beer from the region.... Cheers!
If we would live in a perfect world without borders, visas and especially bureaucracy, I would already be in Sao Paulo, sitting in a all-you-can-eat restaurant and enjoying imported Beer from Bavaria...
But you know, life created some hurdles and walls and only allows people to fulfill their dreams, if they have the willingness, nerves, time and courage to persist and wait.
I think this is especially true for South America.
So I am still waiting for my Brazilian visa and enjoy the first sunny days in Austria in a all-you-can-eat restaurant with original beer from the region.... Cheers!
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