Day 162. Friday 7th. February. Hotel 155. Sao Paulo. Brazil. A rest day.

Watching the TV this morning while having breakfast in the restaurant, there was lots of drama playing out but with the screen split in three segments, it was difficult to get an overall picture of what had happened. Incinerated bus frames, charred remains of who knows what. Did a lithium battery in a bus catch fire? In another shot, not likely as there was fuel burning on the ground. It didn‘t look like diesel burning! Did a factory catch fire, and was the bus collateral damage? I have a fascination with fire. spending 10 years in the fire protection industry. In fact, one of the industry related training films we were shown, related to a tower block fire in São Paulo in 1974, with the loss of about 200 people. An American film was made following the São Paulo fire. Towering Inferno..

Regarding the TV item, Jen was able to hear that two people had been killed. What we later learned from a WhatsApp message from Jen’s friend Victoria, in the UK, was that a twin engined light aircraft had crash landed on a bus, trying to land on a motorway, 5 k’s away from it’s departure airport.

Some sightseeing.

After breakfast we decided to take a walk into the centre of the city to see a building designed by Oscar Niemeyer. the main architect in the design of Brasilia, the now capital city of Brazil. One of his designed buildings, The Edificio Copan, is not far from us. Niemeyer did not like straight lines this building reflects that.

City market stall.

From our observations, this center of the city is not a part that reflects pride. Many may disagree with that statement and it may be very unfair, as we have only seen a very small part of it. It has some interesting and lovely period buildings but what we saw, did not shine, like Buenos Aires, for instance, or Florianopolis. Jen commented earlier that it has a population of 20million. We have since learned it’s 22 million, but that is for the metropolitan area. The city itself is a mere 11 million!

We were hoping to do a city tour by bus but it appears the Hop on Hop off bus no longer runs. So, after buying a bottle of water each, sat in a wooded park and watched the people go by. We were warned about displaying our phones as phone snatching is prevalent, though at no time were we threatened or did we feel unsafe, despite sitting in a park frequented by itinerants. It was great to see horse mounted police patrols walk through the park. There was a high presence of police on foot and patrolling in cars also.

Some history.

On June 7, 1494, the governments of Spain and Portugal agreed to the Treaty of Tordesillas, named for the city in Spain in which it was created. The Treaty of Tordesillas neatly divided the “New World” of the Americas between the two superpowers.

Spain and Portugal divided the New World by drawing a north-to-south line of demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 leagues (555 kilometers or 345 miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa and then controlled by Portugal. All lands east of that line (about 46 degrees, 37 minutes west) were claimed by Portugal. All lands west of that line were claimed by Spain.

Brazil has the highest number of Catholics and Portuguese speakers, in the world. It gained its independence from Portugal in 1822. A huge number of African slaves were bought to Brazil to tend the plantations. Slavery was not abolished until 1888. It still has a high level of inequality and is ranked in 52nd place. It has an estimated GDP for 2025 of 4.8 trillion which puts it in 7th place internationally.
We noted many rough sleepers in the city centre.

objectives for the day.

Purchasing a new set of tyres is one. Getting a haircut, another. Jen consulted a group of 5 grey uniformed, beret wearing, handsome military policemen standing nearby and asked them where we could find a barber shop. One who spoke English directed us to a shop nearby.
Well, walking in, they clearly believed we had lost our way, and possibly marbles with a white haired geriatric looking for a haircut. They shuffled paper, and their eyes before the young owner who spoke English, took over. One of the 5 stylists, African, had a topknot of dreads and was vigorously massaging a clients head, African, with a brush. I pointed to the hairdresser and said, “I want a haircut like his”…😂. Eventually a smart looking young man appeared and in short order had me separated from much of what I have. It’s fine and for R65 and 30min later we were on our way. Declining coffee and a massage…

Jen is complaining about a headache and is developing a high temperature. She is also feeling tired and weak. It’s time to head back to the hotel and take a couple of paracetamol. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her this afternoon.
On purchasing tyres, we have had less success. There are many suppliers offering what we want online but after messaging one and not receiving a reply, we suspect that means, they cannot supply. Just in, we have managed to contact Felipe from a Land Rover garage, The Specialists, here in Sao Paulo on WhatsApp, he speaks good English but is about to close down for the weekend! He has been brilliant by giving us some forward contacts. That’s what the Land Rover fraternity is about.

What’s next!

It’s time for us to be thinking about heading back home. I hate the thought of it but coming up to 81, one has to be realistic about the future. It would be fantastic to leave Poki in Montevideo as Rob and Lilian did, and come back and continue our journey through this amazing continent, which we have seen so much of, but so little. I have an inguinal hernia that needs attention and Jen desperately wants to get back to her garden in Rotorua.
So, we have given ourselves another couple of months and will head towards Rio tomorrow, Jen being well enough, then north to the nations capital, Brasilia. From there west to the Matto Grosso area and Pantonal. Then south into Paraguay and back to Montevideo. Ship Poki back to the UK where we will await her return, before flying back home in August, or thereabouts. That’s the plan.

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