Brazil 2007

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.