São Paulo: Concrete Jungles & Questionable Pastel Flavors

okay, so. i’m back. from são paulo. and honestly? i’m still processing. it’s… a lot. like, a lot a lot. i’m a touring drummer, right? i’ve seen some things. played some dives. but this city… this city hits different.

I just checked and it’s hovering around 26.15°C right now, feels like it too. Humidity’s a bit of a beast, though - 69%. Pressure’s normal, I guess. Doesn’t really affect my drumming, thankfully. I was expecting something hotter, honestly.

My mission? Find the best street food. My budget? Let’s just say i’m operating on a “ramen and hope” kind of level. I’m trying to save up for a new snare drum, you know? Gotta keep the kit in shape.

First things first: Vila Madalena. Graffiti everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. It’s like a giant, chaotic art gallery. I spent a good three hours just wandering around, snapping photos (as a drummer, rhythm is everything, even in visual art, right?). I found this amazing little cafe tucked away - check out their Yelp reviews https://www.yelp.com/biz/vila-madalena-sao-paulo - apparently, the coffee’s decent. I had a pastel de nata. It was… interesting. They had a durian flavor. Durian. I’m not sure my stomach has forgiven me yet.

Someone told me that the Beco do Batman is a must-see, but it’s also ridiculously crowded. Like, shoulder-to-shoulder tourist chaos. I managed to squeeze through and get a few shots, but it was a bit overwhelming. I prefer the quieter alleys, you know? The ones where you can actually hear yourself think.

I spent a day in Liberdade, the Japanese district. It was a welcome change of pace. So much calmer, so much cleaner. The food was incredible, obviously. I had ramen that actually tasted like ramen. Not that weird, vaguely-brothy-water stuff you get in some places. I even tried karaoke. Let’s just say my rendition of “Highway to Hell” didn’t exactly win me any awards.

“Don’t trust the pigeons. They’re organized.”

That’s what a very drunk guy told me outside a bar in Pinheiros. I’m not sure if he was serious, but it stuck with me. São Paulo feels… intense. Like anything could happen. And probably will.

I checked TripAdvisor [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303633-Sao_Paulo_State_of_Sao_Paulo-Vacations.html] for some recommendations on museums, but honestly, I was too busy just being in the city to actually visit any. Maybe next time.

If you get bored, Campinas and Santos are just a short drive away. I didn’t make it out there, but I heard they’re nice.

I also stumbled across a local forum https://www.sampaonline.com.br/forum/ where people were arguing about the best place to get coxinha. Apparently, it’s a serious debate. I tried a few different places, and honestly, they were all pretty good. But I’m still on the hunt for the perfect coxinha. It’s a quest, really.

Pro-tip: learn a few basic Portuguese phrases. It goes a long way. And be prepared to haggle. Everything’s negotiable.

Another overheard rumor: apparently, there’s a secret speakeasy hidden somewhere in the Jardins district. No one seems to know exactly where it is, but people swear it exists. I’ll keep you posted if I find it.

Overall? São Paulo is… exhausting. But in a good way. It’s a city that challenges you, that pushes you, that makes you feel alive. Just maybe skip the durian pastel. Seriously.

You might also be interested in:

• https://topiclo.com/post/remote-work-in-homs-is-it-a-digital-nomad-paradise-4
• https://topiclo.com/post/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-neighborhoods-in-uvira-4
• https://topiclo.com/post/naples-sustainability-check-how-green-is-this-urban-beast
• https://topiclo.com/post/i-thought-mirzapur-was-going-to-be-chill-but-it-was-a-total-mess
• https://topiclo.com/post/raleigh-nc-your-next-unplanned-experiment