Day 39 - Såo Paulo Explorations - April 6, 2013

Today is Saturday, Rick's only day off this week, and Nina had enlisted him to drive us all around the city.  Fortunately the traffic was less crazy than weekdays, but still crazy.  They drove to the apartment and picked us up, then we continued downtown to a big central park called Parque do Ibirapuera.  K and I explored the enormous, covered skating center and had some fresh coconut water, which was inexpensive and readily available, while Rick and Nina found parking.  Next we went to a museum with a Vatican display, only to learn that yesterday was the final day.  We took a long walk around the park, seeing the lake and feeding some ducks and swans, taking lots of photos, and watching all the people.  Rick also found a stand serving açai, a wonderful thing, and bought us a couple of bowls of this delicious and healthy concoction.  Feeling refreshed and energized, we headed back across the park to another museum with an expo of local art by local artists.

There were mist machines along the jogging trails.  Press a button for cool refreshing mist!

Paulistas were out in force, enjoying the park and perfect weather.

Even a couple of foreigners fit right in given the diversity of the city!

I found the coconut juice business to be incredibly well organized.  There was an independent stand every 100 feet or so selling juice.  You could buy a coconut with a straw in it, or they had cored and poured the juice into giant steel containers with ice, so you could buy it by the cup or by the bottle, from sizes ranging from 250ml to a full liter.  The supply system and free market were working their magic and keeping each stand fully stocked.

Typical vendor and stand

Entrepeneurs pulled these carts from stand to stand, asking vendors if they need fresh supply.

The guy in the pickup was stocking the VW van, and he supplied coconuts to the metal cart guys.

The art expo was very large and diverse, and each one of us was able to find things that were appealing to our tastes.  All of it was for sale, but we all refrained from buying.  There is also a very good restaurant inside the museum, and Rick treated us all to a buffet where we were able to try feijoada, a famous stew from Brazil.  It was delicious and very filling, so we found some salad and fruit to add balance to our meals.   Here are a few arty pictures to wrap up the post...

This is a famous cartoon character in Brazi, made from Havaianas and Carnival headdresses.