são paulo: where the hills meet the chaos

so i landed in são paulo yesterday and let me tell you, it's...something else. i just checked and it's 26.6°C right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it's not too bad actually, but the humidity is killing me. this city is way up at 800 meters, which explains why it's not as hot as i expected but still feels like walking in a sauna.

this place was founded back in 1554 by some jesuits who probably had no idea what they were starting. now it's this massive, sprawling city that just keeps going and going. someone told me that it's the biggest urban area in the southern hemisphere and the only megacity in brazil. don't know if that's true but it sure feels like it.

the weather here is...well, it's hot and wet in summer (which is december to march, who knew?) and cooler and drier in winter. right now it's kind of in between and i'm not complaining. but someone told me that the rivers here get pretty polluted during heavy rain, so maybe don't go swimming in the tietê or pinheiros.

if you get bored here, são bernardo do campo, santo andré, and guarulhos are just a short drive away. guarulhos has that international airport if you need to escape. the state borders minas gerais to the north, paraná to the south, and rio de janeiro to the east. not that i'm planning on going to rio anytime soon, that traffic nightmare is enough for one lifetime.

speaking of traffic, oh my god. it's the worst in the world, seriously. someone told me it's better to just take the metro or use uber. and don't even think about driving yourself, you'll never get anywhere.

the food here is pretty good though. i've been trying all these local dishes like pão de queijo (cheese bread, yum!), feijoada (black bean stew), and coxinha (chicken croquette). someone told me the japanese food in the liberdade district is supposed to be amazing, haven't tried it yet but it's on my list.

and the famous people! ayrton senna, pelé, lula... someone told me oscar niemeyer designed some key buildings here too. not that i'm a big architecture buff, but they do look pretty cool.

it's really diverse here, with people from all over the world. someone told me it has the largest japanese community outside japan. i can believe it, i've seen so many japanese restaurants and markets.

but it's not all great, i have to say. the pollution is pretty bad, especially when it's misty. and someone told me crime can be high in some areas, so you have to be careful. don't flash your valuables and stick to tourist zones at night.

also, it rains a lot here, especially in summer. someone told me the rivers can flood and that's not fun to deal with. and the altitude is pretty high, so if you're coming from sea level, you might feel a bit off at first.

but honestly, it's an experience. this city is massive, chaotic, and kind of overwhelming, but in a good way. it's got this energy that you can't find anywhere else. i'm still figuring it out, but i think i'll like it here.

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