Dancers from the Salgueiro Samba School in Rio de Janeiro perform during a practice session in preparation for Carnival.
They say Brazilians are some of the most beautiful people in the world. That doesn’t really help with self-esteem! All joking aside, yes, there are remarkably gorgeous people in Brazil, and, for the most part, their warmth and friendliness makes them that much more beautiful.
Clothes
It can be intimidating to walk down the street and see women who look like they’ve just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. Clothes are typically high fashion with women wearing super skinny jeans or short shorts. The tighter the better. Jeans are also well-fitted for the gentlemen.
We don’t see men wearing too many hats here, but lots of ladies like the fedora, especially around the beach.
Soccer jerseys for beloved teams are very popular among guys. Authentic jerseys can be expensive, but like most products in South America, a cheap counterfeit substitute will quickly be offered to those who cannot afford them.
Shoes
Seeing a woman walking down a cobblestone street in 4-inch heels is a fascinating scene as it’s apparent she has had much practice at this. Flats of every color and shape are also popular, especially among younger ladies.
Men can be seen in pointed-toes, Italian-leather shoes with buckles. Even when dressed down, the shoes are European tennis shoes.
Havaianas flip flops are a must. Not only does everyone wear them here, but it’s the only brand of flip flops we see, proudly displaying a small Brazilian flag along the straps. We gave many pairs for gifts this holiday season.
Jewelry
A beach vendor offers a variety of handmade jewelry on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Gold seems to be the preferred metal in Brazil, as I only saw one person wearing silver. With earrings, the bigger the better. I particularly like to buy from beach vendors, and feather earrings are very popular right now. Wedding rings are kept pretty simple with smaller diamonds and plain bands, often to avoid potential thieves.
Personal appearance
In much of Brazil, tattoos are plentiful and displayed proudly with many people having lots of meaningful marks. Tattoos do not seem to have a stigma like some parts of the U.S. In addition to images, song lyrics, in Portuguese or English, are popular. While most tattoos may be covered in the workplace, they will be abundantly obvious at the beaches where most Brazilians spend their weekends.
I visited my nail technician, Ana Maria, every week at E. Cris’ Cabeileira in São Paulo.
The opposite of the U.S., you almost never see a woman without her fingernails painted, but her toenails often are natural. Cabeileiras or beauty shops are everywhere to perform manis/pedis. The way they do manicures here isn’t as precise as the nail technicians in the States, but the ladies get the job done.
Of course, in the country where the Brazilian bikini wax originated, personal grooming is a must, especially for the tiny bathing suits here.
Beachwear
Swimsuits in Brazil are much more revealing than in the U.S., but when in Rome …
For most Americans, the most striking difference in fashion among Brazilians is in beachware. As one Brazilian told us “Brazilian swimsuits are like American underwear and American underwear is like a Brazilian swimsuit.” The Brazilian bikini, with its minimal coverage, is world famous and has helped make Brazilian beach volleyball a popular viewing sport worldwide. Men wear sungas, a much more revealing piece than the Speedo. While the Speedo blocks a frontal view, the sunga “emphasizes” the curves, leaving very little to the imagination. Regardless of people’s size or even pregnancy status, the swimsuits are plentiful at most Brazilian beaches and don’t always provide the beautiful imagery associated with Cariocas playing volleyball.
Fashion in Brazil is highly valued, and, therefore, the country is rated as one of the most stylish places to be seen. What style comes to mind when you think of fashion in Brazil?
Mãe Preta (Black Mother) statue in a São Paulo square dedicated to women who gave birth as slaves.
I’ve seen moms whip them out and stick it in the the kid’s mouth on buses, in shopping malls, and even at the gym. Does anyone gawk? Anyone complain to management? Please! Brazilians doesn’t even bat an eye, the the moms don’t use coverups.
Also, from what I can tell, breast feeding goes on longer here with children than in the U.S. I’ve seen newborns to walking toddlers nursing. It’s all very natural here. The little one gets fussy, the mom picks him up, and that’s that.
There are also fraldas, which literally translates to diaper, in almost every public place. These are rooms especially for nursing moms to go and be with their babies, equipped with rocking chairs, changing stations, and everything else you need to take care of the little one.
Personally, I don’t have kids so I’ve never had to deal with this situation. However, in my opinion, it’s a mom’s decision. If she’s comfortable and the baby is happy, why not? I may avert my eyes to the somewhat awkward scene, but I’m just happy there aren’t that many crying kids on public transportation in the country.
What’s your opinion? Do you think it’s just a natural part of life or should moms take it behind closed doors?
Rio de Janeiro quickly became one of our favorite travel destinations in the world during our time in Brazil. While São Paulo holds the bulk of Brazilian jobs and money, almost everyone you meet in Brazil will tell you that if they could truly live anywhere, they would choose Rio.
Our Favorite Places
Some ripped Cariocas take a walk down Ipanema Beach,
Beaches
With most Brazilian families heading to the beach on weekends whenever possible, sometimes as much as three to four times a month even for a family living in a city a few hours away, beaches mean as much to Brazilian culture as teatime in England or football tailgates parties in the American South, and Rio could easily be labeled the capitol of this culture. Many “Cariocas,” as Rio locals are deemed, spend the bulk of their time in two places: the gym and the beach. Anyone arriving with an American-bought swimsuit will quickly notice that they are overdressed amongst the Cariocas, often some of the world’s most beautiful people, donning sungas and Brazilian bikinis with a pair of Havaianas.
Ipanema and Copacabana are the primary beaches and were immortalized long ago by pop-culture references. They are divided by the Arpaodor Rock, a popular nighttime destination. Locals use post markers, near the street and usually housing lifeguards, as meeting point references. The post numbers have also come to define which type of people generally meet in the vicinity.
Numerous wires intersect to steal electricity in Rocinha.
Favela Tour
Prime real estate in Rio overlooking the beaches from mountains and hilltops above is not auctioned to the highest bidder but instead actually is home to some of Brazil’s most notorious favelas. We toured Rocinha, the largest favela in South America. Upon arriving at the bottom of the hill, our tour guide paid for each of us to take a mototaxi to the top. He was able to find mototaxi drivers willing to accommodate the female members of our group much more quickly than he was able to find drivers for the men. In the favela, rent can sometimes be higher than you would expect; however, citizens have no other bills. Electricity is tapped off of the grid in a sloppy disorganized fashion reminiscent of Old Delhi in India. Other services, including water and television, are also branched into the favela through the work of handymen. Armed guards stand along entrance ways and cannot be photographed. With the World Cup and Olympics both coming to Brazil, police have worked to clean up favelas, and they are now deemed as safer than they once were. However, they remain policed much more by elected residents than by city police. Many of these favela leaders have actually recently outlawed crack in their communities, citing the damage it has done to addicts.
Word of warning – be sure to do a tour with a legit guide through a favela. Traveling alone through such an area can be very risky.
Performers dance the samba at the Plataforma show.
Dance Performances
Since we are unable to attend Carnavale this year due to our upcoming move to Switzerland, we found two places where locals advised us we could see the closest show to Carnavale without being there. First, we attended a Platforma show at the Flamengo Theater, held mostly for tourists but it remains the best show of its kind that we have witnessed in Brazil. Showing the history of dance in Brazil, men and women in full costume perform while tourists eat and drink.
On our next trip to Rio, we spent a night at the Salguerio Samba School. Crowded with people throughout the night who told us that they were born dancing the samba and that is why they dance it so well, Salguerio was a constant show of drums and dancers on a warm Brazilian night with caipirinhas pouring to cool down. Salguerio Samba Queen Vviane Aruajuo, a local celebrity, was also on hand to lead the band and wave to her awing admirers.
Visiting the famous staircase in Lapa.
Lapa
Once you have attended each of these events, you’re fully ready to explore the famed samba neighborhood of Lapa. However, don’t miss out on a daytime neighborhood to this nightspot as well or you will miss Escadaria Selarón, a continually evolving staircase of artwork by Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who often included his own likeness as a pregnant woman in his artwork and began with tiles collected from his world travels as a tribute to Brazil.
In a tragic turn of events, Selarón was found dead yesterday on his beloved masterpiece. His death is being felt globally as Rio and the world loses such a talented and dedicated artist. It’s too early to tell what will happen to Escadaria Selarón, but it would be a shame to see the staircase not kept up in memory of its creator.
Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio deJaneiro
Cristo Redentor
Of course, you are not done exploring Rio until you have visited Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). The climb to the top of the hill can take ages on foot or by car but a tram (for a fee) also runs to the top if you find yourself at the base of the mountain. Just as with the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and other major world tourist attractions, the site is a memorable must-see but you will spend the majority of the day waiting to get inside. Once you have climbed the mountain, you will find the ticket line, purchase tickets and pay for the honor of joining another queue leading to the bus. A bus will take you farther up the mountain to the base of Cristo where you wait it another line before being allowed inside the gate where you still face a bit of a walk upward and more crowds. Whichever day you decide to visit Cristo, go as early as possible. Lines are shorter in the morning and the view is also less likely to be obstructed by thick fog. Other acquaintances have shown us pictures that they took in the late afternoon from above Rio in which the scenery is nothing more than a white cloud.
A cable car makes it way down Sugarloaf Mountain.
Pão de Açúcar Mountain
Another great view of the area comes from Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) Mountain. We arrived on the 100th birthday of the bodinho (cable car). Although you will be unable to enjoy the festivities and cake available on this special day, the views as you rise to the top of the mountain, over those climbing the mountain by more strenuous means, are spectacular.
Parque Lage
If you have time, one more spectacular view seen around the world thanks to Snoop Dogg and Pharrell is in Parque Lage, a park complete with monkeys surrounding a 1920s mansion near the Botanic Gardens and at the base of the Corcovado looking up at Cristo.
We followed Anthony Bourdain’s suggestion and tracked down Beach Stand 80 under the Uruguay national flag for some delicious sandwiches.
Eats
We followed our favorite travel advisor, Anthony Bourdain, on his recommendation to Barraca do Uruguay, a Uruguayan grilled pork sandwich stand easily identified by the blue and white Uruguayan flag at Stand #80 in Ipanema. Churrascarias, offering endless meats brought to your table awaiting the response of a nod for yes or finger wave for no, are popular throughout Brazil but some of the most revered hail from the Rio area. For a truly Brazilian night, the visitor must devour an endless amount of meat followed by caipirinhas of domestic Cachaça and drank while either watching or dancing the samba. Americans beware, however, of the rare all-you-can-eat opportunity in Brazil. As pay-per-kilo buffets are much more common, you can actually be fined for taking too much food and leaving it on your plate.
Working in Rio de Janeiro
So what is Rio like for the resident who sees some of the most beautiful sites in the world on a daily basis? Although Leo Nguyen has lived in other cities around Brazil, he confirms what others who dream of working here always suspect, the sites never get old and “Rio tops it all.” Like most Cariocas, Leo does not talk much about work; that is not what defines him. Instead, he describes a lifestyle and culture much unlike the gridlocked traffic jam of businessmen in São Paulo that allows him to train five times a week in his favorite activities of Jui Jitsu and Muay Thaim while working downtown. After his heavy workout, he generally meets friends for drinks and to socialize near the beaches.
People fill the sidewalk during a weekday in Rio deJaneiro.
“The beauty of the Carioca vibe is that the passion to enjoy life is there, to enjoy that moment and not get caught in later or tomorrow. It’s living in the now and being here. Living here or just visiting you feel that energy and it’s liberating. Very out of the box from the U.S. stand point.” says Leo. “People smiling and laughing and enjoying life. Brazilians will never run dry on passion and it’s infectious.”
That lifestyle only intensifies on the weekends as heavy traffic brings in Brazilians from all cities and the night becomes even later, starting later and finishing later. Bars never close until the sun is up.
We give Rio a 9 on our list of favorite places to be. Where is your favorite beach?
Milk rarely comes in bottles or is refrigerated here. You’ll find it in the aisle near the cereal
One of the hardest things to do here is grocery shopping. I read a blog post once about how living abroad was like going through adolescents again because you have to re-learn everything. The author must have been thinking about grocery shopping.
Where’s the creme de azedo?
There are three grocery stores within just a few blocks of where we live. Dia is a discount grocery store like Bottom Dollar. The Extra Supermercado is a basic grocery story comparable to Food Lion. Pão de Açúcar is higher-end and more like a Publix. And I don’t go to any of them without my Portuguese dictionary. A usual 15-minute run to the store in the U.S. takes me on average at least an hour here. It helps, though, in learning Portuguese when you have to look up how to say the most basic food items, like cheese (queijo pronounced k-joe), butter (manteiga pronounced mon-te-ga ), milk (leitche pronounced lay-chay) and eggs (ovos pronounced ohh-voos).
One of the strangest things about grocery shopping in Brazil: You won’t find rubbing alcohol in the medicine aisle. Here, alcohol is used as a cleaning agent, so it’s in the aisle with bathroom disinfectants and dish washing liquid.
You won’t find everything here that is just basic in the U.S., like peanut butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese (though Brazil does have a lot of other high-quality cheese to choose from). However, you improvise. There is a ton of hazelnut spread like Nutella. And, if you get a real craving, there are Wal-Marts and Sam’s Club that typically carry all the U.S. goodies. Just beware, our products are considered imports. So, a can of Campbell’s soup is going to run you about $5.
I also don’t advise you go to the grocery store here when you’re in a hurry. Check out takes forever. There is no rush and even the express lines don’t move that fast. There are also lines reserved for the disabled, elderly, pregnant women, and people with small children. You are expected to bag your own groceries, and it’s highly encouraged to bring your own bags.
My typical Wednesday lunch of a meat and cheese pastel and sugarcane juice at the feira.
My favorite activity in Brazil
There’s a scence in one of my favorite movies, “Under the Tuscan Sun” where Diane Lane’s character is writing about an outdoor market in Italy. “I eat a hot grape from the market, and the violet sweetness breaks open in my mouth. It even smells purple,” she writes. This is feira for me.
The weekdays here end in feira (Monday is segunda-feira, Tuesday is terça-feira, etc.), and each day in a different neighborhood there is an outdoor market set up in a blocked-off street. Everything you could possibly want is available in the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, spices, sweets and cheeses. There are also vendors selling clothes, jewelry and kitchen products. Prices are also usually cheaper than the grocery stores.
These three little girls had a lunch of pastels with me one day at the feira.
The feira in our neighborhood is every Wednesday, and I try to go each week even if I don’t need to buy anything just for a lunch of pastels (something like a Hot Pocket) and sugarcane juice (Brazil has the freshest juices you can find). The feira is so colorful with strawberries, melons, oranges, corn, tomatoes, and so much more. The women are bargaining over the cost of a kilo of beans, old men are sampling the ripest peaches, the vendors are calling out to each shopper walking by about their freshest produce, kids are laughing and tugging at your clothes to buy them candy or pastels, and it’s the most wonderful experience.
Cinnamon and nutmeg in whole form. Get ready to grind!
A Brazil kitchen
In the U.S. we’re spoiled with convenience. You want apple sauce? Buy a jar. You want a spice? McCormick’s has got it for you. Here? You’re going to work for it. Nutmeg comes in its whole form, shredded cheese is mainly a luxury, and you’ll be making your own apple sauce and other cut-up/mashed-up forms of fruit. You are expected to shred, chop, mash and grind yourself.
Whereas the preservatives we have in food back home keeps stuff in the fridge for days to weeks, there are no preservatives here. That means that if you want to have cucumbers in your salad Friday and it’s Monday, wait to buy them.
What product would you miss the most while living abroad? We’ve really missed peanut butter and sour cream.
Yesterday, our family and friends celebrated Christmas with gifts, big dinners, quality time together, and, my personal favorite, a continuous marathon of “The Christmas Story” on TBS. While that was happening, we were on our way to the beach town of Natal, which means Christmas in Portuguese, and we’re looking forward to New Year’s on an Amazon adventure.
While enjoying the hottest Christmas we’ve ever experienced, we did miss our family and friends (especially our new niece’s first Christmas). We’re glad to see through Facebook, though, it looks like everyone had a great time.
Panettone is a traditional Christmas cake, much like the U.S. fruit cake.
Celebrating in Brazil
Christmas in Brazil is similar to the U.S. Decorations are put up, gifts are given, and children are warned to be good for Papai Noel (Santa Claus). At work, Secret Santa or amigo secreto is a huge celebration. The entire office participates, and a dinner is held to exchange the gifts where each participant gives a speech describing their secret friend. Everyone then tries to guess who the person is before he receives his gift.
A performer displays a Carnival costume at the Platforma Show in Rio de Janeiro.
Unlike the U.S., though, Christmas isn’t the biggest holiday for Brazil. We’ve been told Carnival is what it’s all about. Unfortunately, as Carnival is in February, we won’t be here to experience that. If the shows we’ve seen, however, that imitate Carnival are any indication, its going to be an amazing party. There are plenty of parades featuring samba schools and elaborate costumes. In the U.S., Mardi Gras in New Orleans is the closest comparison.
Other holidays in Brazil we have experienced include the country’s Independence Day, Our Lady of Aparecida and/or Children’s Day, Day of the Dead, Republic Day and Black Awareness Day. Many holidays center around the Catholic religion as it’s the largest for the country.
Independence Day in Brazil is celebrated September 7, and it commemorates the country declaring its independence from Portugal in 1822. We spent the holiday in Rio de Janeiro where we saw military members and equipment on their way to participate in a parade.
A popular Brazilian cartoon character, Mônica, and I during Dia das Crianças festivities in Foz do Iguaçu.
Our Lady of Aparecida, also known as Children’s Day, is a celebration of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Brazil, and children held October 12. We celebrated in Foz do Iguaçu by attending a festival full of kids activities.
A man arranges candles on the grave of a loved one during All Souls Day in Curitiba city cemetery.
November 2 is Day of the Dead or All Souls Day, a part of the Catholic tradition where families remember their past loved ones by visiting cemeteries and cleaning the graves. Unlike in the Mexican culture where the holiday is celebrated with parties, Day of the Dead in Brazil is a very somber day. We visited the city cemetery in Curitiba where we bought some flowers for old graves that didn’t look like anyone had been to for awhile. It was a great experience that I had wanted to participate in for a long time.
The former royal palace of the king of Brazil before the country was declared a republic is now the Museu Paulista of Universidade de São Paulo.
Republic Day is observed November 15 and commemorates the end of the Empire of Brazil and the proclamation of the Republic of Brazil in 1889.
Black Awareness Day is observed November 20 and is celebrated in honor of dark-skinned Brazilians and the end of slavery, which was abolished in 1888 by Princess Isabel. Similar to Black History Month in the U.S., this day recognizes the contributions that those of African descent have made to Brazilian society.
Other holidays in Brazil we were not here for include Tiradentes’ Day April 21 that celebrates the death of the national martyr who aimed to establish an independent Brazilian republic and Labour Day or May Day May 1 like our Labor Day in the U.S. observed each September.
Not our usual elaborate Halloween costumes, but we did get to celebrate at Chris’ language school in São Paulo.
No ghosts or goblins here
My favorite holiday is Halloween, and Chris’ is Christmas. Halloween isn’t actually celebrated here in Brazil as for a long time it was seen as evil by the church and kept out. Known as dia das bruxas here, it’s literal translation is “day of the witches.” Though many don’t dress up (costumes are popular in Brazil, though, for kids and costume parties) and there is no such thing as trick-or-treating, the holiday has gained in popularity here in recent years with the introduction of more expats. With the shunning of Halloween, ghost tours, one of our favorite travel activities, are also not widely available in Brazil.
On our first trip to Santos, it was a breath of fresh air from the cramped and hectic city of São Paulo. As the largest port in South America, this bustling sea town has lots to offer with the coziness of a smaller town feel.
Our favorite spots
The beachfront garden in Santos with its many sculptures holds the record at 5.3 kilometers long.
Beach Garden
Though there are better swimming beaches in Brazil, Santos holds the record for the largest beachfront garden at 5.3 kilometers. Taking a stroll through this beautiful flora with sculptures throughout is a nice way to spend an afternoon in Santos.
Canals
Santos is built on a series of draining canals, and it is the mark people use to get around. The best beach spot is Gonzaga Praia between Canals 3 and 4.
A nightime view from the São Vicente Lookout Point.
São Vicente Lookout Point
The sister city of Santos, São Vicente was the first city founded in Brazil in 1532. At the lookout point, you get an incredible view of the Santos and São Vicente coastline.
An antique scale with brands from across Brazil is displayed in the Coffee Museum in Santos.
Coffee Museum
At the turn of the 20th Century, Santos was the seat of the Brazilian coffee trade. Housed in the Official Coffee Exchange, a beautiful building popular for wedding pictures, the Coffee Museum tells the history of the industry through exhibits and presentations. There is a nice café with live entertainment serving high-quality Brazilian coffee and a gift shop to purchase fresh roasted beans. The center of the museum is the Trading Room with marble floors and a vaulted ceiling that hosts special events. We watched an orchestra Christmas concert here.
Just a few of the more than 500 awards on display at the Achievements Memorial.
Santos Futebol Clube Museum
Arguably the world’s greatest soccer player, Pelé, spent his career here, and a small museum, known as the Achievements Memorial, houses a team trophy room displaying more than 500 awards. The Santos Futebol Clube is like the New York Yankees; there is so much history and legend surrounding the team. The Babe Ruths, Joe DiMaggios and Mickey Mantles of soccer played for Santos, and the team holds many records.
Various boards with descriptions are on display at the Surf Museum in Santos. Step outside to watch surf lessons.
Surf Museum
A small museum located at the end of the Santos beachfront and the beginning of the São Vicente beachfront in the Roberto Mário Santini Municipal Park, the Surf Museum provides a brief history of the sport in Brazil. Check out the great black-and-white photos of legendary surfers from the 60s. There are also free surf lessons, and you can sit in the park to watch.
Eats
As a seaport, Santos has a variety of seafood restaurants. Porta do Sol is a great option. The chef goes to the fish market each morning to purchase his selection for the day, and the menu is handwritten each morning. A pineapple sangria and dessert are always on the house. Additionally, upon learning that we were Americans on our first visit to the restaurant, the owner of the family establishment brought us an extra dish, an excellent flounder recipe. There is an ice cream shop, Sorveteria Royal, that is a great stop for dessert. With a wide variety of flavors, the ice cream is very rich, and we make it a point to always go there when we’re in Santos.
Working in Santos
Santos is a 6 on our list. What would you give it?
Santos has an economy that depended on exports of coffee (as well as sugar) throughout much of its history. Today the coffee trade, although still active, has diminished and the old trading floor is now the coffee museum described above. The main industries in the town still center on the ports via cargo shipping, tourism and fishing.
Thomas Pai, owner of Yuan-Feng Fabrica de Gelo, says that the main advantage to working and living in Santos is the quality of life.
“Santos is a relatively large town but it still holds that atmosphere of a small town where people tend to be friendlier, with no hurries,” he says. “Except on long weekends and holidays, there are no traffic jams and usually it does not take more than 15 minutes to go from point to point. The town is quite flat, making it easy for walking and bicycle rides.”
Whenever we have an upcoming trip to Santos, we avoid the higher prices and crowds in São Paulo for a much easier shopping experience on the coast. Pai reminds us that the beaches could be kept cleaner, and while Santos provides a nice relaxing weekend on the beach, other Brazilian beaches are more beautiful and better maintained. He also warns that good restaurants are hard to find.
“Usually they are expensive and/or of relatively low quality,” he says. He recommends asking locals for advice on how to find the honest and good seafood restaurants in town.
Recently, Petrobras has been exploring pre-salt oil in the Santos area as well as other coastal regions and this is expected to be a future boon on the local economy. Pai also says that an increase in port-related operations is expected.
After a long day or week on the job, Pai says that locals prefer a walk on the beach or sitting and have a nice chat with friends near the beach. On our trips to Santos, we have witnessed several local residents entering a beachside restaurant for lunch and remaining there well into the night ordering drinks and appetizers.
We give Santos an overall rating of 6 on our list of favorite places to be. What is your favorite seaport town?
“It is nice to meet you. I’m the President of the United States. You don’t have to introduce yourself because everyone in the world knows who Pelé is.” – President Ronald Reagan
Corinthians vs. Internacional
As we drive through the streets of São Paulo, we often encounter a futebol (soccer) pickup game being played in the center of the streets. Slowly navigating around the goals and watching for any sudden movement of ball or kids toward the car, we steer past. These street games are often played in the poorer neighborhoods while middle to upper class neighborhoods have walled fields on the sides, always busy with action. Games are ubiquitous in Brazil all seven days of the week. The streets are slightly quieter on Wednesday and Sunday when professional teams take the field and people meet with their friends around televisions and bottles of Original or Skol cerveja (beer), intermittently singing the anthems of their teams.
This weekend, most of the nation awoke to cheer for or against Corinthians, the most popular yet possibly also the most hated futebol club in Brazil. Corinthians fans had been building this game up for months, held at a neutral site in Japan and considered the world championship of club soccer, between Chelsea of England and Corinthians of Brazil. Fans of rivals purchased and downloaded Chelsea emblems throughout the week as the easiest manner to display their hatred.
Corinthians fans draped in team flags walk to the town center to celebrate with the masses.
We spent the weekend in Santos, the busiest container port town in Latin America, about a one-hour drive (or possibly 8-9 hours with potentially horrible Brazilian traffic) from the city of São Paulo. After the first half, with the game tied at 0-0, it was difficult to decipher whether the citizens of Santos, where football’s most famous star, Pelé, spent his career on the local club team and Brazilian star Neymar now plays, cared about the game occurring for São Paulo’s top team. After all, their own team was recognized by FIFA as being the first professional team in the world to score 10,000 goals.
However, when Paulo Guerrero received a pass behind the goalkeeper in the second half of the game and placed it in the goal above the heads of three Chelsea defenders attempting to cover the goal for their displaced goalkeeper, the fireworks literally began filling the Brazilian landscape. Throughout the final moments of the game, fireworks and car horns became increasingly louder, predicting the post-game party that we would soon witness. As the game’s final whistle blew, our friends from Santos recommended a walk to the town’s central meeting place where Corinthians celebrators would be converging.
Along our walk to the center of town, car horns blared, flags waved and Corinthians fans sang their anthem. As we approached, we saw a growing crowd shouting, jumping and shooting fireworks. What we witnessed was a slightly smaller scale version of the massive celebrations being broadcast on television from the city of São Paulo.
Futebol rivalries in Brazil dwarf any rivalries that we have previously witnessed, including Yankees-Red Sox and Auburn-Alabama. The threat of violence is so real that the visiting team at South American soccer matches is released from the stadium first and given up to an hour at times to vacate the premises before the home team’s crowd is allowed to exit. Alcohol is not sold at professional soccer matches in South America in an attempt to further discourage violence.
On a national level, Brazil maintains a fierce rivalry with Argentina. Whether the national teams are playing or two club teams from each country are facing off, fireworks are likely. Last week, São Paulo FC faced Tigre from Argentina in the championship of Copa Sudamericana. The game, held in São Paulo, was suspended at half-time with SPFC leading 2-0 and declared the champion. Tigre’s coach had refused to allow his team to retake the field, citing first half violence and claiming that São Paulo police pulled guns on his players as they entered the locker room. This is certainly not the first occurrence of such actions at a Brazilian match. In 2005, a player from the Argentine team of Quilmes was arrested on the field for alleged racism and detained for 40 hours. Charges were later dropped. In 2002, Santos defender Preto was left unconscious after being hit in the head by a police officer while arguing with a referee. Other incidents have also occurred where players were pepper sprayed or arrested during matches.
At the Argentinian Fútbol Club River Plate game where fans cheer on their team by singing the club’s anthem.
Despite a record five World Cup championships, past losses continue to sting in a nation that fully expects to win each and every year, and the nation’s winning history is often overshadowed by the losses. Alcides Ghiggia’s goal for Uruguay in 1950 is displayed throughout São Paulo’s Museu do Futebol and still often arises in conversations 62 years later. An Olympic gold medal has still evaded Brazil and this year’s loss to Mexico in the championship once again hurt in a nation that fully expects to win.
The city of São Paulo, our current home, has three major professional football teams: Corinthians, São Paulo and Palmeiras.
Touring Pacaembu
Corinthians, now labeled as this year’s World Champion, is the “people’s favorite.” This team has cheaper tickets than its rivals and claims fans across favelas throughout Brazil. Only Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro can claim nearly as many fans as Corinthians nationwide. The team currently plays in the city’s shared stadium of Pacaembu but is now building its own world-class stadium ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
São Paulo FC has higher priced tickets and tends to hold more of an upper class fan base. Their rivalry with Corinthians remains fierce and shouts of opposing chants and anthems occur everywhere that fans may clash.
Palmeiras is the third professional team in the city of São Paulo. In recent years, Palmeiras has struggled and will fall to the second division for a second time next year. This has resulted in death threats to the team president from avid fans. Palmeiras fans lately have had more fun cheering for the opponents of Corinthians and São Paulo than cheering on their own team. Meanwhile, Corinthians fans are openly just as happy about Palmeiras’ demise as they are their own success.
Since being brought to Brazil by British visitors in the late 1800s, futebol has evolved this culture in a way that will be seen on the world stage as never before during the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Pictures of Pelé and Neymar occupy about half of the advertisements seen as we travel around São Paulo state. Pelé is often regarded as Brazil’s ambassador to the world. In fact, when he arrived in the United States to play for three years, the number of registered soccer players in the United States almost quadrupled. However, star soccer players are also one of Brazil’s most profitable exports. Most players head to Europe, financially benefiting themselves and their teams. Some teams exist solely to develop and sell rising stars. Today’s leading star, Neymar, has promised to stay in Brazil until the World Cup in 2014, later than most stars stay in the nation today. Chelsea’s roster currently includes three Brazilians. Still, with or without its top stars, Brazilian culture will continue to depend on futebol.
Men kick around a soccer ball on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
The most popular sports and games all include elements of soccer. On the beach, teens play with makeshift goals while older adults juggle the ball in groups. Volleyball courts are often used for futevolei, and futsal is a popular variant played on an indoor court. We should soon see futelama (mud football), popular on the banks of the Amazon. Alex Bellos even describes a variant of demolition derby, autoball, played with a 7 football and cars, in his book “Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life.”
Many say that two religions exist in Brazil: Flamengo and Corinthians. On Sundays, their fans meet with the fervor and rituals as elaborate as any organized religion. They shed tears and laughter while loudly rooting on their favorite teams and pointing out on-the-field lessons to their offspring, the next generation of soccer players. Even the economy here is said to depend on the success of the Brazilian men’s national team. It is impossible to describe Brazil without including Brazilian football. Brazilian futebol is Brazilian culture.
WorkLife Travel Destinations are posts about places we’ve lived in or visited. We’ll include tourist tips and add information about working in the city. At the end of the post, we rate the destination on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) where it falls in our list of favorite places to be.
“It’s been said, uncharitably, that São Paulo feels like L.A. threw up on New York.” –Anthony Bourdain
A nicer view of São Paulo from Ibirapuera Park.
We have a precarious relationship with this city of urban sprawl we’ve called home for almost the past six months. On one hand, it has everything you could ever want: so many restaurants you could eat at a different one each night and never be able to try them all; shopping in specialty boutiques or throughout its more than 200 malls; entertainment and arts abound; and the people, like most Brazilians, are welcoming and inviting.
With a population surpassing 20 million people in 2009, though, you also have all the problems that come with any big metropolis: the city is known for horrendous traffic with traffic jams that go on for hours; subpar cleaning standards, especially when it comes to people walking their dogs on the street; and crime is always a problem, but it can increase to deadly levels at times.
It may sound strange, but we believe each city has its own “vibe.” Some are stronger than others, and São Paulo’s is on the weaker end. The city has its own vibe based on cultural diversity of all the mixes of people here, but it doesn’t feel like those cultures have melted to give the city a distinct feel. Or maybe it’s all the skyscrapers of the Concrete Jungle blocking the vibe. Either way, there are still some great sites to check out here.
Our favorite spots
São Paulo isn’t the best destination in Brazil for tourists as there aren’t many world-renowned landmarks, but nevertheless there are still some great sights to check out in Sampa.
Ibirapuera Park
A slack liner, the act of balancing on a line for mountain climbers, in Ibirapuera Park.
Comparable to Central Park in New York, this is our favorite spot in the city. Like an oasis from all the concrete, there are nice ponds and walkways to enjoy, and there is always something going on. We’ve been to film festivals, skateboard competitions, Christmas lights shows at the fountain, and watched a medieval group practice jousting all in the park. There are museums and works of art throughout the space, and you can always find food vendors of every sort here.
Paulista Avenue
Right now, Paulista Avenue looks like “Miracle on 34th Street” as it’s all decked out for Christmas with giant Santas and trees everywhere. This is the cultural epicenter for the city as the main thoroughfare and brings most of the city’s comparisons to New York City. With stores, restaurants, museums and art galleries, this is the place to visit and see it all. If you’re looking for the Paulista, a native of São Paulo, nightlife, you can also find bars and nightclubs galore in this district.
The Teatro Municipal built in 1912 and still hosting shows.
Theatro Municipal
One of the few antique buildings left in the city, this is our favorite building for historical architecture. It was the original opera house, built in 1912, for the city and still hosts shows today. If you’re into historical buildings, like we are, we suggest taking the São Paulo Free Walking Tour, which is offered Saturday mornings. The tour takes you around the old part of the city, giving you lots of details on the historical buildings that are left. Unfortunately, a lot of São Paulo’s historic district has been demolished to make way for more modern skyscrapers.
The crowd lighting fireworks during a Corinthians v. Internacional game in São Paulo.
Museu do Futebol
Three professional football teams dominate the headlines of the São Paulo jornals (newspapers). Corinthians is known as the people’s favorite, having swarms of fans in the favelas and offering cheap tickets. The rivalry between their fans and the fans of São Paulo FC is more heated than we have ever witnessed including Auburn-Alabama and Yankees-Red Sox. A third team, Palmeiras, was also dominant until recently but is now falling to the second division for a second time, leading to death threats for the president of the club from faithful fans. The museum is housed in São Paulo’s major football stadium which has been home to many of these rivalry games. It includes photos, videos and radio replays of the highlights that make up Brazilian football, such a large part of the Brazilian culture. It is also very evident here that the 1950 loss to Uruguay while hosting the World Cup still greatly stings despite winning the cup five times since. For more on how greatly soccer/football influences Brazilian culture, read “Futebol – Soccer, the Brazilian Way” by Alex Bellos.
Mercado Municipal
Fresh meats hang at butcher shop inside the Mercado Municipal.
Each neighborhood has a feira one day of the week, like farmer’s markets in the U.S., and we love going to these. The Mercado Municipal is one big feira open every day where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. It reminds us a lot of the Public Market in Milwaukee. This is also the place to get the world-famous Mortadella sandwich, a São Paulo original that’s like a souped-up bologna sandwich with melted cheese on French bread.
Vila Madalena
Villa Madalena is where the young people of São Paulo hang out to dance samba, attend night clubs and watch UFC (a sport that is wildly popular in Brazil and much more popular than in the United States due to the high percentage of Brazilian fighters).
Working in São Paulo
The São Paulo state flag is displayed outside a skyscraper.
Take it or leave it, this city is the economic powerhouse of Latin America. As a BRIC nation, many companies are breaking out on the scene of this emerging market in São Paulo. With recessed economies in Europe and the United States, global companies have increasingly looked to increase profits in emerging markets over the past several years. With about 90 percent of Brazil’s wealth, São Paulo possesses most of those jobs and a large number of expats who have moved to partake in this work. The major struggle and complaint that you will hear from most São Paulo workers is not about the eight hours they work but rather the heavy traffic that they will face on their way to and from work, often adding additional hours on each end. The city is attempting to add more metro lines but growth is slow and much of the city remains untouched by the metro while having wildly outgrown its highway infrastructure.
We give São Paulo an overall rating of 4 on our list of favorite places to be. What is your favorite place to be?
One of our favorite experiences in traveling is trying out the local cuisine. In Brazil, it’s been hit or miss.
Where’s the beef? It’s all in Brazil.
If you’re a meat lover, you’ll love Brazil. From churrascarias that seem to have an endless supply of beef and pork to the national dish of feijoada that uses every last piece of the pig, meat is chief. In a churrascaria, a server with huge slabs of meat comes around and offers it to you hot off the spit. Expect to be offered some form of beef or pork (no chicken here except chicken hearts – you should have seen my expression the first time this was offered to me!) at least 10 times during your meal. In the higher end churrascarias, you have a coin with one side red, one side green. As long as you still want the meat, you leave the coin on the green side. When you’re stuffed, flip it to red to let the server know you’ve had enough.
A typical Brazilian burger – go big!
Famous in the U.S. for its steakhouses, most of the meat here is grilled and barbecues are popular. However, barbecues aren’t just hamburgers and hotdogs. You’ve got steaks, roast, pork loin, chicken, fish and every other type of way to serve meat here. Cheese-on-a-stick is also popular at barbecues.
Anything other than meat?
For those like me who aren’t big meat eaters, it’s the national staple of rice and beans. I have come to love this dish. Like we have mashed potatoes, rice is served with almost every meal here, and you can get it with black or red beans. Vegetables, typically, are cooked here without any spices or flavor, so they are quite bland.
The world-famous mortadella sandwich at the Mercadão Municipal de São Paulo.
Breads are very popular in Brazil, with the most popular pão de queijo, a cheese bread with the cheese inside. You’ll usually find this at breakfast, since this isn’t a big meal in Brazil. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.
Got a sweet tooth?
Brazilians love their sweets, and a dessert can’t be too rich. From the chocolatey brigadeiro to churros with dolce de leite and chocolate inside you can get a great sugar high here. And if dessert isn’t readily available after dinner, ice cream is everywhere. Even restaurants that don’t offer dessert will have a freezer with ice cream bars like you see in convenience stores in the U.S.
Wet your whistle
Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazil. Made by muddling a sugar cane rum, sugar and lime together in a glass (kind of like an Old Fashioned). I like mine sweeter while Christopher likes his stronger. There are three main brands of beer that are popular countrywide: Original, Skol and Braums Brahma. The beers are light drafts, but Christopher likes Original best. Every other cocktail imaginable can be made at most bars, but there seems to be a certain affinity toward Johnny Walker Scotch.
Whereas in the U.S. we prefer lemon in our drinks, you’ll be able to get lime here. Lemon is very difficult if not impossible to find. Coffee is strong here and served in small doses. Liquid sweetener and sugar are served with it, but you won’t find creamer too much. Sometimes you can get hot milk for it.
A food vendor we had some delicious roasted corn from at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Restaurants and vendors
There are tons of buffets here, but they are pay-by-the-kilo. So, make sure you only get what you can eat. There are very few all-you-can-eat buffets, and even then most of those will charge you an additional fee for whatever you leave on your plate.
Food vendors can be found at major events and everywhere on the beach. We’ve seen roasted corn, churros, cheese-on-a-stick, homemade sweets, and more being sold by these vendors. Unlike India, you’re pretty safe eating off the street here, at least in the southern part of the country. We’ve been told that there are concerns in the Northeast and Amazon region.
That’s our take on Brazilian food. What would you most want to try in Brazil?
