Dec 11, Sunday

Dec 11, Sunday

Well this turned out to be a busy day.  At 7 am when I opened up the curtains, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.   By 8 am, the sun was gone and the skies were grey again; so much for the weather predictions.   Today is the day I have to switch hotels anyway, so I ended up spending a few lazy hours watching a French TV movie, packing, and checking out at around 11:30.  A short taxi ride to the Ibis Hotel, a quick check-in, and I get my room card since some rooms have already been cleaned and are ready for occupancy.   Don’t know if it’s a good omen, but I’m here for 5 nights and I’ve been given room 555.   Time will tell.

I drop off the luggage and take off for the zoo, despite the clouds.  Two metro rides, easy-peasy, and I’m at the Jabaquara station, from which there should be a zoo-bus.  A look at the “surrounding area” map (located in each metro station – priceless !) I fail to locate the area from which I will be able to find the bus stop to the zoo.  I spot a couple of security guards, and with my map in had manage to ask them where the bus stop is located.  They direct me up to Station A up on the street level.  Unfortunately, once there I don’t see any sign that screams “Zoo” so I go to one of the ticket counters and ask again;  the lady points around the corner of the ticket stand.  Off I go around the corner, and there is finally a sign for the zoo ticket booth.   I purchase my ticket, which includes the two bus rides and the zoo entrance, and am pointed to the bus which is just about to leave.   Quick 5-10 minute ride and we are at a secondary entrance to the zoo. But I should mention that when I got off the bus I noticed that the sun was shining and the clouds were white !   YES.

 Gorgeous felines of all kinds

  This one actually posed for the cameras

 Big tortoise lumbering along

 Haming it for the cameras.  Not quite, he wants the fish in her bucket

 Bear cooling off in his pool

 Beautiful pair of wolves

 Huge Rhinos

 A couple of Harpi Eagles.  The male's head is completely turned around, just like an owl can do.  The female is sitting, nice look at her beak.

  White peacocks.  First time for me.

 During the "safari" drive by portion

 They know there's food in these metal contraptions !

 Close up view, and no !  that's not my hand. This guy turned out to be quite agressive

 Beautiful gentle deer

 and here comes a herd of them !

 Camels.  The brown one is shedding badly

 and so is this one.  Hope it's a natural process and not some type of disease.

 A white tiger

 One of three lions

 Gorgeous tiger

  Just come a little bit closer.  I dare you !

 Just aping around.  The one in the background was really intent on his fingers.  He stared at played with them for about 5 minutes.  The one if the foreground hammed it up for the cameras and finally turned around and mooned us.

 Male orangutan, looking very sad and pensive.

 Family of monkeys on there little island

 And the last and most appropriate photo:  Saint Francis of Assisi, looking out across the lake.

I arrived at 1 pm and left at 5 pm, having walked the entire time except for the 45 minute drive through the Zoo Safari portion.   I took over 200 photos, but the metal grid fencing played havoc with my zoom in many shots.  Here are some of the best shots.  There were also a lot of birds, but most you’ve seen in my shots from Iguasu Bird Sanctuary.

The ride back was just as easy as the ride in and I was back at my hotel by 6 pm in need of a shower and food.   This Ibis Hotel has a good restaurant which serves full meals at night at reasonable prices.  Very nice day.  

And it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow as well.  The botanical gardens, or one of the other many parks, are in my near future.

PS:  No internet connection in the room, so communication may not be on a daily basis.

Dec 10, Saturday
Another lazy morning because it was pouring rain.  By 11 am I decided to go out anyway, this time with my umbrella.   I trekked about 12 very long city blocks to reach Casa das Rosas on Avenida Paulista.  A bit of a disappointment since the roses were not in bloom and it was raining.  I kept walking until I reached the next metro station “Paraiso” and then rode the train until I reached “Santos – Imigrantes”. 

  Casa das Rosas stained glass window

  Church near the Paraiso metro station

 I was heading for the Museu do Ipiranga (also known as Museu Paulista), which was still a considerable distance away.  I figured I would either catch a bus that went along Avenida Ricardo Jafet to the Museum Park, or take a taxi there.   At the bus stop I had my map out and decided to ask a young lady who was waiting there which bus I should take. She asked me if I needed help just as I was going to approach her. She spoke only a few words of English and I could not understand her Portuguese, but she understood where I was trying to go and gestured that I should come with her.  I thought she was going to take a bus, but a car pulled up and she gestured for me to get in with her.   Her husband or boyfriend was picking her up and they indicated that they were going in the direction of the museum and would drop me off.   Luis and Lucy were so nice !  We had a good laugh together.  Luis indicated that his sister, a teacher spoke English, but that he only spoke a few words.  They drove me right to the gates of the museum and I thanked them in 4 languages, shook Luis hand and gave Lucy a big hug.   So NICE !

The Museu Paulista is in a beautiful building which was erected specifically to be a museum in the 1890s.  It was fully refurbished in the 1980s.  Unfortunately photos were not permitted inside, or in the upper balconies that look out on the park.

 Grounds and fountains

 Museum

There were a few paintings of the independence, one entire wing on the construction and refurbishment of the museum itself,  and an assortment of furniture, articles of clothing and household goods that were in use when the museum was first built.   The grounds are huge and luscious, but in need of gardeners to clean up the beds and mow the grass.   Across the way is the Independence Park and Monument.

  One of the many statues that form the monument

  Front view of the monument

It was still early when I was ready to leave, so I walked a few blocks to get to a busy street and waved down a taxi to get to the city centre and the Catedral de Sé.  

 The cathedral and part of the park

  Inside the cathdral

  The choir practicing

Both the interior and exterior of the cathedral are quite spectacular,  and I lucked out because there was a choir practicing for a Christmas concert inside the church.  Unfortunately it is an area full of groups of street people and I did not feel comfortable enough to walk around further than the immediate area around the church.  I located the subway station and decided to head back to the hotel (4 stops along the blue line and 4 stops along the green line).   I stopped for lunch near the hotel .  I found a nice street full of restaurants and coffee shops that is close to this hotel as well as the Ibis Hotel where I will be moving to tomorrow.

 Don't know where this person was heading, pardon the pun !

Although they had predicted only intermittent showers today, they were pretty much constant.   Tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be sunny;  I’ll be able to go to the Botanical Gardens and the Zoo !

Dec 8, Thursday & Dec 9, Friday

Dec 8, Thursday  &   Dec 9, Friday

Dec 9, Friday

Had a late start this morning since I managed to sleep until 9 am for a change.   I had done a bit of internet research last night but the tourist information is hard to come by.  Apart from a small brochure from the hotel (I’m staying at the Trianon Paulista for 3 nights)  that provides a map of this part of the city, I haven’t been able to organize a “plan of attack” yet.   At noon I took off up the hill (Again a hill ! But at least it’s uphill early in the day when I start off and downhill when I’m coming back tired).  

I was basically just out for a walk to get the lay of the land of this area and of Avenida Paulista and possibly visit the Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo.   When I got to the corner of the street I do what I always do and looked for landmarks, so I could easily find my way back.   Pretty easy this time, a strange looking ugly building, a park and a café.   

 Building on the corner of Avenida Paulista & Alemida Casa Branca

I turned right on Ave Paulista, since according to my map, that was the direction I would need to find the museum.   I walked a few blocks and stopped to ask for directions, mentioning the name of the museum.  The Security Guard just pointed in the direction I was walking, so I kept going.   I had walked past the next subway station and realized that somehow I had gone too far, so I sat down and looked through the brochure until I found an actual address for the museum.   It was back the way I had come!

I decided to go on for a few blocks more, just to have a look-see and take a few pictures.   It was a gloomy day and there was a bit of a misty rain, but nothing I couldn’t handle.  Oh yes,  I forgot my umbrella at the hotel …. AGAIN …. even though I had reminded myself twice that morning to bring it along today.   Took some nice pictures of Xmas decorations.   Now Sao Paulo really does this well.  There appears to be some kind of competition between banks as to who will put on the best display.

 Huge display and this is only half of the building.  Check out the people in front to give you a perspective of the size.

  Another bank

  And yet another bank

  Side view of the last one

I made my way back, all the way to the street my hotel is on.   Guess what that ugly building is?   3 guesses,  and the first 2 don’t count !    It’s the Museum of Art !    And as you can see from both pictures, there is absolutely no indication of what it is!

  MASP !  Who knew !

Oh well.   I paid my $15 Brazilian Reales and went up to view the collection.   OH MY GOD !   This has to be one of the best collections I’ve seen in a long time.   Religious and Mythological Art:  Botticelli, Rafael, Poussin, Tintoretto, El Greco (whose real name is Domenikos Theotokopoulos !), Delacroix, Utrillo, Matisse, Rodin, Courbet, Lemoyne, Degas, Corot.   WHAT A COLLETION !   And in the other areas Constable, Turner, Dali, Chagall, Ernst, Gainesborough as well as other artists whose names I did not recognize. And the texts on the wall describing the art history were also exceptional.   Unfortunately, no pictures allowed.   I spent 1 ½ hours just on the third floor.  Absolutely breathtaking.
The 2^nd floor had an exhibition of modern art by Polke, a German artist.   I must admit that modern art is wasted on me.  I just don’t get it, don’t appreciate it, don’t see it as ART !   So I only spent about 10 minutes walking through this floor before going down to the basement to view more modern art pieces (HUGE, entire walls).

Back out on the streets, I decided to explore the left side of the Avenue and walked until I reached the next metro station.   I was hungry by then and it was still spitting rain, so when I could, I entered large buildings with malls on their main floors looking for a restaurant.   None to be found !  Only lunch counters where business people stand to eat a quick bite.    I walked all the way back, past my street, until I finally found a small restaurant where I could sit and eat.   I had purchased a city map along the way and took it out while I ate, to determine if there was anything else to visit in this part of the city.    Nothing within walking distance and it was past 4 pm by then, so I decided to head back to the hotel and rest my tired feet.    Just as I was walking the last half block down the hill, the sun came out !    Should I turn back and take advantage of the sun?   No.   That’s enough for today.   I’ve got stuff I need to research on the internet now that I have a tourist map that lists places to see.    

  Choir singing in front of that first bank when I passed the second time.

My room in the hotel is quite large this time, and I actually have a room with 2 windows = cross ventilation.   I opened up the windows and started working on my research, my notes for the blog, my pictures, etc.   At some point the sun disappeared and it has been pouring rain for about an hour now. 

  View from one window in my room

  View from the second window

  Same view with lighted tower

6:30.   I’ll try logging on to the internet.  The connection isn’t the best so I’m not promising you will be reading this today !

Dec 8, Thursday

I checked out of the hotel by 9 am to give myself, and the taxi driver, plenty of time to get to the bus station for my 10:30 departure for Sao Paulo.   Good thing I did because there was plenty of traffic in the Copacabana & Ipanema area before we finally got on the highway/freeway to the city centre and the Novo Rio station.   The inside of the bus station actually looks like an airport terminal;  it is huge and easy to get around (nice even marble floors) from one end to the other:  up, over and down with the help of elevators.   So nice when you are lugging heavy suitcases.  

  Terrazo sidewalks

  Patterns on the sidewalks provide optical illusions, but you can still see the wavy surface as well as the pattern.  DIZZY !

  Close-up of the Xmas tree on the lake

The drive out of the city took about an hour, and the roads were great all along the route:  nice divided highways where trucks have to stay in the right lane.  Love it !  

The landscape was pretty much the same all the way from Rio to Sao Paulo;  green, green and more green.   Not an agricultural area, but lots of forests,  re-growth forests of Eucalyptus trees and ranches.    (Sorry for the quality of the colours,  the bus had tinted windows.  I've tried to correct with limited success.)

  Eucalyptus re-growth forests

  One part of the hill has been cut down, second portion still standing.

  "It's raining in tham thar hills !"

The person sitting next to me was a nice man from Rio, going to Sao Paulo on business.  His name was Moa, and we had a nice long chat in Spanish  (He is trying to learn English and I can’t understand Portuguese).  We chatted about all sorts of things, among which was the difference between Portuguese spoken in Rio (very guttural and harsh sounding), spoken in Sao Paulo (softer) and the other regions of Brazil (some influenced by African languages throughout the years), as well as the one spoken in Portugal.  They are all different!   And he pointed out a few things along the route. 

Largest church in South America (Sorry, I was too busy chatting to notice what city it was in.  Moa said it was  Aparecida.  

I keep seeing signs on buildings that say Borracharia.    Boracho means drunk in Spanish.  Is that the name for a bar where you can always get drunk?   NO!   I just checked on the internet and it's a place where you can get your tires repaired.  Who knew !

Although the day started out partly cloudy but with lots of sunshine, as we got closer to Sao Paulo the clouds got darker and darker until it started to rain.   By the time we started to drive into Sao Paulo, the traffic was almost at a standstill (two accidents along the way: trucks) and then it actually stopped.   As we inched our way forward in the pouring rain, I could see flooded streets as well as the partially flooded highway (BR116) we were on while crossing the Guarulhos portion of the city.

Bad picture due to the rain, tinted window etc, but you have to see these cars.   I wouldn’t want to be the driver who left his/her car parked here this morning !

From the bus station in Sao Paulo I easily caught a cab and headed for the Paulista area of Sao Paulo, where both hotels I will be staying in are located.  “The São Paulo metropolitan area is home to over 20 million people, spread across an area of over 7,944 square kilometres (3,067.2 sq mi). In the Americas, the São Paulo metropolitan area is second only to Mexico City in population.”   It is the largest city in South America, and it is beautiful.   Many of the buildings are architecturally interesting and many have an Art Deco style.

  Lots of colour

  Some buildings in need of tender loving care

  And some where the architects didn't care about using up the ground space all the way up.  This looks much more interesting don't you think?

Dec 5, Monday & Dec 6, Tuesday & Dec 7, Wednesday

Dec 5, Monday   &   Dec 6, Tuesday   &   Dec 7, Wednesday

Spent three fairly quiet days around Copacabana,  walking around the streets and the beach, taking in some sun on the roof top terrace of the hotel, going out for a traditional Brazilian meal (meat carved with a machete at your table !)  and taking in a Brazilian Culture show.

We have had mostly cloudy days except for the few hours I spent trying to get a bit of a tan on my white legs on the roof top terrace of the hotel. 

 Christ the Redeemer from the roof top of Hotel Bandeirantes

 View of Copacabana from the roof top

The sidewalks in Copacabana are made  up of terazo like tiles which are quite pretty, but I have to watch every step because of my weak ankles and the wavy footing.  They obviously don’t have frost here, so I can only assume that the sub-structure is not well done or has been greatly affected during the rainy seasons.

Lévis asked if there were Xmas decorations up in the streets, and I said there were, but as we were driving around last night coming back from the show, I realized that there weren't any of the streets decorated (like we do in Ottawa) but only some of the stores and inside the malls.  I guess Xmas isn't as big a deal here as it is at home.

  Xmas decorations in one of the malls

I’m ready for the next leg of my journey in Brazil and have booked my bus ticket to Sao Paolo, leaving tomorrow morning.  This will give me a chance to see the rural portions of Brazil during the 6 hour ride and hopefully glimpses of the coast as well.   My hotels are also booked in Sao Paolo, so no surprises for me this time around.