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Sorocaba Sizzle & Strings: A DIY Busker's Desert Oasis (Maybe Not)

@Caleb Cross2/7/2026blog
Sorocaba Sizzle & Strings: A DIY Busker's Desert Oasis (Maybe Not)

i'm a diy busker, which means i travel with a battered acoustic, a harmonica, and a dream of making enough for a cheap meal. sorocaba, brazil, is my latest pit stop. i arrived on a sweaty bus from sao paulo and instantly felt the city's pulse - a mix of industrial grit and tropical lethargy. the weather here is no joke: 30.02°C in the shade, humidity 66%, and the 'feels like' a blistering 34.15°C. it's the kind of heat that makes your guitar neck warp and your throat dry before you even start playing. i just checked the forecast and it's...constant. hope you like that kind of thing.

i set up near the praça Frei Baraúna, a small square with a few trees that offer scant cover. the map below shows exactly where i'm parked most afternoons.


and then there's this weird thing: the number 3447399 is everywhere. it's scribbled on the back of the cathedral door, typed on a sticker on a traffic pole, even carved into the wooden bench i sit on. i asked the fruit seller about it; he just shrugged and said 'alguém deixou sua marca' (someone left their mark). i tried googling it and got nothing. later, i found a crumpled receipt with the number 1076758708 on it, next to a doodle of a cat. i called it from my cheap sim card, and a voice whispered 'segredo' before hanging up. sorocaba is full of mysteries.

the locals are a mix of students, office workers on lunch break, and old men playing dominoes. some throw coins, some toss a nod, and others completely ignore me. i've learned to read the vibe: if the crowd looks too stressed, i switch from joyful forró to slower bossa nova - it's all about reading the room. someone told me that the city council banned amplified sound after 6pm, so i always pack up by 5:30 to avoid a fine. that's the kind of gossip that saves a busker's hide.

food here is cheap and filling. i usually grab a pastel from a street vendor near the mercado municipal. according to yelp, the best pastel is at "Pastelaria da Glória" (here's the link). i've been there three times, and the cheese-and-guava combo is killer. also, there's a little falafel place that a traveler from israel recommended - i found it on tripadvisor's offbeat eats list (tripadvisor link). both spots won't break the bank, which is key when your daily income varies between 20 and 100 brazilian reais.

i've met a few colorful characters. there's carlos, the ex-musician who runs the music shop on rua da lápide. he lets me restring my guitar for free if i play him a tune. he says sorocaba used to have a thriving jazz scene in the 80s, but now it's mostly sertanejo and pagode. i heard that a famous brazilian composer wrote a song about this city while hiding from the military dictatorship - check out the story on the local history board (some blog link). it's rumors like that that make the streets feel alive.

the heat also affects my gear. i keep my guitar in a case with a humidipack, but still, the wood swells. i've started tuning a half-step down to keep the tension lower. also, i drink insane amounts of water - the taps are safe here, so i refill my bottle at every fountain. if you're busking in sorocaba, get a portable fan. i saw one at a hardware store for like 30 reais; totally worth it.

i usually finish around 7pm and head to my hostel, which is a converted warehouse in the industrial zone. i share a room with three other travelers - a german cyclist, an argentinian tango dancer, and a mexican illustrator. we swap stories over cold beers. the illustrator, lisa, drew this quick sketch of my setup (i'll post it later). the cyclist, dirk, is training for a tour de france qualifier - he says the roads around sorocaba are perfect for endurance training.

overheard rumor: the city's underground art scene is exploding. apparently, there's a hidden alley behind the old train station where graffiti artists paint all night. i haven't found it yet, but i'm keeping my eyes peeled. there's also talk of a secret jam session every sunday at a community garden. i intend to crash it. if you get bored, sao paulo's just an hour east by bus, and campinas is a 45-minute drive west - both offer bigger circuits for buskers. i might hit sao paulo next month for a music festival.

i document everything with my phone. the camera i use is a battered nikon dslr i bought secondhand.

black nikon dslr camera on black surface


sometimes i capture moments that define the day - like this stray cat that follows me for scraps.

a cat laying on top of a pillow on a couch


(that's not the actual cat i met, but you get the idea.)

i've also connected with local musicians on instagram. there's a group called "soro beats" that organizes flash mobs. i might join their next gig. follow them @sorobeats if you're into that.

the only downside? the constant humidity makes my fingers prune up, and i've broken two strings this week. i bought a pack of phosphor bronze strings at a music store downtown - cost me 35 reais. expensive, but necessary. oh, and beware of the pigeons. they love dive-bombing into my guitar case.

i'll be here for another week before heading towards rio de janeiro. if you pass through sorocaba, look for me at the cathedral steps around 3pm. i'll be the one with the slightly out-of-tune guitar and a grin despite the heat. tips in any currency accepted.

for more practical tips, check out the busking forum on reddit for brazil. also, the sorocaba tourism board has a list of events.

till next time, keep the strings vibrating.

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About the author: Caleb Cross

Just a human trying to be helpful on the internet.

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