San Paulo

Almost ten years ago now, Kinselas, a popular bar in Sydney briefly closed its doors. The bar's new owners gutted the joint, transforming it into a trendy minimalist water hole. Upon reopening, its signature drink became the Caiprioska. What a wonderful beverage. It's the perfect cure for scurvy, and its preparation is the ultimate workout routine for any barman.

In Brazil, Garry and I soon discovered that Kinselas had simply been cashing in on the nation's favourite drink. The Brazilian national drink is the Caipirinha. It's made from a sugar cane alcohol called Cachaca, which is mixed liberally with crushed limes and palm sugar, and then shaken over ice. If you substitute the Cachaca for Vodka, you've created a Caiprioska.

However, unlike Kinselas, the correct method for making this drink in Brazil requires the barman to pour vodka into your glass until someone suggests he stop! It took us a few drinks in San Paulo to learn this ritual. Needless to say, those first few cocktails were potent, to say the least. We both agree it’s the perfect drink-mixing procedure for anyone who’s just completed a Rio cab ride, or a hair-raising drive to San Paulo. But I digress.

Our minivan journey to Sao Paulo involved another driver in training for the Grand Prix. Along the way, our route included a steep and winding mountain pass. Shortly after traversing the summit, we encountered an overturned truck on a downhill hairpin corner. Much to our relief, the gruesome accident encouraged our driver to ease off the pedal as we continued descending. However, his lead foot, and traffic weaving antics, returned in force when we reached the local motorway.

Sao Paulo is huge. We spent our first evening in town at Bar do Terraço, a classy piano bar at the top of the 46-story Edifício Itália office building. Thanks to some savvy tipping by our tour guide, we secured a couple of cosy window seats. We ordered, you guessed it, the national drink and toasted our near death experience. As we drank, we took in a stunning urban skyline that spread as far as the eye could see in every direction.

The following day was spent exploring the city. In the morning we took a walking tour with our guide through several city neighbourhoods. Highlights on our walking tour included a visit to Catedral Metropolitana de Nossa Senhora da Assunção e São Paulo, also known as the See Cathedral. It’s the largest Catholic Church in the city. It’s also relatively new having only been consecrated in 1964.

The stained-glass windows in the cathedral were a fascinating mix of biblical references and pictorial validation of the catholic church’s divine right to rule. For example, one window depicts a bare-chested Francisco de Mello Palheta riding triumphally into town carrying a potted coffee plant bursting with ripe red berries. We were surprised to learn that coffee isn't an indigenous plant. It was actually brought to South America from Africa by Francisco in 1727.

The cathedral sits on the southwestern edge of Praça da Sé, a plaza long considered the centre of San Paulo. The distance for all roads passing through São Paulo is measured from here. In the middle of the plaza is a statue of José de Anchieta (1534–1597). He was a Spanish Jesuit missionary to Brazil in the second half of the 16th century and is credited as one of the founders of São Paulo, in 1554, and Rio de Janeiro, in 1565.

It would be fair to say that San Paulo wasn't a particularly attractive city.  However, it does offer a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new no matter where you turn.  One moment we'd spot an old and decaying colonial building, while around the next corner, we'd encounter a surprisingly stark and modernist structure or a decaying and relatively new building. Perhaps no building captured this essence better than the final stop on our walking tour, MASP, The Art Museum of Sao Paulo. It's an elevated glass cuboid suspended in the air on four vibrant red pillars.

Once our walking tour was done we left the group to do our own thing at the local Zoo. We'd chosen the Zoo in the hope of seeing a range of uniquely South American fauna. However, it proved rather disappointing. Many of the enclosures were small, barren, and not all appealing for either the animals or their human visitors.

After stopping in San Paulo for two nights, our Brazillan road trip continued inland to the post-modern city of Cubitia. After the chaos and decay of San Paulo, this next destination was a real surprise.