Seriously, I’ve been very excited to write about this and here is it naaaaa!
South America, you are really too far from Asia! Hhahaha! We only had a week of preparation and supposed to travel to Peru from Brazil but we were not able to get business visa for Peru. The 18 hours 22 long hours of flight is just to spice this trip up. Sooobrang nakakapagod ang byahe… but nevertheless, helloooooo, it’s BRAZIL pa rin no??!!! ^_^v
Sao Paulo’s airport is kind of old. I think older than NAIA Terminal 1. By the way, I was with my colleague, JP, for this trip. We departed at 6PM Manila and landed there after 32 hours because of the flight transfers. Long ah… talaga!!! As soon as I get off the plane towards the arrival area, I already heard the magic language, Porrrtuguese baby! Weeeeee!
Our taxi was already waiting outside. My name was even misspelled on the banner (SPELETA) that Mr. Honorato was holding. He is such a nice guy; by the way, he knows how to speak Spanish, Portuguese and English. He also knows late President Ferdinand Marcos and the thousand shoes of Imelda! ‘San ka paaaa??!! Hehehehe. He was also the one who told us, “NO walking at night in Sao Paulo…” Yay! O_o
NewBeeees
The first day was an adjustment period for me but not that much. The gloomy weather reminded me of my stay in UK few years ago. It was funny that a week before that, the weather was pleasant according to my friend, but the week when we were there, it was a weather disaster –- freezing! The temperature suddenly dropped up to 10 degrees.
After 30 minutes, we reach the hotel but Mr. Honorato sent us to the wrong one. So we had to be transferred to the hotel just across the street. A bellboy helped us with our luggage and as soon as I opened a conversation with the guy, I just heard my first “NO English” response with a smile. Not everybody speaks English there, very unfortunate because “NO Portuguese” naman for us! Hehehe.
Hotel Intercity Premium Nacóes Unidas
The hotel is clean and nice. The people are friendly. Every three days, the hotel is sending my running statement account in the hotel which costs around $180USD per day. It has a nice view of Sao Paulo skyline through my window at night. I love the king-sized bed. Although my internet cable was faulty on the first night, the succeeding days went perfect! Forget about the cable tv please… two shows lang yata ang English – the rest were in Portuguese or dubbed in Portuguese! Nonetheless, the cold weather didn’t prevent me to have some good sleep at night. ^_^v Hehehe.
Breakfast was amazing. Up until now, I’ve been craving for hot shower + fruits + bread + coffee + cold cuts + cheese + juice. I’d say I was well pampered EVERY the morning. *wink* x_^v
Brazil’s Largest
Now, let me tell you something about Sao Paulo on how I was able to experience it. It is indeed an interesting city, the largest in Brazil, but unfortunately I have a little time to explore it. By the way, Ms. Universe 2011 Coronation night was held in Sao Paulo.
Remember what Mr. Honorato told us about Sao Paulo at night? … We definitely obeyed him so we ended up only at the mall during the night. LOL! We wanted to get back in the Philippines in one piece. People greet each other in most places, even strangers. Everyone utters “Bom Dia!” (Good Morning) upon entering the elevator in the morning. And one must not be rude to forget to say “Obrigado” (Thank You) for appreciation. The hardest part on that travel, next to the terrible weather, was the language barrier. I could have done a lot better things if I could easily communicate with most Brazilians there. One night, the taxi couldn’t locate our hotel and I was not able to help him because we do not understand each other. Ang kaba ko non!!! LOL! Bu then as time goes by, I got used to it.
One time we had lunch at Viareggio along Nacoes Unidas street. It is an Italian restaurant serving authentic Italian dishes. Ang kaso, yung menu nila eh walang engling transalation! … And my Brazilian friends to the rescue. Hhahahaha.
Murymarelo Bar
Our client arranged a night out with IT people and the rest of the training group. Drinks were overflowing! This bar offers cool drinks and amazing pizzas. But I still ended up enjoying only a glass of margarita! Hahaha. Ayokong malasing at magpakaladkad pauwi ng hotel, nakakahiya! It was such a nice experience and it made the group closer together. :-)
The Mall + Taxi
It cost me around $8 (10-13 Reals) per 5-minute taxi ride to the mall. Morumbi shopping is one of the largest malls in the city and it houses from medium to up-scale shops parang mala-Greenbelt.
Street
The streets are mostly narrow except for hi-ways. They are closely similar to England’s with bricked walk way on both sides for people and bikers. Cars are smaller! Mabenta ang Honda Jazz and Ford Fiesta dito and anything na hutch back. Pagnakakita ka ng Civic/City, malalaki na sila. Hehehe. However, their buses are extremely long naman. Imagine Saulog bus x 2 na magkadikit :-D Kulit nga eh! All road signs are in Portuguese, no English translations so I have to learn fast!
The Group
I was fortunate to be with wonderful people during my stay in Brazil. I was so amazed with the new things I see around me and entertained with my new colleagues more so. I never imagined myself cracking jokes around them but I did! Hahahaha! Being with was just magastos nga lang. My allowance was not enough for that so JP and I have to decline on their night out invitations sometimes.
Farewell
This travel was short but fulfilling, challenging yet pleasant! But there is always time to say farewell and goodbye. And besides, I already missed my family and friends back home in the Philippines. If I would be asked if I wanted to go back there, I would definitely say YES!!!
