As you know I went away this past week with my MBA program. We visited both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Sao Paulo is home to over 40 million people! when we descended on the city all you see is buildings and high rises. Imagine looking down at New York city and multiply that by 10. Brazil as a country has roughly 180 million people!
That being said Sao Paulo is definitely very business oriented, at least in the area we stayed in. Everyone going about their business and I can't say they were super friendly. I overall just did not feel safe. I've been to big cities and I've seen homeless people but this was a different level. However, if you are in the city you should absolutely get a tour guide to show you around otherwise you'll drive for an hour and will still be inside city limits and will think that there is no history, which is quite untrue. One of the must see sites is the Municipal Market. It is sensory overload. There are so many fruits you simply must try. Did you know that cashews are actually seeds inside of a cashew fruit? If you are looking for a little bit of extravagance you should visit Hotel Unique which is known for its rooftop pool which overlooks the city. This visit is highly recommended at sunset. One note of caution, be prepared to spend quite a bit of money.
Now, about Rio. This is a very different city as compared to Sao Paulo. People are very relaxed and much more welcoming it seems. We happened to stay at Ipanema Plaza which is one block from Ipanema beach. The hotel had a roof top pool which overlooked the beach and looked on to the mountain with Christ the Redeemer on it.
Copacabana beach was not too far away and could be reached by metro or walking. I loved walking around in the evening and did not feel unsafe as I did in Sao Paulo, granted I always made sure to be with at least one other person which is a good rule of thumb. While in Rio, you should take a tour of the city and its surroundings as there are some very wealthy areas and you should certainly go up to take a picture with the redeemer and go up to Sugarloaf which offers a great view of Guanabara Bay and the city.
Take great caution on the beach. If you are traveling in January that is the hottest time of the year and the most critical hours in the sun are between 10am and 3pm. You should absolutely lather up and not spend too much time in the sun. Most hotels by the beach offer a service on the beach where you can get a towel, beach chair and an umbrella, which I would highly recommend. It is also worth mentioning that you should take any valuable to the beach. A great number of vendors are on the beach and there are simply to many people to keep track of so it's not worth getting your wallet or camera stolen. If you are with a group it would be a great idea to have someone stay behind with the belongings while others are taking a swim.
You will see that a section of the beach is denoted as the gay and lesbian section. Keep that in mind if need be. I spent my beach time here two days in a row and had no issues whatsoever.
If you are a person who likes to exercise and are in Rio on a Sunday you should know that the road running along Ipanema beach gets closed all day on Sunday so people can exercise. No matter how hot it got people were out walking, running and biking, it was great to see that so many people enjoyed this type of lifestyle.
So...let's review...
1. Sao Paulo is worth visiting just to get a glimpse of the real Brazil. A day or two would suffice, and a tour is highly recommended.
2. When staying in Sao Paulo you should visit the Municipal Market and Unique Hotel if you are looking for a fancier evening. Otherwise walk down Avenida Paulista and you will find many great shops. Walk down Avenida Augusta and you will run across a great bakery, Bella Paulista.
3. When staying in Rio, bring your sunscreen and take a tour of Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf!
AND the most important point of advice:
Don't wear flashy jewelry or long necklaces which can be yanked off you by someone riding a scooter. This happened to a group member of ours. Just take caution and enjoy!
Until the next review!
No comments:
Post a Comment