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Sao Paulo and Curitiba
Ok, first of all, ignore the photo! I`m struggling to add my own on here and you have to add one of their library ones to each entry if you don`t have your own.
So, after a week or so of relaxation in Ilha Grande and Paraty, I got the bus to Sao Paulo. The sheer vastness of the place hits you immediately as you approach on the bus. And probably, with hindsight, arriving after dark was probably not a great idea. Anyway, I got the metro from the bus station to where my hostel was and as I was studying the map, I met a fellow traveller from France called Simon who was staying at the same place. Great - safety in numbers. So we found our way to the hostel and decided to get something to eat and then go out on the town.
The receptionist advised us where to head to and when we arrived we just wandered aimlessly until we bumped into two locals called Tiago and Lucio who offered to take us to the bar they were going to. Turned out to be a bit of good fortune as we had a great night, ending about 5am in a club which Tiago and Lucio had managed to get us into for free (instead of the standard entry price of about 25 Quid!).
Missed breakfast the next day and felt somewhat rough throughout - I put this down to a bad pint. Still Simon and I headed out to see the city. And walked, and walked, and walked, until we could walk no more. It`s a crazy place, and I struggled to get my head around the size of it. I guess you probably need more than one full day really! Unfortunately, having overstayed in Rio and Ilha Grande, I had to kick on so the next day I bordered a bus to Curitiba, a further 6 hours away.
Curitiba is a beautiful old city with a really nice historic centre; cobbled streets, lots of bars/restaurants with outdoor seating etc. I arrived in the evening and went out to get some food and a beer. Found a place in the centre where I sat outside and had some good grub washed down with a couple of Skols. Then saw a fight. Quality, what more could you want from a night out? Reminded me of home!
Next day I decided to be a real tourist and take the bus tour of the city and it was ace! One of the many stops was for the Oscar Niemayer museum (with the massive `eye`) which was fantastic, and worth the trip to Curitiba alone. I also stopped off at a couple of the parks and then finally the telecoms tower which provided fantastic 360 degree views of the city. Then back to town for a beer and a pizza before getting my first night bus of the trip to date, to Foz do Iguazu.
I boarded the bus (with much trepidation) at 10pm and was due to arrive at Foz at 7am the next day where I would meet up with Mr Paul Gill (a friend from home on his own trip) and spend my last day in Brazil.
- comments
Jack And then entered the Gill.... mate this blog is like a f***ing drama! What a cliff-hanger!
OMH Thought I'd chuck in a bit of a spoiler - he's since been targetted by the most inept pickpocket in South America.