A Trip Around the World

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

 Tuesday was a great day! It was the most productive day of work I have had in Sao Paulo so far. I began working on some data I received from my client and for some odd reason I was able to just keep going all day. I completed a project acceptance framework and process for my client, which will enable them focus on only those industry clients and projects that are aligned with their strategic objectives. 
 After work was dinner at Quintal, a pizzeria also on the list of restaurants recommended by our local foodie friend. FYI – Pizzas seem to be a luxury in Brazil, served only after 5pm – don’t ask me why. Our group was definitely under dressed (see photo below). The food was great (I recommend the Napolitano) but the company was even better. We had dinner with Kristin and Matt, ex-E&Yers from the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, who are currently traveling around the world. So far they have completed the first third of their trip. 
 
 Hearing their story and all the unique experiences they have had in only a short three months got me wondering: “Do I have what it takes to travel around the world?” I am seriously considering adding this to my bucket list. I wish Matt and Kristin safe travels and I can’t wait to read about their next adventure at Iguaçu Falls. Please check out their blog and follow their amazing story here.  As you can see from the pictures I stole from their blog, my personal favorites are the pictures from the salt flats in Bolivia.  

Kristin, Uma, Me, Ravi, and Matt

Sightseeing- 2 weeks later

10/14/2012

I have been in Sao Paulo approximately two weeks, as of Sunday, October 14th. However, I have yet to do anything really touristy and I still feel like I’m having the time of my life. Typically, when in a new city, I make an effort to “see the sights” but over the past couple of weeks I really didn’t have that itch to explore because of two reasons: (i) the people of Sao Paulo and (ii) the food.   

The people of Sao Paulo have been very warm and welcoming. It seems like every other day someone is inviting my colleagues and me to a local bar, restaurant, soccer game, social event of some kind, their own home, or even a community service event (e.g. donating blood). And then there is the food. Sao Paulo has so many great restaurants that, with the exception of Le Manjue, one of the few organic restaurants in town, we have not visited any restaurant twice. We have also started working our way down a list of almost 30 restaurants that a local “foodie” gave us (more on that at a later time). So between people hosting us and visiting new restaurants, sightseeing has taken a back seat.

Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo

On Sunday we literally forced ourselves to get in a taxi and find something touristy to do or see.  The first and only stop was the Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo (aka MASP). MASP is considered one of the landmark of the city and boasts one of the finest collection of European art in Latin America. I do not consider myself an art enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, but I do appreciate art and architecture. There was a decent amount of pieces from some of the more famous artists like Renior, Van gogh, Monet, Degas, Delacroix and many others. On this day, I appreciated some of the sculptures more than the paintings. Two stood out the most, but I only managed to write down one:  The Kiss by Auguste Rodin.  Below are a couple of pictures from our first day of sightseeing and I promise to do a better job over the next several weeks.

Uma and me underneath MASP getting ready to go in and me a little taller than usual.

Architecture and art seen on our sightseeing venture

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

10/12/2012

That’s the Nigerian equivalent of the “work hard, play hard/harder” mantra we use in the U.S.  I’m not sure what they say here in Brazil, however, having spent most of last couple of weeks discussing the work I’m doing and some of the interesting things Pixel produces, I thought I’d share a little bit about the weekend. Friday = play day

 Friday was the public holiday, Children’s Day, here in Brazil. It is celebrated each year on October 12th, coinciding with Our Lady of Aparecida's Day, celebrating the country's patron saint, and like any large city within driving distance of great beaches, everyone headed out of town - except me. I procrastinated (like I tend to do) and since ticket prices had increased, I ended up staying in Sao Paulo instead of visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thankfully, I have the greatest boss; Mr. Daniel Li came through as he always does. He invited me, Uma and Ravi (codename – 4th Fellow) to his BEAUTIFUL home for lunch. After eating out for the majority of the last two weeks, it was refreshing to enjoy some wine and a home cooked meal with great company. Thank you Daniel!

The food:

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1. Salad
2. Main course – Bacalhau ao forno com batatas (Seasoned cod fish baked with potatoes, rice and beans)
3. Deserts – Banana da terra grelhada com canela (fried plantains) and doce de leite (argentinian caramel)

 The afternoon ended with a drive through Vila Madalena, an upper-middle class bohemian neighborhood of the Pinheiros district, known for its history as a center of São Paulo bohemian culture and art. Check out the graffiti-covered streets and alleys Daniel drove us through:

Friday night we went to Joaquim Tavora in Vila Mariana (not to be mistaken with Vila Madalena above). Jaoquim Tavora is pretty much a long street flanked by restaurants, bars and small boutiques on either side. Rachel (pronounced Ha-kel) and her boyfriend Marcelo picked us up in the early evening for dinner but since I was still pretty full from lunch, I won’t be able to comment much on the food. After dinner, we headed to Kitsch Club for some live music and dancing. It was a lot of old school music from Prince, Madonna, MJ, and Bob Marley, just to name a few; and I have to say, few songs make me really want to dance, but on this night, I couldn’t say no to MJ or Bob. In my mind, for those eight minutes, I owned the dance floor!