Side note/ PSA get good travel/luggage insurance when you travel, we have it through my AmEx card and they cover $500 worth of items for delayed baggage after any 3 hour delay = shopping to replace items in Argentina for us =)
After having an amazing time in Argentina we flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Myth to debunk – “Why are you going to Sao Paulo”.
Matthew has been to Rio, Brazil before and all he talked about is I have to try this acai. The person at the hotel said we might be able to find it in the mall down the street. So our first stop in Sao Paulo was for a bowl of acai it came with sliced bananas and a little granola. It was pretty good. This was a Sunday, and on Sundays the mall is turned into a craft market in the aisles for local artisans. I got a cute headband that’s really artsy with all types of stuff on it. It’s a great accent piece. We also ate lunch there at a buffet that sold food by the kilo. Brazilian food is great! Even the mall food. Later that day we went to a great pizza place “Braz”- I mean the pizza was pretty darn amazing (sorry I left my camera) we got one with wild bore, goat cheese and tomato sauce. We also got the pizza recommended by Lonely Planet “Fosca” with smoked ham, capitury cheese, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. YUMM .. oh and the bread with sausage baked into it “pao de calabresa” – yeah I’m excited all over again.
Our next day was with our rented friend Joana. We went all around Sao Paulo. It was a great time even with it raining, we just kept running. She took us to see the city from one of the tallest buildings, an amazing market, a few awesome neighborhoods, and of course to get my new favorite shoes. Photos are worth a thousands words so here’s more from that day: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150380432502927.351751.599187926&type=1&l=383fb88add
The next few days Matthew and I had the city to roam for ourselves. Joana recommended we go to a restaurant in the Paulista area where we were staying and eat feijoada- a Brazilian dish that everyone eats on Wednesday. We decided to visit another area that we didn’t get much time in Villa Madelena, and went to a restaurant from Lonely Planet “Mercearia Sao Pedro”. The place was really cool and funky looking. The book says they have a buffet lunch for 9 reals; however, when we set down our waiter said one word “Feijoada” and we said “si”. lol After that we realized everyone in that restaurant and any other restaurant really was eating Feijoada (with the exception of one or two people). Later that day we toured the famous Museu do Futbol (soccer museum), it was set up really well and it was very interactive – this was one of the few places recommended by a friend. Pics here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150380709217927.351798.599187926&type=1&l=d822dfc354
I must admit it was quite welcoming and warm to be in a city where the majority of the population are descendants from Africa. I’ve never seen so many different combinations of ethnicities – the colors of all the people were amazing. Everyone was so beautiful. If you haven’t read my post about the Museu Afro Brasil you should read more here: https://gettingtoknowtheworld.com/2011/11/15/museu-afro-brasil/ I also love the art in Sao Paulo. We were told that instead of corporations paying taxes they have to invest in the arts. And the arts are amazing there and are mostly free. Guaranteed free art is the street graffiti which is all very awesome. Another amazing thing is that Sao Paulo was in a jungle and there is one small piece of it left – a random jungle that you can walk through while in the city. And the steak, I’m sorry but the steak in Brazil at the churrascaria’s is the best steak I’ve ever had. Pics here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150380673982927.351790.599187926&type=1&l=d35d5e6ec4
Getting to Know the World 
Great Blog and the pictures were awesome.