São Paulo Series - Mosteiro de São Bento

This is my last weekend at São Paulo.

Today I went into the old town to hear Mass at Mosteiro de São Bento, where the Benedictine monks chant at the Mass. High expectations but low fulfilment. There were only three monks chanting with organ music backing, but the church was packed with churchgoers and tourists, standing room only. It was like a circus and it lacked the dignity and solemness of the occasion. I observed some people arriving in shorts and flip flops as if they were going to the beach.

Today the Bishop was in attendance. He was at the end of the procession that walked up to the altar at the beginning of the mass; he was a small man with a nice smile and he blessed everyone on his short trip to the altar. I don't remember such rituals when I was a young girl attending mass at Hong Kong.

Mosteiro de São Bento entrance

The basilica

The nave, before the crowd descended

 

São Paulo Series - Citdade Jardim

There are some high end shopping malls in São Paulo where all the names that need to be there are there. Citdade Jardim is no exception. Here, security guards with ear phones and walkie talkies lurk in every corner. But what I like about the place is the proliferation of greenery, the lack of foot traffic, and the quietness to hear my own foot steps. On a Saturday though I am not sure if that is good news to the retailers.



Citdade Jardim, Sao Paulo

The shopping mall is on 5 floors including the rooftop, plus two levels of underground car park. The restaurants on the 4th floor have open views to the surrounding areas. The one I visited was a subdued place where the diners were making conversations that did not invade other people's privacy. Also I noticed that no one socialising with his/her mobile phone.

Trees and shrubs in the attrium

Where is everybody?

The idealised female shapes for the beach

It was like half of Bond Street London under one roof. This was exactly the opposite of Morumbi Shopping Mall where the noise was defeaning and the display of tattoos was a bit overwhelming.

São Paulo Series - Here, there and somewhere

I've to admit that I have not explored much of São Paulo, partly due to security reasons, partly due to the hot weather, and partly due to a lack of interest. But the times that I ventured out of the hotel and had the camera with me, I saw a glimpse of the lives of people around me.

Chateau Margaux

The wealth of the residents in the area near the hotel is evident. Here, people live behind 2 to 3 tiers of security gates, with security guards patrolling day and night in their walkies talkies. Some of these security guards even wear a suit in the hot summer months. Some have fountains and carefully manicured lawns at the front, all have underground car parks that have two security gates to prevent tailgating, and some have brightly lit trees during Christmastime. Today, I saw a white Rolls Royce emerging from one of these condominiums. Premium cars are a rare sight in São Paulo probably because of security concerns. Next to the hotel is Edificio des Arts: one building called Monet and the other Rodin. In this photo, the grandiose complex is named Chateau Margaux - it is a statement of wealth.






A man mending wicker-backed chairs near the hotel. I was surprised to see this local enterprise and the fact that people in the area actually care to mend the chairs rather than buying new ones. These chairs are hardly antiques.

A store in Morumbi shopping centre selling bean bags and some cute stuffed neck support. I was tempted to buy one but then desisted as I would not like to care one of these bulky things back to UK.

View of Paulista from the hotel balcony. I like the balcony, a place to step out of the air conditioned room to check out the temperature and to enjoy the feel of an apartment. It's not much of a view but it's a view nevertheless.

 

The waiting room of my ophthalmologist - a medical captain who is full of joie de vivre, trained in Paris and combined treatment with a glorious sense of humour. The locals who have medical insurance don't have to pay. For a visitor like me, each consultation is 280 BRL plus prescription charges when buying the medication from a pharmacist.

 

 

The newly-opend TAM lounge at Guarulhos International Airport, Terminal 3. Previously there was only one Executive Lounge which was less than adequate. This new addition has made the wait more pleasant, with better selection of drinks and canapes.

 

 

Local guys practising ta-kwan-tao in slow motion at Ibirapeura Park. Sometimes the space is taken up by atheletes or other types of martial arts followers.

 

 

I post this photo because I found it so cute that two small dogs were being ferried in the pannier by their owners. Dogs at Sao Paulo are beautifully groomed. This pair surprisingly has no hair ornaments.

 

 

Ahhh, what a lovely way to relax.

São Paulo Series - Ibirapuera Park

I've been to the Ibirapeura Park a few times, and each time I see something new. The pictures here are taken in the park between gates 7 and 9. The cityscape shown in the photos are in the north, with the the towers in the Paulista area evident.

The Afro Brazilian Musuem. What a waste of time.

The Japanese pavilion. Not much else to see apart from the pond.

Beautiful mural

 

São Paulo Series - Street Market at Vila Nova Conceição

There is a Saturday market near the Ibirapeura Park, less than 1 km from the hotel. It was recommended to me by a colleague who waxed lyrical about the quality of fresh fruit there.

The market did not disappoint. There, I found fruit so fresh that I have not experienced since leaving Hong Kong: mangoes, custard apples, peaches, apples, pineapples, figs, strawberries etc. The stallholder would cut a slice for prospective customers to taste, and once tasted the juicy, sweet and succulent fruit, buying was inevitable.

Succulent, juicy, sweet, delicious fruit

Bananas, bananas, bananas

I passed a stall that specialised in bananas. It was an eye opener: the varieties and the difference in prices.

Stall selling beans, onions, sauces

A woman preparing herbs for sale

Flower stall

Also present in the market were quick food stalls: tapioca, pastels, sugar cane juice. There were also stalls selling work uniforms, hardware, jewellry, cheap clothing, fish and sea food. I love the place - just to wander among the stalls and watch the world go by.
 

São Paulo Series - Liberdade

Liberdade, according to some posts on TripAdvisor, is "Little Tokyo". This kind of gross exaggeration bordering on ignorance makes me lose confidence in the content of this web site. Liberdade is dirty, unkempt, full of tacky shops - nothing like Tokyo at all.

There was but one shop near the market stalls that sells genuine Japanese articles, the rest are just tourist tack mostly mimicking Japanese products. It's a crying shame that Japanese culture is being parodied in this unsympathetic manner. 

The first thing that looks decidedly out of place is the use of Torii gate in a commercial area. In Japanese tradition, a torii gate is most commonly found at the entrance or within a Shinto shrine, marking the transition from the profane to the sacred. The Liberdade community has other thoughts on exploiting this recognizable symbol of Japan.

A Torii gate at Liberdade

It was Saturday and there were market stalls selling food, jewelry, plants, clothes - all the usual suspects at a market. Here I found the second thing that looks distinctly non Japanese: the variety of food being sold from market stalls, all of them adapted for local taste. The gyozas were four times the size of a gyoza in Japan; there were even grilled shrimps in their shells - something I did not see at Japan. Really, the Japanese descendants could do better.

Japanese food?

Local version of bonsai

The third thing that looks out of place is the street vendor trading from the pavement. This cannot be Japanese at all. China, may be. Worse still, there were many traders selling copy videos some of which are clearly pornography.

Pavement traders

There were a number of Chinese provision stores / supermarkets and there, I saw vegetables that I am familiar with - they were the staple diet during my childhood in Hong Kong. There were also many Chinese food stuffs, including the egg rolls that I used to love until I realized the amount of calories in them.

Chinese vegetables

Liberdade was very busy during the weekend. Tourists flock to this place. I was hoping to find proper sushi, sashimi, ramen noodles, tonkatsu, etc. to revive my taste buds,but I only found faux sushi made only with salmon. What a disappointment.

Busy weekend, Liberdade

And now, to something definitely not Japanese: mural art. But this is São Paulo, so why not? Or maybe I should research a little bit on Japanese sci-fi art?

Mural, Liberdade

São Paulo Series - Ibirapeura Park

Ibirapeura Park is about 800m from the hotel, so within walking distance. Every morning on my way to work, I see many joggers using this park to keep fit. During the weekend, the place is thronged with people who visit the park to relax, to play sports, and generally to enjoy the outdoors.

The first thing I noticed at the Park are the vendors who sell snacks, cold drinks and ice cream. My favourite drink is Coco Verde - coconut water in their shell, for 5 BRL. Some vendors even offer chairs for their customers. Hot foot is available only at restaurants. I tried The Green, rated favourably by TripAdvisor, but the buffet turned out to be so mediocre that it was not worth a second visit.

Vendors of food and drink at Ibirapeura Park

At one of my visits, I watched a bunch of young kids practicing acrobatics. They were budding artists and their dedication was laudable. Usually older Brazilians would ask me: where are you from? But young people are less interested in strangers and they continued to practice to the music.

One more time

In early spring, there was a profusion of cherry blossoms, a variety that blossomed in a ball-shaped cluster.This beautiful tree, so celebrated by the Japanese, seem much less appreciated by the Brazilians. I have since learnt that there is a cherry blossom festival at Parque de Carmo, but alas I missed the event.

Ethereal cherry blossoms

São Paulo is noted for her murals. There are a few interesting murals within the Park, but due to my ignorance, I am not able to identify the artists. I particularly like the colourful ones. Here, a young girl with broken teeth beamed at the onlookers. 

A colourful mural

Everywhere in the park, people found a spot for themselves to pursue their own activities, whether to sit and talk, read, snuggle up to their loved ones, or many other things within the realms of human possibilities.

A quiet moment with the dogs

Playing basketball

Photo shoot of a pregnant girl

And finally to man's best friend. Dog owners gather at specific parts of the park, enjoying each other's company and allowing their dogs to enjoy their canine company. Here is a little one, named Joey, parading in his baseball cap. Since most of the people live in apartments at São Paulo,there are unsurprisingly a large number of small dogs. And judging from the number of pet shops, the Brazilians at São Paulo really do love their dogs. 

A dog's life

Athens series - Out and about

There was not much time to explore Athens. We came across some events and passed some neighbourhoods that will remind us of this city that was the cradle of democracy.

It was October 28th, the day when the Greeks commemorated Ochi Day, the anniversary of General Ioannis Metaxas's refusal to allow the Axis's forces free passage to invade Greece. Instead, the Greeks seized the offensive and drove the Italians back through most of Albania. Syntagma Square was closed closed off on the day, to allow the parade to pass through Parliament. Our hotel was right in front of Syntagma Square so we were able to approach the barricades to watch the parade. Endless streams of school children, youths, boy scouts & girl guides marched by. It soon got very tedious. The event was closely watched by the military, the police and plenty of shady men in civilian clothes with earpieces screening every person approaching the barricades. It soon became clear that they were not tourists but men with a mission. As soon as they realized that we were not there to mean harm to the parade, they relaxed and let us approach the barricades.

Ochi Day Parade in front of the Parliament

Everywhere we went in Athens, we came across small Byzantine chapels that were built in the 11th and 12th century, the golden ages of Athenian Byzantine art. These tiny Byzantine chapels with their red-tiled domes are antique gems set among the modern concrete buildings of the urban metropolis. We are so used to the spaciousness of Catholic and Protestant churches that these small dingy chapels feel claustrophobic, enlivened only by the gold and silver icons inside.

A man sweeping outside a Byzantine chapel

Nestled among the bustling old town of Plaka, a tourist trap in every description, are labyrinthine streets that present a charming side of Athens. Here we spotted a tortoise-shell cat among the bougainvillea, pastel and ochre-coloured walls, oblivious to the world around.

Typical street at Plaka, Athens

And now Plaka. One can love it or hate it.The tourist shops are crammed full of stuff, mostly junk. Most of the shops seem to buy their merchandise from the same factory or distribution outlets. If you dare stand next to a jewelry shop window, you will be pounced on by by eager shop assistants, literally dragging you inside. One shop was asking €22K for a 18 carat gold bracelet, which the shop owner declared would come with certificate to attest to its origin. A few hundred metres away the same article was €8K,also with certificate. 

Plaka,tourist trap

A shop in Plaka adorned with tourist tack

Right in the middle of Syntagma Square was this recycle bank sponsored by Ikea. I was rather intrigued that recycling, which is the responsibility of the municipal administration, has been used to promote private enterprise or was it the other way round? 

Integrated recycling centre, Syntagma Square

Athens Series - Byzantine & Christian Museum

We saw the most fabulous Byzantine mosaic at the Kariye Museum, Istanbul and was expecting to see something similar at the Byzantine & Christian Museum. What we saw was an endless parade of icons, the kind of two dimensional art that least attracts me. 

The Byzantine & Christian Museum, Athens

A statement modern sculpture, entirely out of place

Icon of St Catherine

Icon of Christ, note the skin colour

Icon of Virgin Hodegetria & Child

Yet another icon of Madonna & Child

Towards the end of the visit, we were nearly blinded by the surfeit of gold, the stylized long pointed fingers, and the abundance of halos.

An ornate altar piece

Byzantine wall painting in Attica

Note to self: I have enough of icons for a lifetime.