Sao
Paulo, Brazil, September 2007
The day after we arrive, we begin to
feel human. South America, located below the USA giving us a break from major
Jet Lag.
Silvano
Wendel, a physician from Sao Paulo, is our host. He sent a basket of fruit (Papayas included!)
to our room to welcome us. He treated a dozen of us to a fine dinner last night
and invited us to his beach house after the meetings. Very generous! Viva Lata
is a Brazilian restaurant in an old wooden house; lots of unusual, funky art
throughout. I had Papillote white fish in a cabbage leaf, mashed banana (not a
banana that is eaten by itself- just for cooking) with a pretty dome of couscous,
tomato cilantro, and onion salsa. Our first yummy Caipirinha (lime and sugar
cane and cacaca…oh my!). One drink is so strong it’s enough for me, but two
make me believe I can do Latin dancing!
In the restaurant there were 2 bathrooms
with a common sink. A bamboo spout was surrounded by lush leaves. Very
pretty. We chatted with doctors from
South Africa, Australia, USA, Netherlands, Germany, and Brazil. The American presidential race is of immense
interest to so many – quite a shock, really. Plenty of concern about the
present administration. We’ve so many fences to mend!
This morning I walked by the spa en
route to exercise. I was stopped by the massage therapist offering me a free 15-
minute massage. You betcha. All but one startling back stretch felt good.
Once again the oft-repeated phrase
“You only need to speak English all over the world rings shallow. Unless people
use English most of their day, they speak English at the level that I speak French!
In other words, we miss a lot in speaking and listening. This is not a high
enough level of competence for making travel
arrangements. It’s fun to exchange pleasantries in a second language, but the
words run out quickly. For instance, there is only one hotel desk staff person
who can converse easily in English.
Sao Paulo
sees business travelers but few tourists. Our hosts sent a guide to our hotel.
We never left the hotel. She never found us! Blush. Sooooo, they hired another
guide, Carla and her driver, Marcello, to show us Sao Paulo from 2-5 pm. We
paid for the tour only to have the guide learn that the hospital was paying for
it! 400Rs = $200. It was honest of our guide to refund our money (She said she
might have liked to be a nun… if she could keep her boyfriend). Our Brazilian
friends speak of the high crime rate and low education average as truly
lamentable, but unsolvable. Depressing reality?
The Luz Train Station is newly
restored. Very pretty. The Art Museum Estacao Pinacoteca preserved the old
brick while opening up the space. A French painting exhibit alluded to their
Brazilian experience. Then, we saw works by Brazilian artists using the pointedly
realistic or impressionist style. Their nude statues depict real, not idealized
bodies. There is a wonderful comfort about bodies here.
Yes,
it’s sensual but also a spiritual acceptance I admire.
I visited Musei Anchieta Cultural
Center. Fr. Anchieta negotiated a peace between Franciscan/Indian and
Jesuit/Indian factions. We stopped in a
little garden to have a dark coffee with hearts of palm pastry. The surrounding
hedge of coffee trees and berries provided a
charming
backdrop.
Onto the Metropolitan Cathedral
built in 1911. It is gothic and grand. The public square in front teemed with
demonstrators fighting for social justice. Inside the church we saw a large
gleaming silver disk/table used for group baptisms of the wealthy. A
charismatic priest, Marcello Rossi, has attracted many people due to his
engaging sermons.
It is a tradition to tell something
of the culture at the scientific meetings opening ceremony. Brazil’s started
with a beautiful film on its many natural wonders: beach, forest and sky. After
the welcoming speeches, we listened to a fabulous trio playing: tambourine,
clarinet and guitar. This same band played for us later in the week at Silvano
and
Rita’s
beach home. A fudgy, Carmella Brazilian chocolate dessert won me over. It was
served in a shot glass-sized cup and eaten with a tiny spoon. We chatted with
Anna Prietti our friend and host from our 2003
trip
to Belo Horizonte. Such a gracious, intelligent, interesting
doctor/writer/mother/wife/philosopher! We hope to visit the antique
market
together.
Just
as in Jakarta, Sao Paulo is difficult for a ‘single’ woman to explore. Hiring a
driver is overkill, yet depending on my Italian or English only works
sometimes. We must have been in the Italian section of the city when we visited
here in 2000!
Brazilians
interact with strangers from here and everywhere. Warm, unhurried, and
charming.
I
arranged a taxi for 10am to take me to Avenue Paulista. I changed plans when
advised it was safer to call (not hail) a cab. Time after time people gently
smile and refuse a tip for help they give me. I bought something in a small
shop and asked them to mail it to the USA. After a conversation among the
staff, they introduced me to a teen aide. He accompanied me four blocks to the
post office, packed the box of gifts, carried everything, smiled and smiled. He
would only accept a $5.00 tip because I motioned it was for his lunch. Very kind.
I
visited another shop, this time buying a size 10 skirt for Sydney after a
lengthy
discussion about whether it was big enough. I left the store to shop elsewhere
in the center. Two hours later, the shopkeeper spotted me and ran after me with
the same style skirt in a size larger in case that was better for me. This was amazing service and kindness!
Strolling
along a main boulevard, I stopped at St. Catherine’s Hospital to sit near the
fountain and enjoy this cool rose garden oasis on a hot day.
Later,
I ordered a purple pudding type dessert at a nearby café. Tasted like berry,
bean and root?
We
highly recommend “Viva Bar Brahm” for Brazilian music and delicious local food
and drinks. Many Brazilians sing and dance along with the bands: “Demonios da
Garda” and Conjunto Varanda Paulista.
Such
a relaxing evening.
Some
memorable treats:
-Lacta’s
“Sonho Valsa” scrumptious honeycomb with milk chocolate.
-The
Municipal Market –an indoor extravaganza of fruits, cheeses, smoked fish and
meats. Tasted atamoia, which resembles my favorite tropical fruit, mangosteen.
We ate their special Mortadella sandwich
(salami,
bologna, cheese on crusty roll). I met my first cashew fruit and learned that the
nut resides in the stem.
-Favola
with fried bananas
The
“Jardim District” is full of nice homes, bistros and shops! Many buildings have
a security guard posted outside. The white buildings with iron grillwork
balconies are lovely. Wish I could see the gardens inside the walls!
BOICUCANGA
After
the meetings we left Sao Paolo and wound our way along a curving highway to the
oceanfront beach home of Silvano, Rita and Ricardo Wendel. Ricardo, a 9 years,
attends school 1-5pm Mon-Fri. Rita, his mom, is a pharmacist about to get a PhD
in platelets. Silvano, his dad, is a physician. The household staff was so
caring. The serene natural landscape was
so soothing after our days in bustling Sao Paolo. Our room had a deck facing
the pool and then the ocean. We ate dinner outside then danced to a live band
on their patio. It was so fun; we danced until the wee hours!
One
night three men arrived with a huge pig stuffed and ready to roast.
Throughout
the night they tended its roasting. Thanks to excellent advice, we ate the
tasty fatty, crackly rind and the meat. Saffron, farina , and diced salami
flavored the stuffing. A salad of apples, raw cabbage and spinach was the
perfect accompaniment.
Yes,
we ate like pigs, and then swam in the pool, walked on the beach, played
badminton with wooden rackets and a tennis ball. Mike kicked a soccer ball with
Ricardo and his neighbor friend. We were
surrounded by beauty: temperate rainforest punctuated by bright flowers,
turquoise concrete walls sporting pink flowering vines, domed- shaped islands
and charming coves. The stormy waters made dramatic waves, but precluded our
boat trip.
Three
non-Brazilian teams competed to make the most attractive and most delicious caipirinhas.
This national treasure is a lime
drink made with Brazilian caracao liquor. Definitely fabulous! The drinks were
decorated with garnishes made of sliced starfruit, twisted lime circles,
colored
straws, woven leaves, etc. Four Brazilians acted as judges.
Candles
floating like lilies on the pool. Frigate birds gliding above, buzzards perched
in trees, butterflies of many colors. What a paradise!
The
next day we played pool, did e-mail, read and chatted. For lunch we ate a
traditional stew of black beans, sausage, pork, and onions. Then local cheese
served with a sweet fruit compote. Then seaweed salad and a delicate homemade
pastry. The cook is from the north in Bahia. Such a meal must be followed by a
long walk on the beach. It’s not too cold, though we wore several layers and a
rainjacket.
Still
another exceptional feast: shrimp/cheese casserole, potato pudding,
apple/potato salad, fresh papaya and mango. For dessert I couldn’t decide
between chocolate ice cream with FRESH coconut sauce or vanilla ice cream with
coconut/passion fruit sauce. Yes, I made the right choice= both!
How
sad to drink our last authentic Caipirinha and get into a car for the 2 hours
car trip to the airport. Somehow it felt as if we had won a contest or were in
a movie- so much luxury, hospitality, and natural beauty.
We
left a lazy susan of Northwest polished wood as a house gift.
What
an incredible week spent with medical people from several countries. There was
time to have conversations with them all.
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