Sao Paulo: Days 1, 2

Day 1

Sao Paulo: We are downtown in the Tivoli Hotel. That's a story, benign as it is doing a transfer from the airport to the hotel. When DB arranged the the transfer through the concierge she was asked what type of car service she wanted. One of the choices, at an extra fee was for an armored car. Really? For early Sunday morning? She turned the standard car. 

We are met at the exit from customs and immigration, among the first from our flight,  and there is our driver (THB can't, of course, read the signs being held up). We walk to the car, it is warm already at 7:45, not too hot. As were driving back he explains that we are in an armored car. It looks exactly like a standard four door black SUV. 

How did it get to an armored car? After it arrives in Brazil, it goes into a shop for19 days where they strip down the car exterior and swap in a relatively light extra layer. THB didn't ask if the windows were bulletproof also...no point to post a pic.

DB mentions that she read that hotels are cutting down on dressers in their rooms because nobody uses the. We are here for 5 days and even with four carry-on bags we are short of places to unpack.

3 small drawers in the closet under the safe...time for THB to work on his squats

Bedroom: big bed, TV on a floor-ceiling pole and two bedstands

Notice anything?

not a single picture on the walls....none!

THB has to be careful to get on the right elevator (by Day 2 he has screwed it up) 

view from the dining room on 23rd floor; only two elevators  (one of which never works) go all the way up and it takes a long time get there from the 5th floor  where we are staying

breakfast buffet (included): papaya good, pastries tooooooooo sweeeeeeeeet

the lobby

casual dining off the lobby, under decorated with many plush couches

waiter taps your card key then enters your order on his phone; the menu is found by scanning a QR code ... check is done the old fashioned way, signing charges to your room

                        Caipirinha: typical Brazilian drink, like a margarita without salt - very limey

shared sandwiches (one on left was supposed to be salmon, chicken club came in its place) con frites and one very rich flan, $100

Day 2

THB does his 7 minute  workout, FC empty

A "private" tour around Sao Paulo upscale area with focus on architecture and one gallery that was in the process of staging their next exhibition (it was only included because of the gallery's architecture, and was a huge bonus!). Real goal is to stay awake and out and about, which succeeded. 3 of the group of 9 had arrived early that morning, and were plenty lively.

architecture by well-known local architects

Originally it was THB, DB and one other couple. Word got out and now we a group of 9,  necessitating a van. $175pp for the original 4, $186 for the other 5

Galeria Vermelho, in the middle of converted buildings. The featured artist is Claudia Andujar, a 93 year old holocaust survivor, trans, activist for indigenous rights photographer 

guide for day tour on right, from the Rent-A-Local, she was proficient and hamstrung by the larger group dynamics 

 Norwegian galeristo went to San Jose State and SF State in the mid 1980s

Andujar's photos; this tribe did not use names so their picture was taken and affixed to their "vaccine record" charts for identification purposes (shades of the holocaust tattos)

more work by Andujar

lots of guys hanging out

waiting for the to-go sandwich orders being made up so they can  hustle them to the customers 

photo shoot, it is really hot out

one of first skyscrapers in Sao Paulo, built in later 1940s

A guy shangai's the tour into visiting his store of indigenous art. DB spots chocolates and we agree to buy two bars, 57 hay-eyes ($11.50). They don't want the local currency so THB tries to pay with his VISA card. Rejected two-different ways. Back to paying the hay-eyes, price reduced to 50 because they don't have exact change. When tour ends, THB and DB spend an hour trying to resolve over the phone with BofA. Finally get confirmation that the card works internationally. THB goes to front desk, gets two cheerful deskinistas and they proceed to charge 26 hay-eyes on the VISA...no problema...something went wrong at the shop.

 Now the real tour starts, meet-up in the lobby of the Tivoli at 4pm

Now a big bus shuttles us around. We are missing one couple,  they are joining the tour tomorrow. THB thinks 14 of us are ready to go.

First stop: the studio of the minimalist artist, Iran Do Espirito Santo (nom de plume)

He's the only one wearing his mask (THB is wearing his when in an elevator with other people)

this is painted on the wall. It is Not and stairway entrance

Painted on strips of the wall with and eye dropper

THB is seeing floaters in his eyes; this is an actual bug on the wall

Three dimensional "key hole" made of marble

Galeria Millan (pronounced Milan)

Many works by Mariana Palma. The entrance is filled with her silk  floating in a grouping of maybe 10 pieces

The artist in front of one of her paintings. While the group goes off with the galerista, THB spends 10 minutes with Palma as she explains the process of making these paintings. First step: float oil on the surface of water that fits the canvas, dip the canvas (takes four people) for a brief moment, let it dry and then paint on top what is now the background of the picture.

different artists

Millan has a second galeria down the street

bronze orgy piece weighing 5 tons hanging from the ceiling...apparently yours for cool million hay-eyes (shipping, tax, and installation not included)

everything else in galeria is trompe l'oeil'

Famous local spot for dinner: Figueria has a giant tree in the middle of the restaurant. It is immense, believe to have been imported from India. THB has a great rib-eye and cerveza.

rib-eye and puffy potato chips; steak is terrific

appetizers for the table

Book Review: Flash Boys, a Wall Street Revolt, Michael Lewis (pub'd 2014, narrated by Dylan Baker at 1.4x): The story of how stock markets were rigged by high frequency traders skimming off billions by making trades just ahead of the orders being processed. The big players hid the truth from investors until one honest broker at Royal Bank of Canada figured out what was happening and went public. Recommended