Tag: blogger

Brazil! South America Journey

After Nearly a year of waiting! 

The trip  or opportunity happened. 

The 25+ Hours journey through the UK to Sao Paulo was slightly tiring. 

The first impression, Sao Paulo is a huge city! 

The architecture and construction are lovely. 

Water! No Water in the rooms! This was going to become a common observation as we would travel around the country! 

The restaurants too don’t serve you water. 

This was  quite alarming, Maybe the water isn’t quite hygienic here! Or maybe they aren’t hospitable or maybe they are going through a Water Crisis. 

Sao Paulo had the appeal of New York, Wall Street and  Fifth Avenue. The Liberade, Japanese Neibhourhood did remind me of being lost in Japan! 

The Food whether it was the local Brazilian Meat, Mexican Gucaomole, American Burgers, Italian Pizza, Thai or Japanese was the best in Sao Paulo. In the places we visited, we realised  they were either part of the best Restaurants in the World and Latin America or were part of the Michelin restaurant guide. 

The Cafes and coffee were also some of the finest we had here in the city! 

Rosewood in Sao Paulo. Ranked #25 in the Worlds best was truly an experience. Walking into the lush green arches and being welcomed by books at the entrance/Waiting area. As you make yourself comfortable through the hotel you pass through a couple of more coffee table bookshelves before you reach the restaurant, which you feel is in the middle of the forest. 

The Acai Berry Smoothie, Pastrami Sandwich and Burger were the juiciest, healthiest and most satisfying meals of our trip. 

Rosewood was a nice experience. 

The city, Was so clean with ample of dustbins, unlike Japan. Where you struggle to find even one. 

The shopping malls, Each one competing with the size and the interiors.

The weather, Yes, we did feel the heat waves.

The roads were so broad and well-maintained. It was a challenge to find even one pothole in the country. 

Rio was a tourist hub, and so was our instruction. Be extra careful while walking on the streets of Rio, After 5 pm avoid strolling on the street with Mobile Phones, Jewellery or Watches/Smart Watches.

The Sugarloaf Mountain & Christ The Redeemer have to be our typical tourist highlight. One for the sunset view and the other for getting the structure to the top. 

Copacabana Beach was going through a post-event pack-up! Madonna had performed a free concert two days before we planned to reach Rio de Janeiro. 

Language is a huge barrier! The locals don’t understand English and as Tourist, we had no understanding of Portuguese. 

Brazil has their measurement too! 

P being M , The universal Medium size, G being large, GG being Extra large in clothing. For Footwear too, they are normally a size or two smaller than the Typical US sizes one Wears. 

Salvador was a small quaint colourful city that would remind you  a lot about Europe’s small towns. 

While travelling across the city we flew through GOl or Latam. The local airlines of Brazil were always on time and internally we travelled through the  Uber App with minimum communication! 

Oh! One thing that was a huge disappointment was Google Maps! Often they did not take us at the right location, either 100 meters away from our location or would be pinned at another entrance/Exit of the same location. 

The Google Maps, were always not updated with locations that had been permanently closed or had being relocated to another location. 

In both of these times, We were faced with challenges on how to communicate to the exact location. 

While planning Brazil  I had also noted a few bookstores I wanted to visit in Brazil! 

To my disappointment both of the bookstores that were listed for the longest time as the most beautiful bookstores in the world had been closed now! One in Sao Paulo And the other in Rio. While I visited other bookstores across the cities. There weren’t any books available in English at all. 

Brazil with two of the most prominent global events like FIFA and the Olympics in the past decade is still not considered a Tourist Destination. With Food options, the Weather being pleasant,   Globally recognised homegrown Fashion brands and Warm and friendly people you wonder if the Country’s not being  Safe Image is playing a key role in tourism. 

Information: 

Currency: 1 Brazilian Relias = 17 INR, 1 USD – 5 Brazilian Relias 

Time Zone: -8:30 Hrs From India Time. 

Sao Paulo Guide:

Sightseeing: #saopaulo
@becodobatman.oficial
@japanhousesp
@ibirapueraoficial
@minhaliba

Cafes:
@confeitariacolombo : One of the Worlds Oldest Cafe! 175 Years old Cafe. #rio

Coffee: #saopaulo
@coffeelab_br
@89coffeestation
@takkocafesp
@wecoffee.br
@thecoffee.jp

Eat: #saopaulo
@ranchoportuguessp
@nbsteak @michelinguide
@aizomerestaurante – Part of @theworlds50best #latinamerica
@pingyangsp – #11 Best Place to eat in #Brazil

Taro Sushi – Michelinguide

@rosewoodsaopaulo -#25 Worlds Best Hotel @theworlds50best
@sisenorbrasil
@brazpizzaria – #4 best pizzeria brand in the World
@pecorinoteresina
@apizzadamooca – #77 in the Worlds Best Pizza

Chocolates: #brazil
@dengochocolates
@kopenhagen_

Personal favourite for Shopping :
@farmrio
@osklen

Stay:
@belmondcopacabanapalace
@santateresamgallery
@ferahoteis

Cafes:
@confeitariacolombo
@plagecafe
@cafeliercarmo

Eat:
@labicycletterio
@gurume_oficial
@omirestaurante
@restaurante.tereze

Mee copacabana palace

Shopping:
@salvadorshopping

Shopping Rio Sul

#saopaulo
@morumbishopping
@jkiguatemi

A few Facts:

Carry Cash & Change – The change isn’t easily available in the country.

Brazilian prisoners are allowed to reduce their sentence by four days for every book that they read.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of coffee.

Brazil is the largest orange producer in the world. Responsible for more than 30% of global production.

Brazil is the 2nd largest tobacco producer in the world.

Brazil is home to the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan.

Reading and Being a Reader!!

It’s always exciting to start with a new hobby! The moment you begin something, You are hungry to know everything about it. The Rules, The loopholes, the prize, the strength, the weakness, the opportunity that lies and the threats you face in continuing your hobby.

And then there comes a point, in persuading your hobby, where you don’t enjoy it anymore and you start thinking about how time flew by all these years.

Reading was an accidental hobby, I came across right when I turned 18.

It was only after reading a couple of books, that I realised what I enjoy reading and explored more on those genres and topics.

When I was looking to read more newer topics and stories, I came across the prestigious award that have been recognising talent.

While reading about all the books, that had been awarded or had been nominated.

I picked up a book. I genuinely loved the way it was written and narrated.

After that moment, I waited every year for the announcement to read more of these nominated and award-winning books. This I did for about a couple of years, and then moved to some of the other prominent awards and so on…

Then I realised, these book awards were representing a certain style of writing, and storytelling and were very depressive and emotional.

Also either, they wanted to reach a new audience or wanted to market a newer country, when they awarded books to a writer belonging to that region or country.

These book awards were also biased towards authors from certain countries and not equal to the rest who had equally good writing talent.

The book awards, too were very inclined and favouring genres that represent political views, Race, Gender and a cultural movement, which they believe were more important than voicing one’s story.

Similarly same goes for Academy awards… That is considered a landmark of success!

They too seem to have similar criteria, since these awards are reviewed and judged by selective jury members, who believe are the only voice that matters in making decisions.

There have been films and books that have been better than the ones that have been nominated or awarded but are given little importance too.

It was a couple of years ago when I decided to move past these book awards and read books for the stories, they want to tell and to my surprise, there are so many stories in each country in the world, that are worth reading and investing your time into, than to read books that have either been awarded or read by certain nationalities.

Now, looking to read my next book, I either visit the local bookstore in the cities or go through the most-read books in the country and read the synopsis and see what I would like to read next.

Some More thoughtful Writing!

Some More Of My Writing #4

Some More of my Writing Part -2