The second part of our Brazilian adventure took us from Rio through the urban jungle of Sao Paulo, the biggest metropolis in South America, to the coastal jungles of the Sao Paulo state.
Through Embraer to Sao Paulo | Sao Paulo downtown | Soccer | On the road to Sao Sebastio | Sao Sebastio |
The drive from Rio to Sao Jose dos Campos, where the Embraer factory is located, is best done on an expressway connecting the cities and continuing to Sao Paolo. As we left the coastal part of Rio behind, we bid farewell to the statue of Christ the Redeemer up on the Corcovado mountain. An elevated expressway first crosses some sketchy looking neigborhoods. Yet farther out, a multilane freeway passes through the outer suburbs before leaving the city finally behind and narrowing to two lanes in each direction. The flatlands near Rio soon give way to a hilly terrain. We made a stop along the first winding climb to buy fruit from a road side stand, and eventually reached Paraiba Valley. The distant views of high mountains of Serra da Mantiqueira to the west were mostly obscured by smoke from forest fires. The most noticeable sight became repetitive toll stations. The tolls, counting those on the way from Sao Jose to Sao Paulo, eventually added up to almost 40 Reals, a somewhat outrageous price given the traffic and the condition of the highway.
Our drive from the hotel on Copacabana to Embraer took over 4 hours, covering some 340km. Antonini welcomed us in the parking lot of the Embraer factory. He walked us through production hangars. It was interesting to see airplanes in various stages of assembly, including those custom painted and ready for delivery to customers. The insides of a private jet stood in sharp contrast to our travel experience in coach class.
It was dark when we finally left for Sao Paolo, still some 110km farther away. Antonini was navigating. As we approached Sao Paulo, the freeway got wider and the traffic grew ever denser, sometimes resembling a typical Bay Area gridlock. We finally reached an area of the bus depot where Antonini had parked his car before his daily trip on a bus to work. I tried to follow Antonini from there to his home through dense Friday evening traffic with Irina acting as a spotter. We lost him shortly after I saw a motocyclist go over the handle bars just in front of us after he got bounced back and forth between two cars. Antonini had warned us to watch out for motocyclists who weave through the traffic as if they had a death wish. They were bad enough in Rio, they were downright crazy in Sao Paulo. My GPS ran out of battery power shortly afterwards. Luckily, my phone navigation saved the day and brought us safely to our destination.
Radiator cooldown | Mercedes stop | Climbing traffic | Restroom | Rodovia Presidente Dutra | Toll stations |
We woke up to cloudy skies which made it easier to adjust to our host's weekend schedule - we had a breakfast in a nearby restaurant around noon.
It was interesting to see the security of the high rise, where Antonini lives, in an upscale part of the city. A double gate protected the underground garage. The outer gate would open, one would pull inside, then the gate would close behind him before the inner gate could be opened. It would likely also take a while to get adjusted to the tight tandem spots inside the garage that left a foot on each side of the car. A guard house next to a pedestrian gate monitored anyone who would want to come in, and refused to let us in in spite of Antonini authorizing our entrance beforehand.
In the afternoon, we set out to see the soccer museum, Museu do Futebol. It is located at Pacaembu Stadium and we arrived just as it was closing because of a soccer match starting at the stadium shortly afterwards. Central Sao Paulo became the next destination. Before leaving, Antonini gave us a word of caution to be careful and not stay too long after dark. The Lonely Planet complements that with the usual dose of driving through red light to prevent highjackings and taking taxis rather than walking after dark. It was still day so we parked very close to Theatro Municipal, an ornate building of many styles, that houses opera and ballet productions. After enjoying the adjacent park that forms Prace Ramos de Azevedo, the rain drops thickened as we continued a tour of churches in the area - Igreja de Santo Antonio, the colonial Igreja de Sao Francisco, and finally reaching the square Praca de Se with its cathedral, Catedral de Se. The nearby Jesuit Pateo do Collegio marks the site where the city was founded in 1554.
It was getting darker by the minute and we decided to head back to the car. A narrow lane lied between us and the commercial district on Rua Direita. A tent and a homeless, native looking family, including a toddler or two, caught my attention there, and instead of walking by as quickly as possible, I stopped to replace a memory card in my camera. I noticed one of the homeless young guys motioning me. That was a second before he started chasing me. A rush of adrenaline bolted me out of my position. He would have no chance to catch me. But wait, another guy from the gang tried to cut off my escape route. I stiff-armed him out of the way and soon emerged into a busy street. Boy, was I was glad to see they did not follow.
We watched street performers, including a very round bottom dancer, along the way back to the car. I got in trouble for the second time that day inside a shopping mall across the street from the theater. I took a picture of a McDonalds to document their surreal prices, which apparently did not go over well. A security guard a short time later demanded that I would erase the picture. We did not understand each other and it was hard for me to explain where the picture had gone. I had erased before because it was blurry...
After another late start, Museo do Futebol was an appetizer for the main course that was to follow in the form of a real soccer game. The museum exhibits were quite engaging, and even though I am not much of a soccer fan these days, I could not help but reminisce about players and championships I remembered from my childhood.
Antonini came with us to the soccer game. He suggested that we park in a shopping mall nearby and take a taxi from there. As we looked for a spot in the parking garage, he pointed out that all cars in Brazil come in shades of grey, and maybe red. He was right. We had not noticed it until then, but it was hard to miss it once we learnt. Black, silver, white dominate, there are a few red cars, and only a rare eccentric drives a yellow car. Curiously, trucks seem to come in all colors.
The football game, between one of the South America's most successful football clubs, Sao Paolo FC (Futebol Clube), and the Palmeiras, their Sao Paulo rival, traditionally supported by the city's large Intalian immigrant community, was much warmer that the chilly weather of that day. Our day ended with a late sushi dinner. The chef's choice at Sushi Lika was a treat for all of us and the dinner stretched till midnight. It was good timing - to follow up with a tasting from Antonini's bar.
The third morning in Sao Paolo closely mimicked the first two. It was still cloudy, chilly, and rain was in the forecast. The drive from Sao Paolo down to the coast on Rodovia dos Imigrantes is an exciting one, dropping over 600m (2,000ft) through a jungle, and 11 tunnels, some several kilometers long. The rain followed us as we passed Santos and continued along the coast. We made a couple of stops at beaches before reaching Sao Sebastiao late in the afternoon with an almost empty tank. As we were filling up, the gas station personnel pointed out gasoline dripping from under the tank. I finally understood why the tank was only three quarters full when we got the car. Next to the broken cigarette lighter, this was just another issue with the Avis car.
Sao Sebastiao has a picturesque colonial downtown, and a normal feel to it that does not scream tourism. It was pleasant to walk the streets in the evening and observe the street life in the morning.