Work gave me a nice little holiday gift, they sent me to BraZil!!! It's about a 10hr flight, not too bad, and incredibly warm there! (it's their summer right now) The layover was 34hrs + (that's long by AC standards, trust me) so lots of time to relax and explore. I was warned by passengers and colleagues alike to be careful, not wear any jewellery and just be on guard....gee that's a great way to start off a (mini) vacation. Needless to say, the exploring was kept to a minimum. I was watching the news last night on the tele, and they showed Sao Paolo, this is where I went, and it showed gangs retaliating against the police drug crack down by going on buses, robbing everyone, and then setting the bus on fire, with everyone in it. So in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't go adventuring on my own like I normally do!
Sao Paolo, it's not the nicest city in the world, but it is the 3rd largest. It's kind of dingy and run down. On the bus ride to the hotel, we pass through the slums, cardboard homes run along the whole length of the highway underpass. Even within the city itself, everything looks unkempt. Although, they take Christmas very seriously, with decorations every 200 meters (and police too).
When in Brazil......camparinhas and brazillians....preferably in that order!! It was a fun little layover; went to the art museum, saw some photo work and some Degas dancing sculptures, a huge Amazon like jungle park, fresh fruits and some good shopping.
