Kaixo, Melanie

Google Translate. 

It's so refreshing to see non-European centric art. The Museu Afro Brasil is located in Parque Ibirapuera. The entire museum is in Portuguese, which was the struggle. You can still appreciate the work though. There's a small fee, but I got in for free somehow. IDK why, lol. But not questioning it. My favorite part was a section on black newspapers in Brazil. The journalist in me was freaking out. Minority voices in journalism are so important.

Pastel e caldo de cana. Apparently a São Paulo classic. Thank you to my language exchange friend Mauricio for taking me to this literal hole in the wall along Avenida Paulista. A pastel has a light flaky crust with a variety of fillings (chicken, cheese, chocolate, etc.). Caldo de cana is sugarcane juice. Order a "caldo de cana com limão (lime)".

I'm no art connoisseur, but I do like art museums. This is the MASP, or Museum of Art of São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (man, that's a mouthful). My favorite part is not pictured - there was an exhibition of childhood on the first level. FREE ON TUESDAYS. That's when I went. :)

Traffic in São Paulo is truly on another level. The line to the metro extends UP the entrance stairs. I've never seen that before at a metro. We were packed like sardines during weekday rush hour. The metro is very clean and super easy to navigate.

This link will take you to the Spotify playlists of We Hostel Design. 

Address: R. Morgado de Mateus, 567 - Vila Mariana, São Paulo - SP, 04015-051, Brazil

Beco de Batman is an alleyway in São Paulo full of street art. It's a long and windy walk from the Sumaré metro stop, but well worth it. Study a map before you leave. When I went there, I was caught between a photo shoot and filming of some video.

Although when it comes to a better sense of direction, Rio taxi drivers win that one. 

Despite some reservations (Is it safe? Am I taking a poverty tour?), I took a tour of Rocinha (pronounced ho-seen-ya), Rio's largest favela. It's hard to translate favela into English. I wouldn't say it's a slum or a shantytown because it's much more developed (we're talking decades of development) than that. It's definitely a marginalized, at times even stigmatized, community of what seems to be the working class poor. A community built out of necessity, a refuge from expensive apartments and homes. And with estimates that say 1 in 5 Rio residents live in a favela, I wanted to see the "other" side of the city. We took a bus from Ipanema into the favela. Our 20-year-old guide Obi led me and two brothers from Hungary through Rocinha's unmarked narrow and steep roads. It felt like a never ending labyrinth. At my feet, there was dog shit everywhere. Above me, there were endless tangles of wires. I could feel my heart beating fast - unaccustomed to climbing so many steps - as we ascended higher and higher. We took in the best views of Rio from Rocinha's rooftops. We listened to Obi talk about education, unwritten rules of the favela (no stealing, no raping), drugs, police brutality and infrastructure. Obi had an interesting story himself. He and his mom run a hostel out of their home. We even got to see it. The Rocinha Guesthouse has been featured in several international news pieces, including the New York Times. Look it up. Seriously. Not all favelas are the same, but I was really surprised at how vibrant the community is. Rocinha, which has about 300,000 residents, is a highly developed community teeming with people, businesses and services. Tour Favelatour.org I'd highly recommend booking a tour through this website. This is a small company operated and owned by locals. Extremely informative and affordable. The hostel I mentioned: Rocinhaguesthouse.com Safety I felt safe. Many tour groups have gone through Rocinha for years. We walked by several throughout the day. I mean yeah, we walked by drug dealers with large rifles and police with large rifles 5 minutes later...but as long as you're a respectful tourist it's ok.

This is a lemon (limão) and passion fruit (maracujá) tart. I miss all the fruit-inspired desserts in Brazil, especially all the passion fruit desserts. Though not pictured, I also had passion fruit/chocolate macarons. So. Good.

I love airplane food. I love how everything is in its own package. The shrimp salad was so bomb! This tray even had this teeny bottle of olive oil. So cute. Oh, and an excellent brownie.

Address: Rua Barão da Torre 175, casa 18, Ipanema, Cep 22411-001, Rio de Janeiro, RJ-Brasil

“Devolva Me” by Adriana Calcanhotto. I heard this song several times while in Brazilian taxis. A very sad, but beautiful song in Portuguese. 

Cashew fruit juice! Not very good. The actual fruit, which has the texture of a tomato, is much better.

What I WON'T miss about Brazil.

I was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last week.My body’s in the U.S. but my mind is still there. So I’m going to do a series of blog posts. Enjoy! Hopefully.