Sao Paulo: Trianon Park

As we were walking down one of the busiest streets in Sao Paulo (Avenida Paulista), we stumbled across Trianon Park.  A beautiful place with lots of trees, wide walking paths and tons of benches. It was a welcome respite from the crowded, dirty city so we strolled a bit and took some pics.

This statue is at the entrance of the park and is of one of the most famous bandeirantes of Sao Paulo. The bandeirantes were men who captured slaves for the immigrants moving into the area. Bad men.  

One of the entrance areas of the park. You can see how wide the paths are and the benches all along for people to sit and enjoy. This was a Thursday afternoon so not very busy. We went in again on Sunday and there were a lot more people.

Not quite sure what the structure is - maybe maintenance?

I like this shot because you can see the city skyscrapers through the trees. In the middle of the park you start to forget you're in a big city, but along the edges, you are reminded.

Another structure inside the park. Perhaps another maintenance shed of some kind.

There were statues throughout the park to enjoy.

Sao Paulo: Churches

Sao Paulo is primarily Catholic, although all other religions coexist without too much trouble. As a result, there are a number of beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilicas around the city. Here are a few shots of those we visited.

This is the Basilica of Sao Bento and is part of a school and a bakery run by the monks who live here. We were there on Sunday morning and in time for mass so stepped in to hear the Gregorian chanting done by the monks. We stayed for some of the mass, but since it was standing room only and the whole thing in Portuguese, we left after about 10 minutes and wandered around the area until after mass when the bakery opened and we were allowed to take photos of the inside.

 

These give you an idea of the inside of the basilica. It wasn't that large but very ornate.

 

  

Just down the street is this small cathedral. We didn't get a chance to go inside, but here's a nice photo of the outside. The street passes right outside the doors as you can see. A lot of it was blocked off for a bike path, which is something the city does every Sunday to encourage Paulistas (residents of Sao Paulo) to bike.

The back of another cathedral we passed on our city tour taken from the car window. Sorry, didn't catch the name or go inside, but I liked the dome, which was something different from the others we had seen.

This is the inside of the church you'll see further down in the photos. Sorry, can't again remember the name (I've got to start writing things down!) but a beautiful church with stained glass windows and shrines throughout.

Gorgeous! and a really nice square in front of it as well. Such a shame that the place is overrun with the homeless. There are mattresses, cardboard boxes, laundry and dogs everywhere - it's a little homeless city just outside the cathedral. It's very sad to see.

Sao Paulo: Impressions

We're back and finally over the jet lag of our latest adventure, which was South America. The goal of the trip was to visit my brother whom I haven't seen in over 3 1/2 years. We started with a few days in Sao Paulo, Brazil as that's where I could get the best flight from Abu Dhabi.

Sao Paulo is one of the most populated cities in the world. It's huge ... and dirty ... with lots of homeless ... and not a ton for a tourist to do. So, it isn't going to make the top 10 vacation spot list for us, however, we managed to have a nice time (a vacation is a vacation after all!). Here are some general impressions.

It was winter in Sao Paulo, which meant the high was around 72F - heaven for us after surviving most of the summer in Abu Dhabi. Some beautiful trees like the one in the photo above. The weather was perfect for us.

SP is a mix of old and new and rundown. This photo captures the contrast you see all over the city - very old buildings, buildings looking rundown or even in the process of being demolished and then some newer structures.

This was just funny - do you see the kitty? Not sure if it's some kind of gas tank, water tank? or maybe just urban art? Definitely a casual and open almost hippy or bohemian vibe from the city. People kissing in the streets - literally. I think we saw a couple smooching at least once per day - one was quite an old couple sucking face inside the Art Museum! A long way from the strict conservative nature of Abu Dhabi. And don't worry, Brian and I didn't take up the habit. :)

This is a good example of the many hills we climbed as we walked around the city. Steep streets - clearly they don't even get any ice or snow. My calves were killing me!

Another impression? TRAFFIC! It's pretty much rush hour all day long so you need to plan well ahead if you're going to travel by car to anything. We ended up leaving 4 hours early for the airport even though it was only about 45 minutes from the hotel because we couldn't count on the traffic. Lots of traffic jams as well. The city just isn't designed for the number of cars on the roads.

This is a shot of a group of protesters leaving one of the main avenues in SP on a Monday early afternoon. The Brazilians we talked to mentioned the government corruption and frustration with the current regime. There had been some very large protests in June and July this year - in fact, we kept a close watch and were ready to cancel our trip if needed, but things have calmed a bit since then. Still, there are protests often in the city and the population seems used to it. One of our guides said that as long as it doesn't significantly disrupt traffic, everyone is pretty tolerant.

The last impression was the number of dogs we saw (sorry, no good photos from SP on this). We're not sure if it's because we don't see many dogs in Abu Dhabi or if there really are a lot more dogs in SP, but they were everywhere. And many had goofy looking sweaters, slippers or bows in their ears. Sissy little things! :)

Ramadan Kareem! Year 3

We're about halfway through Ramadan and it dawned on me that I hadn't posted anything about it. This is our 3rd Ramadan in Abu Dhabi - hard to believe! and every year we learn a bit more about this holy month of the Islamic calendar. A few reminders and new tidbits for all my friends and family back home.

The holy month of Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and is significant because it is believed to be the month that the holy Qur'an was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). It is meant to be a time of reflection, prayer, thanksgiving and celebration.

Most of us non-Muslims know it as a month of fasting from sunup to sundown, but it's much more than that.

But first, that fasting - really? For a whole month from sunrise to sunset? Yes. Really NO food, NO drink, not even water? Yes. For the WHOLE month? Yes. I'm told by my Emiratis colleagues that the first few days are the worst and then you get a bit more used to it and the benefits kick in. The idea is that the empty belly and thirst do wonders in giving you a renewed sense of appreciation for all the blessings you've been given. It's also a humbling reminder of how others in more difficult circumstances may be suffering. The fast is broken with the Maghrib call to prayer at sunset and the meal is called Iftar.

In the work environment, the working hours are shortened by two hours to accommodate those who are fasting. Because we're an international 24/7 airline, a lot of people continue to work similar hours, but you definitely feel the slow down and things wrap up earlier during this month. I was curious about how individuals make this work, so I've been taking advantage of the Emirati relationships I've built over the past year and ask whenever it's appropriate how they do it.  A couple of examples:

• One of the ladies I know says she leaves work around 3:00 and then sleeps until Iftar (around 7:15 this year). She then has Iftar with her family and they head to the mosque for 2 hours of prayers and reading of the Qur'an. She gets home and watches some TV and hangs out with her family, etc. until about 3:00am when they have Suhoor (the morning meal before sunrise). Sunrise is around 4:00am and she starts her fasting for the day. Yep, only a few hours of sleep a day!
• Another says he doesn't stay up all night but goes to sleep after the late evening prayer and wakes up for morning prayers at sunrise. He said he's too tired to get up for Suhoor so just fasts from the time he goes to bed at night (probably 11:00-midnight) until Iftar the next day!

With those examples, you can imagine how tired and muddled you might feel for the month. And, while there are reduced working hours, it's still quite a schedule to maintain for a month.

And fasting is more than just the food and drink. In addition, you are not supposed to smoke, engage in sexual relations or have any negative thoughts or deeds. The idea is that you exercise patience and self-restraint in all things from sunrise to sunset. Quite a tall order. Imagine first that it's around 105 degrees F with 40-50% humidity. You've had nothing to eat or drink all day and you're supposed to be patient, forgiving and calm.

We have a work Iftar coming up on Sunday and I and a few other colleagues have decided to fast for the day in our show of support and to try and understand a bit what it's like for our Muslim colleagues. I did it last year and did pretty well - let's see how this year goes. I'll probably have a harder time with the patience and positive thinking than I will with the food and drink! Right, who am I kidding - I'll be day dreaming about food all day long! :)

Sri Lanka: Shopping

Our final adventure of the trip was a little shopping. We visited a local market where Brian ordered some custom made shirts and I found a couple of silk scarves for next to nothing. Here are a few of the pics.

 Local market similar to the markets we've seen all over the world. Crammed stalls selling everything you can imagine.

 This photo gives you a better sense of how crowded the aisles are.

 On this hillside you can get a glimpse of the 'tuk tuks' which are the taxis of Sri Lanka. They are kind of like 3-wheeled golf carts and they are everywhere.

Here's Brian with our driver for the day. His ancestry is a mixture of Sri Lankan and Scottish so he spoke English very well and had a scottish name like MacSteven or something that. He chattered away the whole trip and took us to the "best place" for whatever we were looking for. At the end of the trip, he gave me a hug, which was surprising after the strict culture in Abu Dhabi. We wondered if maybe we had been 'taken for a ride' and that's why he was so grateful. :)