Sao Paulo

Praca de Republica is the center of the center and looks more like a piece of jungle in the shape of a square square in the middle of the city. During my first "fruta" drink which again is pricey but worth it, I look at the people here who look "European" and modern. There seem to be more ethnic minorities living here than elsewhere in the country. Not surprising if you read the history of Brazil; São Paulo was no more than a few huts when it was founded in 1554 by two Jesuit missionaries.

It was not until the 17th century that it grew especially when the "bandeiras", the slave hunters, built their headquarters here and started using the city as a base. In the eighteenth century gold was found in the region and Sao Paulo served as a stop-over for many pioneers and gold diggers. A century later, Brazil became independent of Portugal and Sao Paulo became a provincial capital. There was also a university that brought many students to the city. As a political and intellectual center, the city became an example when it came to abolishing slavery and establishing a republic.

In the nineteenth century, the city experienced prosperous economic prosperity, which was mainly driven by the export of coffee. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, the city drew waves of immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and other European countries to work in coffee plantations. On the other hand, many ex-slaves went to the city to find work. At the beginning of the twentieth century, coffee prices fell sharply and as a result, local entrepreneurs started investing in the industrial development of the city.

The industrialization of the city attracted new contingents of overseas immigrants. It seems as if all the offspring of the mishmash that has been drawn here through the ages now walks past me and occasionally gives a wink.

After an afternoon-walk where we buy a flying-ticket to Manaus and a beer on the terrace we walk back towards the hostel. And with good reasons. The rain comes down in buckets and secondly the neighborhood does not seem to be very "safe".

Now it becomes clear why the room looks so bad; there is no waterpipes to guide the water out of the building. The rain comes down through the ceiling along the walls and I am forced to put my bag in bed. Will there be puddles in the room soon? I thought that Sao Paulo was a city with hard-working people, but there has been no one here for a long time, at least no workmen.

I try to make coffee with my heating element but I think they have 110 volts here and it takes forever for my water to boil. I read some more in my travel guide Brazil and think about my first day in Sampa, as Sao Paulo is affectionately called but maybe we want to get out as soon as possible.