Over the weekend we travelled home from Uberlandia via Sao Paulo, which was an edgy experience in view of the current unrest and riots that have been going on in the city. We arrived in Sao Paulo on Friday evening and were initially afraid to leave our hotel, but the receptionist convinced us we were in a safe (Jardin) district. We braved a little walk and had a Capurina in a bar in a mall - indeed it seemed just like any other big and busy city and there were lots of folk out shopping and it felt safe enough. The next morning we took the subway to Caterdral da Se, reputedly the old heart of the city. This was an edgy part of town, we witnessed extreme poverty, homeless folk waking up in the park. Martin said it felt like we were walking through someone's bedroom. Two memories I have is one chap retaining his dignity by shaving on a park wall, another was a young mother with two toddlers of similar ages to Angus and Helen, the youngest just walking. Their entire home was a plastic bag and the mother seemed totally frazzled. I took some pictures around the park and the church, but had to conceal my camera. We also noticed police roadblocks outside our hotel, police holding machine guns and stopping the traffic. Later that day we flew home, and after a pleasant night flight, I said farewell to my companions and hello to my family. What a contrast in fortunes I witnessed in one weekend - I am a lucky man.
Phil
For return home pictures see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50992354@N00/tags/1921may2005saopaulojourneyhome/
For the whole album of the Brazil trip see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50992354@N00/sets/72057594138474512/
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