Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaal!

We're shocked that it hadn't happened already, but the day finally came for our first delayed flight when we left Buenos Aires for Sao Paulo. After being herded onto the plane, made to wait an hour or so, and then removed from the plane, we waited in the airport for several more hours before boarding a different plane, this one without technical issues, to our relief. The later boarding time made it so that we missed the Rio 2016 Olympics announcement while in the air, but it was a fun bit of news to discover upon landing in Brazil!

Sao Paulo has a reputation for being a bit rough around the edges, and we have found this to be very true. There's graffiti on every outdoor surface, even dozens of stories above the ground (how?!) and the homeless line the streets. Our guide book carries plenty of warnings about preparing yourself for muggings and where to walk at night, but although we are traveling smart and keeping up our guard, we are able to relax pretty well, as the locals have been nothing but friendly and kind to us. The biggest threat we've faced was when I thought two tough kids were exchanging gang signs on the subway, but it turns out they were deaf! That told me I needed to drop the paranoia.

The pretty central cathedral:

Rough city streets:

The biggest adjustment so far has been being surrounded by Portuguese. Very few Brazilians (at least those we have come across) speak any English or Spanish, and Portuguese is almost impossible to understand or attempt to speak. Even though it looks much like written Spanish, the pronunciation sound more like Russian and even when I order agua, no one seems to understand. We're getting by pretty well with sign language and smiles, though (much like those gangster deaf kids). Luckily Sao Paulo is very easy to get around, thanks to the completely awesome, efficient, and art-filled subway, the lines of which are named after gems - you can take the Ruby line and connect to the Diamond line or the Sapphire train. Much more interesting than numbers!

Also interesting: some of the hilarious store names.

Despite the fact that we don't know any Portuguese, we are often mistaken for locals, which we've found interesting. More than once, people have asked us for directions or tried to start a conversation with us, only to find us baffled by their language. It must be due to the incredible racial diversity of Brazil - no one looks like a foreigner here. Brazilians come in absolutely every shade and with any mix of ethnic features - it's really fascinating to look at the people. We recently learned that Brazil has implemented a much more secure passport for its people, as the old ones were so often used in counterfeiting. Why? Because anyone in the world could believably be Brazilian!

Our first night, we arrived in the evening and headed straight for our hotel, where we were greeted with this room:

I guess it's one of those hotels! I swear we're paying by the night and not the hour. Still, it is a very comfortable room! After a good night's sleep, we headed out the next day determined to see some futebol - and were not disappointed! We bought tickets for that night's game at the stadium, which also houses the national Museo de Futebol, one of the best niche museums I've ever seen. It was full of interactive media displays, videos and discussions of famous goals, world cup wins and losses, and tributes to the national passion for the game. Even though I'm not a huge soccer fan, nor am I fluent in Portuguese, I absolutely loved the museum. There were so many unique exhibits and innovative effects to really make the visitor feel involved in futebol-mania - you can even kick a soccer ball at a computer goalie and have your speed measured! However, if the museum wasn't enough to make me a total convert, the game did the trick. We watched the Sao Paulo Corinthians lose 3-1, but the game was absolutely thrilling. The rabid fans all around us held their breaths at every goal attempt, and Ben received a bear hug from his Brazilian neighbor after the only successful goal! The guy next to me was literally crying when it was clear the Corinthians would lose. The trash talk consisted entirely of "Fili de Putaaaaa!" aimed loudly and frequently at the 12 or so loyal fans who had shown up for the opposition and ended up leaving early at to avoid getting beaten up following their team's victory. It was so much fun, and we felt like honorary Brazilians for the night.

The disappointed local fans:

Our other main tourist activity was a trip to the Museo de Arte Sao Paulo, famed for its huge collection of Western art. The museum was lovely, and just the right size to see every exhibit without getting exhausted. There also happened to be an antiques market set up outside which we enjoyed poking around, and a huge lush garden across the street for a gorgeous backdrop.

Tchotchkes at the market:

We also got an impromptu breakdancing show as we headed back to our hotel - a bunch of kids were spinning in the street with a cheering crowd. They were actually really good!

The only real negative to Brazil so far has been the prices - it is very expensive here. We were shocked to find a McDonald's salad for about $12 (American dollars!) - needless to say we didn't eat there. $600 Asics sneakers and $50 paperback books are the norm here, so we won't be doing much shopping.

As interesting as gritty, authentic Sao Paulo has been, we have long been itching to get to Rio, so after a couple days we boarded a 6-hour bus and took off for our next city - and our next couchsurfing adventure!