Thoughts on SP
International travel is the perfect tiny bit of enlightenment one needs to put one's own life in perspective. Or at least this someone thinks so.
I didn't have any desire to go to Sao Paulo, and to be honest I sighed in relief when the days went quickly and I was able to come back home. It's not because the trip was awful and it's not because it was a terrible place to be. In fact, it was far better than I imagined--just not as good as it could be.
This is because the city has such crippling social and economic issues that they are hard to ignore. There are only two classes--the Have's and the Have Not's. The Have's live in anything from a modest home to steel and glass high-rises that pepper the city's skyline. The Have Not's live in ranchitos that are made of corrugated steel and plywood with no running water or electricity. There is, perhaps, a half-mile stretch of road that separates the ranchitos from the homes of the Have's.
Stuck in traffic- and boy is there traffic! Think 1 hour to go four miles- I could be passing restuarants and retail stores and in a blink of an eye pass row after row, block after sad block, of these ramshackle homes with dirty children playing outside. The enterprising young ones juggle for you in the hopes that they can score a coin or two. They've perfected their art but it fails to be entertaining because you know it's this or begin a life of crime. And really bad crime.
We had a translator we set up for a co-worker's business functions to be performed well. The translator apologized in advance for needing to know what people looked like or where the precise meeting spot was, but, she explained, she lost her cell phone and other essentials during her latest run-in at gunpoint with a local robber.
Despite the picture painted, I had envisioned worse. It's true one must be vigilant with safety regardless of the location. With this said, I often think most precautionary tales are exaggerated to keep visitors extra-safe and I have no problem prowling foreign cities at the darkest of hours to get a true local flair for a place. This is one place I knew to curb these activities. In fact, I would never take public transportation there, and I would watch my back constantly, especially come nightfall.
Though the city is crime-laden and there is a vast social and economic divide, it's by no means third world and it certainly has many positive factors. Because Sao Paulo is a huge business and financial hub, the city has zero tourism trade. However, what it lacks in things to see it makes up with in things to eat and drink. The city is renowned as a gastronomic mecca, and it certainly did not disappoint. We ate where the locals ate every night and didn't have a bad meal once. The wines were lovely and the service was impeccable.
Another great positive is the weather. Just gorgeous. However, even with a high SPF sunscreen slathered on, I still managed to get a nasty burn--and that was just from two measly hours out in the sun. Oh well--a good base for my island vacation.
I will be back to SP--because I have to. But certainly between now and then I will have the time to reflect and give thanks for the things I have which I tend to take for granted. It's so easy to do and it takes just a moment to realize that people have it so much worse off than we do on our worst day.
I didn't have any desire to go to Sao Paulo, and to be honest I sighed in relief when the days went quickly and I was able to come back home. It's not because the trip was awful and it's not because it was a terrible place to be. In fact, it was far better than I imagined--just not as good as it could be.
This is because the city has such crippling social and economic issues that they are hard to ignore. There are only two classes--the Have's and the Have Not's. The Have's live in anything from a modest home to steel and glass high-rises that pepper the city's skyline. The Have Not's live in ranchitos that are made of corrugated steel and plywood with no running water or electricity. There is, perhaps, a half-mile stretch of road that separates the ranchitos from the homes of the Have's.
Stuck in traffic- and boy is there traffic! Think 1 hour to go four miles- I could be passing restuarants and retail stores and in a blink of an eye pass row after row, block after sad block, of these ramshackle homes with dirty children playing outside. The enterprising young ones juggle for you in the hopes that they can score a coin or two. They've perfected their art but it fails to be entertaining because you know it's this or begin a life of crime. And really bad crime.
We had a translator we set up for a co-worker's business functions to be performed well. The translator apologized in advance for needing to know what people looked like or where the precise meeting spot was, but, she explained, she lost her cell phone and other essentials during her latest run-in at gunpoint with a local robber.
Despite the picture painted, I had envisioned worse. It's true one must be vigilant with safety regardless of the location. With this said, I often think most precautionary tales are exaggerated to keep visitors extra-safe and I have no problem prowling foreign cities at the darkest of hours to get a true local flair for a place. This is one place I knew to curb these activities. In fact, I would never take public transportation there, and I would watch my back constantly, especially come nightfall.
Though the city is crime-laden and there is a vast social and economic divide, it's by no means third world and it certainly has many positive factors. Because Sao Paulo is a huge business and financial hub, the city has zero tourism trade. However, what it lacks in things to see it makes up with in things to eat and drink. The city is renowned as a gastronomic mecca, and it certainly did not disappoint. We ate where the locals ate every night and didn't have a bad meal once. The wines were lovely and the service was impeccable.
Another great positive is the weather. Just gorgeous. However, even with a high SPF sunscreen slathered on, I still managed to get a nasty burn--and that was just from two measly hours out in the sun. Oh well--a good base for my island vacation.
I will be back to SP--because I have to. But certainly between now and then I will have the time to reflect and give thanks for the things I have which I tend to take for granted. It's so easy to do and it takes just a moment to realize that people have it so much worse off than we do on our worst day.
