We're staying with a colleague of mine Renata, her and her lovely family who have very generously put us up for 5 nights. It's a stunning place which they built 10 years ago. The streets are guarded 24 hrs a day with a combination of cameras, patrolling guards and high fences. It's a tranquil place but this didn't stop Renata calling a guard when we came back from dinner last night, purely just to watch us get from out of the car and into the house. Something that both concerns and reassures you at the same time! Dinner was immense btw, first time having proper Sushi in what the locals call Japan town! Just glad I ate it here in Brazil and not in Japan, well unless I wanted a four finned, ten eyed fish!
Whilst we were flying into SP I managed to get a few glimpses put of both sides of the plane. The landscape was just pure city carnage dotted with clusters of high rise buildings, right upto the horizon, on each side. I knew SP was big but this is ridiculous!
Renata is a member of an exclusive sports club surrounded by Million pound flats, luxury shopping centres and generally an upper class feel to place & it's people.
https://m.facebook.com/ecpinheiros
We watched the Brazil vs Mexico game in front of the big screen at the club. The weapon of choice was a bucket of Brahma's on ice, we got through about 5 between a large table of Renata's sports club friends & family. A disappointing result for the locals but at least they didn't lose. So around 7pm we took a cab to Vila Madalena, which is the main strip of bars & restaurants. We started at the bottom and worked our way up, regularly purchasing the odd can of beer from locals on the street selling from large tubs with ice. The area consisted of a maze of streets with every single one crammed full of people, it took us an hr to go 500 yards, but what an atmosphere. I've never seen anything like this in my life, trawling through a vast array of nationalities occasionally stopping and chatting, with us squeezing our way to the edge of any of the streets just to get some breathing space!
The next day we took the subway to grab the quarter final tickets from a Fifa ticketing office, great feeling picking them up and mapping where our seats will be at the Fortaleza stadium. The atmosphere is going to be off the scale, especially if Brazil top their group and qualify in the knockout round. It's who I'm supporting now considering England crashed out to some Suarez brilliance.. That's what you get Hodgson for saying that Suarez isn't world class yet you moronic womble fairy. Now Greg Dyke has mentioned he will still manager. Tool.
We watched them bow out in Vila Madelena again, after meeting up with a few of Bren's mates it was another night of antics, meeting new people and generally chancing it! Such a good crack. My voice took a kicking aswell, struggling a little today.
We hopped on a plane early today and we're now in the hostel at Iguassu falls. Chilling out writing this in the bottom of the bunk bed we've got for a couple of nights.. as soon as Bren got on top it all the wood started to bow, just hope he doesn't come crashing down in the middle of night, it won't be a pretty sight!
Tomorrow should be decent seeing the falls, hoping to snap some class footage!
