São Paulo

There are many words that can be used to describe São Paulo: Enormous, dirty, smoggy, overwhelming, dangerous...the list goes on. Most Brazilians we met before the trip advised us against going, but the truth is...we LOVED it!

From the fast-paced lifestyle of the bustling city to the posh, fancy shopping malls lining the street, we enjoyed our time so much. We stayed in the house of a friend named Igor who is a devout Buddhist and gave us the best peek into the life of a Paulistano. One of his best recommendations being a restaurant called Estadão, a famous 24 hour hangout which offers every kind of juice imaginable. We tried juices including melon, papaya, carrot, strawberry, soy apple, açaí, and others that don´t have English translations. We also tried the Pernil sandwich, a very flavorful pork concoction with cheese, onion, peppers, etc.

Despite heavy rains we visited the fascinating Japanese neighboorhood which had streets lined with red lanterns and countless sushi restaurants. We even went back a second time, with our new Brazilian friends Leonardo and Aline, to see a Japanese festival. There, we saw traditional dancing, a flea market, and participated in a special tradition of writing a wish on a colored card before tying it to a nearby tree.

We also participated in a special Buddhist ceremony with Igor that was meant for young adults and divided by gender. The people in the meetings were so welcoming and interested in giving us a taste of their Brazilian/Buddhist culture. Although we attended the meetings separately, Phil and I later agreed that we had shared a similar experience and were both apprehensive about speaking Portuguese in front of so many people!! Regardless, our hosts were accepting and kind.

The weekend was exceptional!! Now we are off to Florianopolis...