A city of many people and many things - but a city of few tourist attractions. Tourist guides which pander such things as specific attractions are usually lacking for something to say about Sao Paulo; but those who look deeper will find a truly amazing city which bears the pulse of Brazil.

Somewhere near 20 million, they say, is the population. The urban sprawl is endless and mostly indistinguishable - but the downtown is filled with pedestrian only avenues and lends itself well to supporting what I think is the real attraction of Sao Paulo - its street life. The multi -ethnic throngs that make up Sao Paulo's millions rushing along the streets, and the street vendors and handicraft sellers - the people that make up Sao Paulo are really what makes the city worth a visit.




No, it's not a beautiful city; in fact, it's rather dirty and many windows are broken, even on the churches around the metropolis. But if you want to plug into what is really happening in urban Brazil, unheeded by the large numbers of tourists which surely head straight for Rio, and watch the Brazilian people in an environment which is wholly their own and not contrived for other things - then spend some time in Sao Paulo. Even though I know little about this country at this point, I am confident enough to say that Sao Paulo is a pretext that should be studied for anyone entering the country. Don't go straight to Rio, spend a day here. You just might want to spend a few more.

-April 2000








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