You can also find me on Twitter @angelicamari – see you there!

Photo: São Paulo city centre, by antifonia.

I’ve already said that I love the sunshine and hot weather, but something else I really love is doing things outdoors during summer. And there are many things to do outside, in the city and around. I have compiled a list of things to do in Sampa while soaking the rays this month. Enjoy!

1. Expresso Turístico

The Expresso Turístico is a service offered by the São Paulo Company of Metropolitan Trains (CPTM), which aims to showcase the history around São Paulo’s train network and the surrounding cities that were central to the development of the state from the second half of the 19th century.

The trains, composed of two wagons built in the 1950s and 1960s, leave from the Luz train station, which is one of the most important architectural landmarks of the country. There are three routes: Luz-Paranapiacaba, Luz-Jundiaí or Luz-Mogi das Cruzes.

My recommendation is to take the Luz-Paranapiacaba trip. Paranapiacaba (which means “where you will find the sea” in Tupi language) was established in the late 1800s as a staff base for the São Paulo Railway, a privately owned British railway company, which was active in cargo and passenger transportation between the São Paulo countryside and the port of Santos.

The 48km train journey to Paranapiacaba takes about 1h30 each way and takes place fortnightly on Sundays. The trip starts at 8.30am, with a stop at Santo André station and ending at the railway village, where visitors can spend the day and return to the capital at 4.30pm. Tickets cost R$32 per person, with discounts of up to 50% for three people.

At the village, which is considered a national historic landmark, there are several activities related to cultural tourism and the environment. One of the attractions is the steam train ride, which costs R$5 and is open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and travels around the area for about 1km.

Other sites of interest include the Castle Museum, which recalls the history of the town and the railroads. At the Paranapiacaba Springs Municipal Park, visitors can venture on several walking routes or even tree climbing. The activities are monitored and cost R$8 per person.

You can buy tickets for the Expresso Turístico on the CPTM website or in person at Luz station (Metrô Linha 1 – Azul).

2. São Paulo Restaurant Week

This week brings the 10th edition of the São Paulo Restaurant Week in 2012. The event brings together some 350 restaurants, bars and cafes in São Paulo, Barueri, Campinas, Cotia, Ribeirao Preto and Santos, offering three-course meals at affordable prices.

Between 5-18th March, lunch menus will cost R$ 31.90, while dinner will go for R$ 43.90 at restaurants taking part in the event. Customers can add R$1 to their total bill, which will go to the NGO Monte Azul Community.

As well as checking out places I haven’t been, I will be booking a table in the outside deck of my current favourite restaurant, Emillia, in Perdizes, which will be serving some of my favourites like salmon and passion fruit risotto and pesto gnocchi. Yum!

To check out the full list of restaurants, check restaurantweek.com.br

3. Pico do Jaraguá

One of the main geographical landmarks of São Paulo, the Jaraguá peak stands out from the Serra da Cantareira of 1,135 meters. It is the highest point of the city of São Paulo, where you can see, on a clear day, a radius of 55km.

Jaraguá means “lord of the valley” in Tupi language. It is said that the site was established by Afonso Sardinha, a Portuguese hunter and smuggler of Indians, who discovered traces of gold in the area around 1580. As the Indians dominated the region, many wars were fought between natives and explorers before mining began ten years later.

In 1946, the government turned the site into a tourist attraction, and in 1961, the Jaraguá State Park was created and visitors can see the sinks where gold was manually rinsed beside the ruins of Sardinha’s house. Jaraguá is also listed by the World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Climbing to the top of Jaraguá takes a couple of hours through the woods. It is advisable to wear good walking shoes and take a bottle of water so you can enjoy the walk uphill! Snacks, drinks and ice cream are sold at the top. You can also drive all the way up if you can’t be bothered to climb.

The best way of getting there by public transport is taking the CPTM train to Jundiaí from Barra Funda station (Metrô Linha 2 – Vermelha) and get off at Vila Clarice station. In front of the station, there a few bus lines that go past the entrance of the park.

4. Rafting in Socorro

Socorro, a couple of hours drive away from the capital, is part of the circuit of spa towns in São Paulo state. As well as its cultural attractions, the town is also famous for its “radical sports” infrastrcuture and tourists head there to do things like rafting on the Rio do Peixe, at the Monjolinho Park.

You can either go there by car or by bus, or go with the trip organised by the Social and Trade Service of São Paulo (SESC), which includes transport, as well as breakfast, lunch and rafting on the Rio do Peixe.

Departures are at 6am from SESC Pinheiros and 7am from SESC Osasco. You can sign up at the Pinheiros and Osasco units of Sesc (see addresses here). Prices range from R$164 to R$246, depending on whether you are a Sesc member or not.

5. Day trip to Santos

Santos, the closest beach to the city, is the favourite destination of sun-seeking paulistanos. But the place has a lot more to offer than just the beach. You can get there by car in about 45min or an hour by bus (buses leave from the Jabaquara bus station every 15 minutes) and tickets cost less than R$20 each way.

On the way to Santos, the Serra do Mar – the mountain range that the Immigrant-Anchieta highway cuts across to get to Santos – provides incredible views, which make the trip down to the coast even more interesting for the start.

As well as chilling out on the beach (best beaches for sunbathing are José Menino and Gonzaga), here are a few tips of things you can do while in Santos:

Do your sightseeing on a tram

The old tram tours are part of the revitalisation of the historic center of Santos. The guided 5km tours show landmarks in the history of the city and the country. At Carnival, the trams also host the now traditional party Carnabonde. Tickets cost R$ 5 and tours leave from Praça Mauá, Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

Go for a “Hawaiian” Canoeing ride

As in any beach town, water sports are pretty sought-after in Santos. You can take a ride on a canoe to beaches nearby for about R$40 per person. Canoa Brasil has canoeing courses and also organises short trips. They are based at Rua Afonso Celso de Paula Lima 16 – Ponta da Praia. For more information, you can reach them on (13) 3261-2229.

Take a picture with Pelé

The Santista bakery is the stronghold of Santos FC supporters. The owner has even built a statue of the king of football celebrating a goal. He takes the statue away everyday at closing time and replaces it on the next day. The padaria is at the Canal 5 with the Avenida Epitácio Pessoa and is worth a stop for a cold drink – and a photo, of course.

Drink coffee at the Coffee Museum

The Art Deco-style building was built in 1922 and was the home to what was intended to be the biggest commodities exchange in the world. The building is now home to the Coffee Museum and also has a great coffeeshop, with several options and flavours to please all the lovers of the drink. You pay R$5 to get in and the museum is based at Rua XV de Novembro, 95 in the city centre. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm and on Sundays from 10pm to 6pm.

Visit the Museum of Football Achievements

The museum showcases the 100-year history of Santos Football Club with a vast collection of relics. A stadium tour and a visit to the training ground where Neymar and friends play, is also available. Entry is R$6 and the Museum is based at Rua Princesa Isabel, 77, Vila Belmiro. The site is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 7pm. Calling ahead for guided tours is advisable: (13) 3257-4099.

Images: Paranapiacaba station by Blog do Mílton Jung, São Paulo Restaurant Week by Claudia_midori, Pico do Jaraguá, Serra do Mar and Santos at sunset by markhillary and rafting by Klearchos Kapoutsis. All licensed under Creative Commons.

The area around the Júlio Prestes station has concentrated large numbers of crack users and it has been drug traffic and prostitution central for quite a few years. Some sources suggest that at the times when dealing activity was more intense, there were as many as 2,000 users gathered around that specific area every day, many of them children.

In order to revitalise this degraded area of São Paulo, the Nova Luz initiative was created in 2004. To make strides on the project, mayor Gilberto Kassab and governor Geraldo Alckmin supported the clean-up operation that has so far arrested about 200 people. The crack users have mostly been dispersed and moved to other parts of the city.

At the time the operation started, the operation was heavily criticised due to the use of pepper spray, rubber bullets and “excesses” in terms of the handling of the crack users. This prompted a Facebook-organised BBQ in the region to protest against the police action.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately and have talked about it with quite a few people. I have created a blog with the purpose of gathering suggestions of normal civilians like me about what can be done to improve the situation. Call me naive, but I believed that the people who I have been talking to for months (many of them are Twitter ”celebrities” here in Brazil) would want to act on this for the greater good, volunteer, do something.

Pretty much along the lines of Malcolm Gladwell’s theory of slacktivism, it turned out that some people were happy to support the need for action in Cracolândia in theory, but ended up doing little or nothing concrete about that cause.

Let’s face it. People have their own problems, own jobs and lives to get on with. No one who gets out of bed in the morning and work all day to earn a living -from the multinational manager who earns several thousand reais a month to the modestly-paid manicure – has any sympathy for drug addicts at all.

Evidence of this is the BBQ mentioned above, for which more than 4,000 people said they would attend and only 200 turned up on the day, many of them journalists and bloggers who do not have the guts to walk around there in a normal day.

The reality is that the government does what most people want, and the vast majority does not give a damn. And in an election year, they will not lose a single vote over this – they will do whatever it takes to boot the junkies out of the streets. To God knows where, because the government or the police haven’t quite figured that one out.

People don’t care, also because only a small amount of people are directly affected by the presence of the druggies. The middle classes do not even dare going to the Cracolândia, so it is none of their business, as far as they are concerned. Will these people  start to care when crack-crazed zombies start hanging around their leafy neighbourhoods?

At the same time, though extra funding has been announced to treat these people, it is probably right at the bottom of the list of priorities for the health secretary. There are thousands of people waiting for cancer treatment in public hospitals in São Paulo for example, and many die waiting.

Let’s be clear about something: I do not agree at all with the use of violence or even compulsory treatment – yes they are addicts but they are still individuals who deserve and should be treated with respect and can make their individual choices, even though they are bad choices such as smoking crack. And I also believe that these people have a condition that needs to be properly treated.

But the thing is, the government has its attention elsewhere, as well as other priorities. Even the health and rehab centres we have at present allow people to get clean clothes, a shower, some food and off they go to the streets again. So what’s the point of quitting the addiction anyway?

What’s left for these downtrodden people, you may ask? Charity. But these charities need to come up with a more holistic approach. Maybe the way the government could help is by setting up partnerships with these charities and put a system in place that gets these people out of addiction and into a job. Perhaps a scheme that would give these people community work as long as they are part of a rehab scheme. Social exclusion is clearly not the way to go.

Before becoming a crack-head, you become desperate, deprived of hope, perspective, opportunities, information. And because these many other fundamental issues are not being tackled, the São Paulo crackland will continue to exist, not only in the city centre, but everyone’s doorstep. And what can we do, who is going to help us? Help them?

If anyone reading this blog knows of, or has experience with programmes elsewhere that have achieved some success in getting heavy drug users out of addiction and back into normal lives, I would like to know.

Image: Marco Gomes (CC)

Whenever I hear a mention to the neighborhood of Liberdade (which means “Freedom” in Portuguese), my mind floods with memories. It is the place I was born, hung around during my entire childhood and worked at for a number of years. My grandfather also owned a newsagent in the area and lived there for nearly five decades.

Things move on though, and since the Japanese outsed the Italians as the predominant nationality in the area back in the late sixties, the neighbourhood lost some of its magic. But it is still a unique place to visit: walking around Liberdade and checking out its Japanese street lanterns and garden, the bilingual store signs, the mangá and food stores, the Radio Taissô gymnastics and the various restaurants and karaokes takes you to another place, somewhere far away from São Paulo. Somewhere special.

Earlier this month, I was interviewed by Monocle 24 radio about what has changed in the district in the last few years – if you want to find out more about this region of São Paulo, have a listen to the special on Liberdade, about 16m into the show.
Download Monocle 24

Alguma coisa acontece no meu coração
Que só quando cruza a Ipiranga e a avenida São João
É que quando eu cheguei por aqui eu nada entendi
Da dura poesia concreta de tuas esquinas
Da deselegância discreta de tuas meninas

Ainda não havia para mim Rita Lee
A tua mais completa tradução
Alguma coisa acontece no meu coração
Que só quando cruza a Ipiranga e a avenida São João

Quando eu te encarei frente a frente não vi o meu rosto
Chamei de mau gosto o que vi, de mau gosto, mau gosto
É que Narciso acha feio o que não é espelho
E à mente apavora o que ainda não é mesmo velho
Nada do que não era antes quando não somos mutantes

E foste um difícil começo
Afasto o que não conheço
E quem vende outro sonho feliz de cidade
Aprende depressa a chamar-te de realidade
Porque és o avesso do avesso do avesso do avesso

Do povo oprimido nas filas, nas vilas, favelas
Da força da grana que ergue e destrói coisas belas
Da feia fumaça que sobe, apagando as estrelas
Eu vejo surgir teus poetas de campos, espaços
Tuas oficinas de florestas, teus deuses da chuva

Pan-Américas de Áfricas utópicas, túmulo do samba
Mais possível novo quilombo de Zumbi
E os novos baianos passeiam na tua garoa
E novos baianos te podem curtir numa boa

***

Just as in most songs in any language, it is hard to translate the exact meaning of the verses, but the song above is a declaration of love/hate to São Paulo written by Caetano Veloso, an influential Brazilian singer from Bahia.

I have translated the bits that I like the most below, so you get the gist of it. I think this song really conveys the feelings that many people have about this place, this rollercoaster of a city that is São Paulo. Happy 458th anniversary, my dear old Sampa. I love you, against all odds.

Something happens in my heart
Only when it crosses Ipiranga and São João Avenue
When I got here I didn’t understand anything
The concrete poetry of your street corners
Nor the discreet inelegance of your girls

(…)

And you were a difficult beginning
I get away from what I don’t know
And those who sell a different dream of a happy city
Soon learn to call you reality

(…)

From the people oppressed in the waiting lines, in the small streets, in the shanty towns
From the power of the money which rises and destroys beauty
From the ugly smoke that rises and erases the stars
I can see your poets of fields and space
Your forest factories, your rain gods rise

Mayor Gilberto Kassab created the law as an attempt to reduce the number of muggings of customers, particularly those who withdraw large amounts of cash –  the cons would let their mates know that a customer with plenty of money is leaving the bank, by texting or calling them from inside the branch.

Under the law, banks are also responsible for prohibiting the use of mobile phones within their premises. If an inspector finds a customer talking on their mobile phone or sending text messages inside a bank branch, the bank will be fined 2,500 Reais. The value doubles for every recurrence.

However, the penalties are not yet applicable, because banks apparently need to adapt to the law. Meanwhile, you can text and chat away while going about your banking business in Sampa. And so can the villains.

Image: Gustavo Buriola (CC)

Here in São Paulo, I’m reminded of how my friends have such different musical tastes. Some love their samba, while others enjoy música popular brasileira (MPB) rap, new wave, or Motown. Some people I know here are particular about their music to the point of refusing to go to this or that bar because it plays the sort of music they do not enjoy.

It’s not like I don’t have my own preferences – I like a lot of British punk and post-punk stuff as well as MPB, reggae, samba… what you would call ‘eclectic’, I guess. In any case, I’m happy to listen to new music, even if it sometimes is not really my style.

That debate about music reached a new level recently, since new Brazilian sensation Michel Teló has reached international stardom with his song “Ai, se eu te pego” (something like “Oh, if I get you”), which has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube at the time of writing. By comparison, Lady Gaga’s hit “Telephone” has had about 130 million views.

You may ask, who the hell is Michel Teló?

He is a multi-instrumentalist and dancer, a young and reasonably good looking bloke doing that you would class as a mix of forró, country and pop. His main hit is catchy. It is the kind of stuff you find yourself playing in your head over and over again for the best part of the day. It is the sort of thing people like to listen to when they are in a party mood, when they are drunk.

Everyone – especially young people – knows who Michel Teló is. And probably if you ask some party goer in Amsterdam or Ibiza, chances are they will know who he is too. “Ai se eu te pego” has become a number one iTunes hit in countries such as Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany and Poland as well as many South American countries.

Do I like this music? If it is playing at my local boteco, it is no big deal. If I had one too many cachaças, I may sing along. But I would not buy his stuff.

Yet, a lot of Brazilians seem to think that the guy is not worthy of attention here, let alone overseas. Sure, we have plenty of other performers that deserve more airtime than Teló is getting. But sadly, it hasn’t worked out that way so far – despite their talent, Brazilian performers (and celebrities in general) very rarely become international superstars.

Even though Michel Teló’s music may not tick everyone’s boxes in terms of what qualifies as talent, the fact is that he has managed to capture people’s imaginations here in Brazil and abroad. So let’s all hope that he will pave the way for many other Brazilian artists who dream of becoming successful beyond their motherland – whatever their style.

For those who are not familiar with Teló, or need a reminder (as if!) check out “Ai, se eu te pego”:

The São Silvestre is the most traditional street race in Sampa. In this 87th edition, some 25.000 people are taking part – and so am I!

One day before the race and I am getting all apprehensive. On Wednesday, I went to pick up my running kit and looked around: a lot of people seemed quite serious about their running and others not so much, which cheered me up since I am not your Kelly Holmes type of runner to say the least, plus I have a cold from my last London visit that I still haven’t managed to get rid of!

My São Silvestre kit, complete with a t-shirt, foot spray and…a cappucino mix

At the moment, I can run about 5km without stopping and at a reasonable pace, but 15km… I have never done anything like this in my entire life! So why am I taking part?

Because I want to experience the whole thing, soak up the atmosphere, have fun and, of course, tick São Silvestre off my list of things to do here. Besides, I am already resigned to the fact I will walk almost half of it or more – or jog very slowly!

The race will start in Avenida Paulista. We will run downhill towards the Pacaembu Stadium, then head towards the old city centre, past the Teatro Municipal, up Brigadeiro Luiz Antônio (which is said to be the toughest uphill bit of the race) and then down towards the finish at Ibirapuera Park.

Here is my chip and number with my name on – if you see me, give me a good and loud shout!

I will post an update when I recover and after the big New Year’s shindig I have planned for tomorrow. See you guys in 2012 – have a good one!

The mayor’s office also contributed, with a massive bridge with animated characters and music halfway through Paulista which was open to the public. That same bridge will be the main stage for the New Year’s concerts in the avenue. The concerts are also immensely popular – more than two million people are expected to attend this year.

Clockwise from top (l-r): the office of Itaú Personalité (Itaú’s premium service); the bridge put up by the SP mayor’s office; the Conjunto Nacional gallery decorations made out of recycled materials; Santander bank; Bradesco bank at night with crowds taking pictures, the Nativity of the Santa Catarina hospital.

What is missing in one of the pictures above?

As much as I loved my time in London, the weather is one of the main reasons why I moved back home. I never got used to the cold, the whole staying in thing, wearing several layers of clothing, the two-month summers. I could cope with it all perfectly and did so for ten years, but I really didn’t like it.

Sorry to rub it in – but the weather here in São Paulo today is absolutely gorgeous. Blue sky, about 34 degrees, bright green noisy parakeets flying overhead, people walking around in minimal clothing, the boteco-goers knocking back a few cold beers…

Personally, I love this weather. I wish it stayed just like this the whole summer, though we could do with a bit more humidity.

Not everyone enjoys the summer, though. A lot of people on my Facebook timeline are complaining about the weather here in Sampa though. It’s too hot, too sticky, too dry, they say.

A friend of mine even gets depressed when the weather gets warmer. It’s some kind of SAD, but heat-related, so he’s looking to move to Sweden because he can’t cope with the heat.

Well… my little theory is that when you travel abroad for a short period of time to colder places, it is all cosy and cute. Now try and endure a whole winter in Europe when all you are used to is the tropical climate back home!

Another friend on Facebook said she would rather endure hours in a traffic jam caused by a snowstorm than get stuck in one of Rio de Janeiro’s congested avenues when it is 40 degrees outside…

The grass is always greener on the other side!

Image by Marcelo Vieira licensed under Creative Commons