2022 Late November - Brazil

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Keeping a Promise

Sao Paulo Metropolitan
Cathedral

The idea of our trip starts with Nicida fulfilling a promise she made to herself six years ago.  She mentioned it to me when we first met.

Six years ago she was recovering from major surgery, staying home for a month.  It happened during the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.  She couldn’t do anything during that month, so she watched the Olympics; eight to ten hours a day.  During breaks in the action, NBC filled in with special interest pieces; people, foods, places to go.  A hike up a trail ending on the top of a 2,769’ monolith overlooking Rio de Janeiro caught her attention.

I didn’t think too much about it until earlier this year when she got the ok from her doctors.

She reminds me again, of her promise.  She doesn’t remember the name of the monolith, so she employs Google.  Pedra da Gávea is a monolithic mountain in Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Seeing images of hikers she instantly recognizes it as the destination she promised herself to climb.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio becomes the first destination on our list.  Looking into Brazil I learn that Brazil is 87% of the size of the United States.  Huge.  We will not be driving to see many sites.  Another Google search ‘Places to see in Brazil’ brings up thousands of sites, each with 5 – 20 things to see, or do.  I only look through the first dozen or so.  After several hours of web surfing and YouTube watching we whittle the list down to three general stops.  Sao Paulo, Iguazú  Falls and Rio de Janeiro.

Add On

After searching Brazil, whittling down the options, then another detailed search for what to see at each location I throw out the question, “Since we are down in Brazil, why don’t we see Antarctica?”  Nicida is dumb struck, she’s quiet.  I quickly add, “Brazil is a lot closer to Antarctica than Texas.”  I have just made more work for myself, more research on how, what, when, who, and where.  The ‘why’ is the only question already answered.

I contact a former coworker/manager knowing he and his wife have been to Antarctica.  He replies, informing me they have been there with three different cruise lines and are thinking of another trip.  He supplies us with many gems of information which helps us select who we will go with.  Small expedition ships of less than 100 passengers is the first and most important gem.  Only 100 passengers are allowed to land on Antarctica at a time.  I don’t know how larger ships, with several hundred passengers, handle landings.  He also mentions the Drake Passage.  Seas can be smooth, or waves can top 40’.  They have faced rough seas multiple times.  The passage is 500 miles between Cape Horn on the tip of South America and the Shetland Islands near Antarctica.  It usually takes two days for the crossing.  It is refuted to be one of the most treacherous bodies of water on earth.

Antarctica

Upon hearing this Nicida informs me she will not be sailing the Drake Passage.  Watching several YouTube videos showing waves crashing high over the bows of ships and other videos of crews having to look up to see wave tops from upper decks of ships confirms her decision about the crossing, I agree.  Back to Google to find another way.  I come up with Antarctica21, (A21) a fly/cruise option.  It fits the bill: small ship, maximum of 73 passengers; and a two hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile to King George Island of the South Shetland Islands.  There is a landing strip supporting several of the base stations around the Shetland Islands.  A call to speak with an Antarctica21 travel agent answers our questions.  An hour later we make our reservations, putting down a deposit on the trip.

The work begins

We are not doing our usual independent driving trip.  Sao Paulo has between 12 and 14 million people, depending on who you ask.  In either case that’s more than we want to face in a car.  We have to cross Brazil and Argentina borders to see both sides of the Iguazú  Falls.  We have driven across borders many times in South America, it’s always an adventure.  Finally Rio de Janeiro has between 5 and 6 million people.  This trip, we take, taxis and tours in the big cities for sightseeing, and walking a few blocks for restaurants and shopping.  We are not doing much in Punta Arenas other than final preparations for our trip to Antarctica so there, we will do everything on foot.

Iguazu Falls

Making reservations early, March or April provides many choices for hotels and tours.  All went well except one; our Antarctica reservation.  We made the down payment using our credit card, which went well.  We wanted to wire the funds for the balance of the payment dodging the 3% surtax on the payment if we use a credit card again.  A month before the balance was due I contacted the company, got the account numbers, names, and bank information.  We are good, I thought.  I filled out the paperwork to wire the money, transferred the money for wiring and waited for the “Your payment has been received” email.  A week goes by, no email.  Finally after 10 days I receive an email, “We could not transfer the money, incorrect account numbers.”  At this time we are down to the final week before the final payment is due.  Frantic calls ensue to our credit union for an explanation, and to the tour company to get the proper account numbers.  The tour company says those numbers have worked before.  Additional emails and phone calls gets me in contact with the proper people to give me the account numbers.  Ultimately I get the money to them.  The “Your payment has been received” email, arrives with three days to spare.  I can breathe again.  Note to self – start two months before the due date when wiring money.

Living in Texas means we don’t need or have much cold weather clothing, maybe a heavy jacket, hat and gloves but not much more.  Even though we arrive in Antarctica 14 days before the first day of summer we can expect an average high of 32°.  It will be much colder with wind and possible snow and or rain.  A21 provides a brochure with a drawing of a man and woman with the assorted layers of clothing they suggest we have on the trip: wool base layers, top and bottom; fleece or insulating layers, top and bottom; windproof/waterproof jacket; water proof pants; heavy wool socks; wrap around glasses; wool hat; heavy warm waterproof gloves – liners optional; and a balaclava.  We have some of these items, but need most of them.  A21 supplies only the calf high rubber boots we need to go onshore.

Batman Alley

The search for clothing begins.  It’s not easy finding cold weather clothing in late spring/early summer.  Fortunately LL Bean, Eddie Bauer and Columbia have all season clothing, online.  Several trips to the local outlet stores rewards us with some of the items at sale prices.

A21 has a weight limit for the flight, 44 lbs. This includes the check in bag and the carry-on.  We put our clothing and camera equipment together several times only to discover each of us is over 50 lbs.  We pare back on the clothing while we are on the ship – we are down to 49.  Camera tripods go – down to 45.  Oh, we have to add the chemical hand warmers – back to 46.  In the end we get there, hoping they don’t measure too closely.

Once the Antarctic gear is assembled we put the rest of our clothing together.  Late November in Brazil is late spring; average temperatures are in the 80’s.  A set of summer clothing will be needed for our 13 days in Brazil.  We still have a month before we leave, plenty of time to remember all the things we forgot to pack, re-sort, and re-weigh.

On the Road

On the plane I think how this trip came together.  Nicida got the okay from her doctor Jan 5, 2022. Within the week we started searching for things to see and do in Brazil.  January 27 I emailed my manager, picking his brain on what we should pay attention to in an Antarctic expedition.  From there it was assembling all this information into a plan, a cold-weather clothing list, an itinerary, and reservations giving us physical places to go and things to see.

We have a three hour flight to Atlanta then a nine + hour flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.  We watch the World Cup on the flight to Atlanta, US vs. Wales.  We hear cheering from other passengers, when the US scores.  We arrive in Atlanta at half time, US 1 – Wales 0.  Our flight from Atlanta is overnight, arriving in Sao Paulo at 540 AM.  Not much sleep this night.

Sao Paulo

The sun is just rising, approaching Sao Paulo.  Pollution hangs in the air, a reddish-brownish cloud low, over the buildings.  The city seems endless, which makes sense, 12 – 14 million people live here.  Outcroppings of 20+ story apartment buildings pop up in random areas around the city.  They remind me of weeds; the first things that pop out of the ground in spring, rising tall over the still dormant grass.  Other parts of the city look like a box of Legos spilled out on the floor; multicolored shacks, of assembled discards of the well to do.  I also see irregular areas of green space.

We have an easy time going through customs.  From there we must run the gauntlet of Duty Free shops between customs and the terminal exit; cigarettes, alcohol, clothing, watches, chocolates and other sweets.  We just concentrate on getting through; don’t make eye contact, or we will be badgered into buying something.  Once through, we realize the sales people are not paying attention to us, they are watching for passengers coming into the airport.

Our taxi driver is waiting, and our ride to the hotel starts well.  We quickly merge onto the multilane highway, coming to a dead stop a couple miles later.  A constant crawl ensues.  We pass gated communities; tent encampments; and neighborhoods of structures made of assorted refuse; wood pallets act as walls, pieces of sheet metal become roofs, blue tarps cover and protect everything else.  People literally sleep; in the streets, in gutters, on benches, on sidewalks.  Businesses and factories have  fences surrounding their property topped with barbed wire, and locked gates,.  Guards monitor coming and goings, ensuring only those allowed, to enter.   Middle class houses have bars on windows with the same barbed wire on the outside walls or fences.  We feel uncomfortable as we pass by.

Parque Ibirapurea

After an hour of taking all this in we arrive at our hotel.  It’s in a business district.  We are surrounded by restaurants, shops, high rise apartments, and other hotels.  Security is at entrance of each, including our hotel.  After a long night, we check in.  Very few of the staff working front desk, speak English.  Brazil’s primary language is Portuguese.  Nicida uses her Spanish, the two languages are common enough, so we are able to check-in.  They have a room ready for us at 8 AM.  We brush our teeth and collapse in bed, sleeping until 11.

In our hurry to get through the airport we noticed Nicida’s wheeled luggage didn’t roll properly but we didn’t stop to look.  Upon waking from our nap we notice one of the corners is cracked and unrepairable.  We find there is a shopping mall 8 blocks up the street with the possibility of a luggage store.  But first – lunch.

A restaurant is one block down the street, we work through the Portuguese words figuring our what’s on the menu.  As it turns out they serve most anything; seafood, Italian, burgers, and more. 

Batman Alley

Full stomachs, we start our 8 block walk to mall.  It’s late November, all around us we see late spring; 80 degrees, spring flowers blooming, shorts, T-shirts, sandals.  Entering the mall we are bombarded with – Christmas music, decorated Christmas trees, ornaments, Black Friday sales banners, more Black Friday sales banners and Santa waiting for kids with their Christmas wishes.  We feel like we are back in the states.  The mall has everything, except any luggage we would buy.  On to plan ‘B’.

The next day we are on a Sao Paulo tour.  Rain is promised so we pack our rain jackets in our fanny packs.  There is another couple on the tour, from Miami.  Traffic picks up where it left off yesterday, horrible.  Roberto, our driver and guide, informs us, “this is not bad, we are moving.”  At times I feel I could walk faster than we are moving, but I don’t know where we are going, so I sit and enjoy, thankful I am not driving.  I notice that the endless beeping of motorbike horns is just as bad as yesterday.  They serve as a ‘coming through’ warning as they straddle the white line, lane markers.  Don’t open your door, you will have a motorbike knocking on your door from the inside.  I saw and heard the same thing yesterday, when we were on the highway and thought there was enough room for this activity.  Today they are doing the same thing on narrower, more crowded city streets – crazy.  Cars are also dodging from one lane to the another hoping to get ahead.

Repainting for the next
street art

Arriving at Batman Alley we wander down a street art alley.  The story goes that an artist came to this area painting batman images on any and everything.  The next day the residents painted over all the batman art.  This happened a couple of days, back and forth, until the artist recruited a number of artists to join in the street art.  Since then the street art stays.  The art changes annually when a wall gets painted black then new artwork adorns the walls for another year.  It is something to be seen.

Monument to Bandeiras

Our next stop is the Monument to Bandeiras, depicting 17^th century, explorers and settlers of the interior of Brazil.  We see; Black, European, and Indigenous peoples represented in the monument.  These people were - fortune hunters, slavers, explorers, and adventurers.

Parque Ibirapurea is a large park in the center of Sao Paulo.  It houses the Museum of Modern Art, and the Afro-Brazilian museum, among others.  Strolling through the park we enjoy pink bougainvillea dancing in the breeze.  I hear a familiar song, scanning the trees, I see the familiar red breast of a robin.  Same
song and profile but speckled feathers cover its head.

Sao Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral, is a huge Gothic revival church with flying buttresses lining the outside walls.  It has a capacity of 8,000.  The outside of the church has more adornments than the inside.  Inside, huge columns support the 90’ high ceiling.  Stained glass windows line the upper walls washing the gray columns with swatches of color.  The pipe organ, quiet during our visit, has 12,000 pipes.  Carved wood wraps around the front columns forming a staircase leading to a pulpit.  More wood carving is present in the bishop’s chairs, and church pews.

Many homeless people are on the steps of the Cathedral.  We notice the Brazilian military dismantling large tents that were set up across the street, used to feed the homeless.

Strolling a few blocks to Liberdade, we enter the largest ethnic Japanese community outside of Japan, over 215,000 Japanese live here.  Electric lanterns suspended between red lamp poles line the main streets.  We stop at ‘Coffee Selfie’ a coffee shop where you can have a your photo printed in the foam topping your coffee.  The couple we were touring with had their faces printed in the foam.

We end our tour at Mercado Municipal de Sao Paulo, a must see indoor market in Sao Paulo.  We are surrounded by fruits, nuts, cheeses, vegetables, meats, seafood, pasta and spices.  The mercado also houses restaurants.  We pick up the Brazilian version of empanadas for our evening’s dinner.  While waiting we see and smell cheese.  Once we showed an interest they we on us, “Sample, sample, try our cheese.”  We give in, tasting, then buying, small portions of parmesan and blue cheese.  2 days’ worth before we go to our next destination.

Mercado Municipal
de Sao Paulo

Returning to our hotel we see a homeless camp up-close, it is over a block in length.  Makeshift shelters of corrugated metal, plywood and blue tarps line the street.  I see a school aged little girl playing by herself in a small cardboard box.

Roberto gives us a heads up that schools and business will close tomorrow at 1 PM preparing for the 4 PM World Cup match, Brazil vs Serbia.  Green and yellow paper angels and streamers, Brazil’s colors, hang over many streets in anticipation of tomorrow’s match.  

The promised rain shows up as we approach our hotel.  It quickly changes from a drizzle to a downpour.  Fortunately for us the hotel has an overhang protecting us from the deluge.

Mercado Municipal
de Sao Paulo

We start Thanksgiving on a mission to find Nicida replacement luggage.  Google reveals a Samsonite outlet store about a mile away.  Heeding Roberto’s warning we start mid-morning making sure we arrive at the shop well before the promised 1 PM closing.  Our route takes us past multiple embassies.  Each one has the same security distinction; dark sunglasses, suits, and no smiles.

We are successful in finding a replacement for Nicida’s luggage.  I carry it home, she immediately checks to see if she can fit all her stuff into the new luggage.  We celebrate Thanksgiving by eating at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse.  It has a huge buffet; a dozen servers walk among the tables of hungry patrons.  Each server has a skewer of meat which he will slice off the skewer until you say stop.  There are several selections of chicken, beef, pork, and chorizo.  No turkey.  After stuffing ourselves we waddle back to the hotel, passing multiple bars and restaurants overflowing with Brazil fans anticipating the Brazil/Serbia World Cup match.  The game is scoreless through the first half.  Sometime in the second half we hear a crowd erupt, yelling and screaming, a few seconds later, on our TV, we see that Brazil scores.  Cheering goes on for several minutes then quiets down, the sequence plays out again as Brazil scores a second goal. When the match ends the cheering gets even louder as car horns add to the commotion.  We are glad the World Cup isn’t being played in Sao Paulo.

Our last day in Sao Paulo we walk to the Museum of Arts Sao Paulo, MASP.  The upper floor has a unique display of their pieces of art.  The room is large and open with the artwork placed to form rows that visitors can walk around.  Each piece of art is mounted on its own piece of clear acrylic allowing visitors to see the front and back.  A description of the piece is mounted on the back.  MASP is worth seeing.

Tomorrow on to Iguazú  Falls.

Thank you for stopping by,

Mark