Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sao Paulo


Yesterday, Barbara, her mom, and I went to Sao Paulo! Sao Paulo is about an hour from Itu and is the 6th most populous city in the world. About 20 million people live in the metropolitan area and it is considered the NYC of Brazil. Barbara's mom needed to be back at the bus station to go back to Belo Horizonte that night, so we made a day out of it and went shopping on a street called Jose Paulino. They had more shops in one area than I had ever seen in my life...we didn't even see the majority of them. Also, this is where store owners to go buy merchandise for their shops, so everything is pretty cheap. We spent a good 7 hours walking the streets and bought lots of great stuff! Here are some pics...

This is Avenida Paulista, the Times Square of Sao Paulo. There are all sorts of financial and cultural buildings on this street, as well as museums and places to shop.

My first time on a subway! It got pretty crowded at times...at one point I literally could not move because there were so many people packed in there.

Barbara's mom and I at the Subway station.


This piano sits outside the subway station and is available for anyone to play. Basically, the sign says that in October of 2008, there was a project called "Touch Me, I'm Yours." For 10 days, 8 pianos were scattered throughout the city with the idea that everyone could participate and show what they know. At the end of the project, the company that runs the subways received two pianos and set them up at two different stations. This piano stays at this station, so whoever wants to play can play. When we walked up, this man was playing a Christian song.

This is the beginning of the street with all of the stores. It goes on and on and on...

I loved the front of this shirt and wanted to buy it, but turned it around and this is what it said! I saw lots of shirts throughout the day that had incorrect English on them...please, pay me to help you!

OK, our mannequins at home aren't much better, but these in Brazil are on a whole different level. There's something about matching Marilyn Monroe mannequins that just freaks me out...

This is the Tiete Bus Terminal, the largest bus terminal in Latin America and the second largest in the world behind the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. You can basically get anywhere you want to go in Brazil from here, including international destinations like Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Sao Paulo was lots of fun and it was neat to be in the big city for a while. My feet are paying the price today! More blogs to come...big things are happening here!

On another note, please be praying for my aunt Cheryl. About two weeks ago, she went to the doctor and they found five masses on her liver. They are thinking it is ovarian cancer that spread to the liver. She is currently undergoing treatment and will receive chemo every two weeks for the next eight weeks. Please pray that the chemo will eradicate the cancer cells without harming any of her other organs. Thank you so much!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a fun trip. Miss you, sweetie.

Brianna Allen said...

Did you take that pic of Sao Paulo? It is beautiful!!! Thanks for keeping up with your blog! I am reading them all! Keep 'em coming! I will continue to pray for your aunt. Love you and miss you Sarah L.