Review: Hong Kong

    My trip to Hong Kong was part of my planned round-the-world trip, unlike the detour I took to Macau. Like I said in my previous review, Hong Kong is the other special administrative zone of China, which was under British sovereignty from 1842 till 1997, so in way or another it does feel like "East meets West". The city still retains some British culture and feel, which was nice to see. I had decided to stay 5 days in the former British colony, which turned out enough for me. Although I do wish I had visited some other sights that I missed out on.

Electric city!

    It is best to purchase an Octopus card to travel throughout the city, as it is fast and convenient (it works on buses, trams and subway). There are several ways to get from the airport to the main part of the city, such as using buses, subway or the airport express. I did not record the price using a combination of buses and subway to get to Causeway Bay on my first trip, however it cost me $100 (£8.31) using the premium airport express on the way back.

Modern underground

     With Hong Kong having a population of 7 million people and being one of the most densely populated areas in the world, I was not entirely surprised to find that my accommodation was situated in an apartment block. I used a map to find my way to the hostel, as it felt like a maze in this city!! Although the hostel I stayed at was only a minute's walk from Causeway Bay station exit D1 on Cannon Street. I used a code given to me by the manager of the hostel, Pandora after 80's, to get inside the main apartment block.

Common Room @ Pandora After 80's (from internet)

    The hostel was actually two separate rooms. I took the elevator to get to the main apartment on the 11th floor, whilst the common room was on the 9th. The guy who was running it, Ronnie, was a backpacker itself, however the hostel was a bit messy and disorganised as I had to go down two floors to get to the common room itself. Inside there was free tea and coffee plus you could watch cable TV. Also, it seemed the bed sheets were not changed daily as in Wink Hostel and neither were the bathrooms cleaned often. However, the location was awesome and the showers were hot, which was a massive plus. It cost me $350 (£28.08) per night, but I did pay for a 3 bed dorm deluxe room. They were in a re-building process at the time, so it looked a bit messy. The hostel is good enough if there are no other options, although for the price I am sure they are better places. I would recommend looking around first.

Not how the dorms looked whilst I was there, although it was under development (from internet)

   As you can imagine, the food in Hong Kong is very varied in its tastes because the city has been a port open to merchants for over 150 years. One of the places that was recommended to go to was the "Australian Diary." The place was packed when we got there, but we did not have to wait long to get served. Here the food seemed to be mixture of both Asian and European dishes as for the set lunch I had noodles with pork, plus a ham and egg sandwich. I also bought a ham and cheese sandwich; the total cost was $47 (£3.85). It was interesting to get an idea of how the people of Hong Kong like to eat when in a rush or buying cheap.

Mixing of cultures @ Australian Diary

   Another place we went to was an all-you-can-eat American-Chinese style restaurant owned by Mr Wong. There were many Westerners there, but it is probably because it only cost $50 (£4.10) each for all-you-can-eat-and-drink. There were many dishes brought to us, such as rice, various meats, noodles, and other Chinese-style food, but the food was pretty bland. I would not recommend the place unless you want a really cheap meal, and plan to get drunk afterwards!!!

The cheap American-Chinese meal @ Mr Wong's

   My favourite place I ate at whilst in Hong Kong was in a Taiwanese restaurant inside a tower block. Like my hostel, this place was unique as I have never gone up several floors to eat at a restaurant. I was with two girls, and they kindly bought me the meals, so I do not have an idea of the price! There was quite a selection of food from rice to various meats. I struggled to use the chop sticks, but they had knives and forks, which was good! The food was much better than Mr Wong's restaurant, but I guess you had to pay more for better quality food. I also ate this Chinese dessert with a bread-like pudding, which was rather tasty too!

Me with Iris @ the delicious Taiwanese restaurant 'above' ground!

   On the penultimate day of my stay in the city, I ate dim sum, which is a traditional Cantonese delicacy, normally eaten as snacks in the early morning. It is quite common to eat, so there are several restaurants throughout Hong Kong. It consists of small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on plates. There were several dishes of meat, rice, vegetables and dumplings. There were also a variety of sauces to you can dip your food into, which gave it an added taste. It cost us each $85 (around £7). It is a little bit expensive, but the food was really delicious, and you certainly get the taste of Hong Kong food by eating dim sum.

Tasty morning snacks of dim sum with sauces

    In regards to things to do in the city that is known to be the most vertical in the world, there are numerous things to do. For free, you can visit the Avenue of Stars on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. There are statues of film greats, such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, handprints of movie celebrities from the last 100 years, as well as plaques commemorating certain actors. It was quite interesting to see, although the best part of it was viewing the Symphony of Lights at 8PM. After a few minutes of adverts, music is played in sync with the lights from the various skyscrapers across the harbour. It is very interesting to see, although I am sure it would be better on a clearer night, as the clouds and mist ruined the most of the view for me.

Me on the Avenue of Stars overlooking Hong Kong harbour

   Another essential place to visit is Victoria Peak, which offers panoramic views of the city from 552 meters above sea level. You can either take the 120 year-old railway from near Central station, grab a bus or walk. I decided to walk; it took me 75 minutes to climb the Peak, which was a refreshing exercise. It can be a bit dangerous in places, such as a lack of pavement, but it is certainly recommended. There are some nice locations to take pictures on the way up. Near the top, I came across a quaint bakery shop, which was rather nice. Once at the top, there is a shopping centre with many restaurants to relax. You can view the city from the top of the shopping centre. Unfortunately, there was a real lack of visibility due to the clouds surrounding the mountain peak, but I am sure the views offered on a clear day would be fantastic. I then took a bus back down the mountain for only $9.80 (80p).

Me looking over the view on the Peak

    In the evenings, Temple Street Night Market in central Kawloon offers an interesting alternative. Here you will find anything 'dark' to suit your tastes, such as sex shops, fortune telling and counterfeit items. To be honest, I was here with a friend, who recommended me to do some fortune telling. It cost me $200 (£16.33) to have a palm reading. It was something I have never done before, but he offered insights about myself that seemed eerily true! It is best to have an open mind about places like this, but it offers a fascinating experience to learn more about Hong Kong culture than what appears on the surface. But the time I had finished, I felt it was enough to move on!!

Fortune telling @ Temple Street (from internet)

    Hong Kong is not just Hong Kong island, but this special administrative region of China comprises of Kowloon peninsula and another 262 islands. For this reason, there are many other areas to see other than central Hong Kong. One of the quieter and less densely populated locations is Stanley. Here there is a lovely market where it is less hectic than the hustle and bustle of the streets of downtown Hong Kong. There are beautiful views of the bay along Stanley Street, and a lovely promenade to walk down. There are also two beaches you can go to whilst you are, although I did not. I would definitely recommend coming here, as it offers an area to 'escape' the noise and crowdedness of central Hong Kong.

A quieter side to Hong Kong, Stanley

    If you love to gamble, have an interest in horses or just want to have a little fun, Happy Valley is the best place to go. It is located on Hong Kong Island surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. It was originally built in the 19th century to quench the thirst of the British people who loved horse riding, and even now in the 21st century you will see plenty of Westerners here. The cost to enter the facility is $10 (83p), so it is fairly cheap. There are plenty of stalls and small fast food restaurants for drinks and snacks. There is a big stand where you can sit down to watch the races, or you can go inside to watch it on the TV. I would recommend going if you want a but of fun with friends, although do not expect to win anything!

Me with Rud @ Happy Valley Racecourse

   There are many other places to visit that I missed out on, which I would love to go to if I go back to Hong Kong one day. Other sites of interest include Lantau Island, which once had the tallest outside Buddha prior to 2007 at 34 metres. If you like Disneyland, there is that too. There are many botanical gardens to explore, such as Nan Lian and Chi Lin. Besides from that, there are buildings of knowledge that may be thought provoking to visit, such as the science, history and maritime museums. I am sure there are plenty of islands that are worth going to that I do not know of.

Big Buddha, Lantau Island (from internet)

   The people of Hong Kong are mainly Cantonese people, although there are many Westerners who work in the city, as well as growing number of people from China, which adds Mandarin to the mix of languages spoken here. This gives Hong Kong a unique blend of East meeting West, as well as a real capitalist feel to it. The people are really friendly, and generally most youngsters speak English as a second language, so communication is not a problem. I have heard the further you go out from the city, the ruder people tend to become, although I never went into mainland China so it is hard for me to comment on that. However, the people I met from Hong Kong were really easy going, and it is not too difficult to make friends here.

Amazing Hong Kong hospitality!!! Thanks Key & Iris :)

   To summarise, despite Hong Kong being one of the tallest and most densely populated cities in the world, it is truly a lovely place to visit, as it offers plenty to keep you interested. From the quaint and quiet feel Stanley, the hustle and bustle of downtown Hong Kong, to the night markets of Kowloon, there is always something to see and do. Scattered throughout the archipelago, there are remnants of its status as a British colony with trams, police stations and of course, Happy Valley racecourse. The skyline is amazing to see, especially at night with the Symphony of Lights. The Peak offers a great panoramic view of the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the food is uniquely Cantonese, and if you dine at the right places, it is a delight to eat too. The people of Hong Kong make you feel welcomed as well. I would recommend several days to explore the city, and if you want to chill-out, there are beaches to sunbathe at in Stanley.

Review: Macau

      My trip to Macau, a special administrative zone of China, was not planned but spontaneous. I was there only a day, but it I believe that is really enough, especially if you are there not to gamble!

Ferry terminal @ Sheung Wan

        Macau was a Portuguese colony before it gained its independence in 1999, and is one of the two special administrative zones of China, the other being Hong Kong. It takes an hour to get to Macau by ferry from the terminal at Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. There is a MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station, Sheung Wan, nearby so it is easily accessible. It cost me $370 (£30) for a return to Macau, which is a little expensive I thought.

Macau

        The main attraction of Macau is the gambling. Once you arrive to Macau, you can see how the buildings are designed to appeal to tourists, so they come to their city. The city is the equivalent of Las Vegas for sure. Looking out into the skyline, you can see it is dominated by casinos.

Skyline dominated by casinos

         However, underneath this gambling image, Macau does have some sites that are worth seeing. One of the most famous are the ruins of St Paul's, which is a World Heritage Site. This cathedral was burnt down in the 19th century, but a facade still remains as a prominent symbol. There are steps leading up this, and you can also go inside the ruins to look around.

Ruins of St Paul's Cathedral

        Near the ruins, there is also Mount Fortess, which needs some climbing up!  Once there, you can see a spectacular view of the city. It also features some old cannons, as it was once a military centre for the Portuguese. Walking around the city, you will also notice European-style architecture, which gives it more vibrance. Another historical site, the Guia Fortress, is the oldest European-style lightouse in China, although I did not visit it. There is also the Macau Grand Prix, but it only occurs one weekend per year.

Famous egg tarts (pastel de nata)

         The city has also some unique food to taste, such as the famous Portuguese egg tarts (pastel de nata), which are delicious. We went to the famous cafe Nata, which apparently serves the best egg tarts in the city. I did not record the price, but it was not too expensive. We also tried some cookies in a bakery, which were very tasty. The people of Macau obviously know how to bake!

Portugese architecture

         To summarise, Macau is an interesting city to visit because of how East meets West;  it has the imposing casinos in contrast to the traditional European architecture, the ruins of St. Paul along with Buddhist temples, the Portuguese and Chinese road signs, and the contrast in foods like the egg tarts and noodles. This makes Macau really unique, but I think only a day's visit is needed.
   
        

    

Review: Singapore

        This is the first of my reviews of every country and major city I have visited on my travels. I want to do this to refresh my memory of the amazing 134 days of travelling that I did, and to give an insight for others who also want to travel the world. I will try and give an open and honest review of each place I went to. I will break the review into sections, starting with an introduction, accommodation, food, things to do, the people, and then my conclusion. 

 

The hostel from outside

        My first city to arrive to was Singapore. I chose this country as it was a good starting block for me in Asia. It also is located near the equator, so the weather is guaranteed to be hot and humid all year round, although it can rain like a monsoon on occasions!! There were direct flights here from London Heathrow. I left England via British Airways on 26th Feb at 20:30, and landed in Singapore Changi International Airport 12.5 hours later around 17:05. I arrived nearly a day later because of the eight hours’ time difference in Sinagpore.

Very modern looking reception

      To get to the hostel I was staying at, I took a shuttle bus costing around 9 Singaporean Dollars, which at the time was £4.57. I went to the Ground Transport Desk to buy my ticket. It took around 30 minutes to arrive at my hostel. The place I went to stay for all my time in Singapore was called 'Wink Hostel - Indulgence on a Budget'.

Futuristic pods!!

       It was an amazing hostel to stay at, almost futuristic in its presentation!!! The building was very modern, and as you enter, the reception is to your left. It cost me around $40 (£20) for each nigh.

Hot and powerful showers

        You sleep in a pod, which is separated by sound-proofed walls, but it does not stop the sound of snorers!! There are also power sockets and a locker, which are always handy. There was also free breakfast in the mornings, which is nice. The bathrooms were very clean and modern looking, with the showers being hot and powerful. Everyone was very friendly at the hostel, and even one of the staff took on a tour of the city with friend. I had a lot of fun that day!! Thanks Roxanne!! I would recommend the hostel to anyone staying in Singapore, as it offers a good base to explore the city and because of the good amenities it provides. It definitely lives up to its title, 'Indulgence on a Budget'.

Delicious chicken rice with ice tea. (Ice Kachang is the background)

     Singaporean food is quite different from Western food, as it mainly contains rice and noodles, and as it is a mix of many cultures. I was a bit apprehensive at first when eating the food, because I did not want to become ill. I actually ate McDonalds a few times whilst I was there. In this country they have many 'hawkers', which are places where people go to eat. At these locations, they have many different food counters where people can choose to eat different food from Malaysia, India, China, and so on.

Spicy kried kuay twow

         Whilst there, Roxanne and her friend showed me the traditional food of Singapore: golden durian puffs, mackerel otah, chicken rice, popiah and ice kachang. I tried all of them, and I liked the different tastes. The chicken rice was a bit like having a Chinese back home, but without all the sauces and other crap!! I am not a fan of ice tea, but I was not complaining about the food. And the mackerel otah tasted a bit like fish, but was very tasty. The ice kachang was like having a sweet dessert, and I wish I could have more of it as I am home now!! The golden durian puffs were sweet and creamy, so they were nice to eat. It is difficult to remember what they all tasted like, and I am struggling with the popiah (the fresh spring roll)

Kueh tutu (dessert)

     Also Chuck, an American guy I had met in my dorm, took me to this lovely food outlet where I tasted traditional food. He bought me kueh tutu, which is a traditional Singaporean delicacy made primarily from rice flour containing peanut or sugar with some coconut shredding. It was a definitely a unique taste; a little bit sweet, but nice. He recommended the kuay twow, which I ate at a hawker in the city. It was a bit spicy, but tasty. 

Downtown

           With the regards to things to do in the former British colony, there are many interesting areas to go because of the various cultures which amalgamate here. You see a lot of temples around the city, with Hindu and Buddist places of worship spread out among the place. It was fascinating to see the difference in the architecture, and look at the many types of religious ornaments used. If you want a glimpse of what India might have to offer, Little India is a nice little stop with nice architecture and the funky-looking vehicles riding around, although I only walked through the area, taking some photos outside the SriVeerama-Kaliamman temple. There is also the touristic Sentosa Island with Universal Studios and beaches. Furthermore, there is Marina Bay Sands if you want to experience the high life!!!
 

Ten Courts of Hell exhibit

       Another fascinating area I went to was Haw Par Villa. It is free to enter this site, and it contains various figurines depicting Chinese legend and folklore. When I went inside there were not many people, maybe because of the horrific nature of some of the statues, but it was quite an educational lesson nonetheless. There are some interesting artifacts, many depicting a funny nature to them as well!!! The most interesting area, yet somewhat mortifying at times, was the Ten Courts of Hell exhibit, which portrayed scenes of punishment and reincarnation popular to Buddhist belief. I would never believe religion would illustrate this kind of thing so vividly, but maybe it is similar to what Hell is in Christianity.

Cool artifact

     The most untraditional location I visited was Sentosa Island, which is just a very short ride from the mainland. You have to buy a $4 (£2) return ticket to get there, but with it you get to explore the site for free. If you want to enter Universal Studios, you have to pay extortionate sums of money around $72 (£36) for the day. I was not particularly impressed by the island as it has artificial beaches, dull scenery and the activities are limited as you had to pay for most of it.

Expensive Universal Studios

       However, I did have some fun at the Underwater Park and Butterfly and Insect Park with ten minutes of feel cleansing by fish for a combination fee of $38 (£19). For the price it was worth it, as you were able to see a cool dolphin and seal show, although I am sure the shows in USA would be better. I saw some cool-looking butterflies in the Butterfly and Insect Park, and even had a meeting with some new bird friends! The ten minutes fish cleansing was maybe the best experience, as the fish really make your feet feel brand new!! The sensation can feel a little strange at first, but you get used to get it quickly as you realise the fish are not going to harm you.

My new friends!

     There is also a zoo located not far from the main centre of the city. There are supposedly shuttle buses to the zoo but I did not see them. So I caught a train and a bus, which only set me back $4 (£2) so quite cheap. I was really interested in the night safari, but you were not allowed to take pictures because of the flash potentially harming the animals. It cost me $32 (£16) to enter, which was little bit expensive I thought, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. You can walk around the park or/and take a guided tram where a tour guide explains the various animals throughout the park. It was a unique experience, and worth it if you have the extra time and money.

Outside the Night Safari

      The most luxurious and best place for views of the city was the Marina Bay Sands. You can give either pay $20 (£10) to get a ticket to the top, or 'say' you are going to buy something at the restaurant. I did the latter. The drinks are ridiculously expensive, costing $12.50 (£6.25) for an apple juice!!! However, the views were out-of-this-world. It was still light when I was there, but after the sun had set, the buildings began to light up, making the view incredible. I would definitely recommend going here above all else in Singapore, if you love amazing sights!!
    

The amazing view of Singapore from Marina Bay Sands

       Singaporean people are a mix of cultures: Malaysian, Indian and Chinese. As it used to be a British colony and is now a central hub for many countries, it has been westernised, although this is mainly prominent in the central of the city. Most of the people speak English, Chinese or Malay although English is predominately spoken as a second language. You will find a lot of people who live here from abroad, because of the attraction of the construction and service industry. I was lucky to spend time with some Singaporean people, one of whom, Roxanne, I had met at the hostel. She and her friend took me on a mini tour of the city, eating traditional food and seeing various temples. 

 

Me with Roxanne, local Singaporean girl

        Singapore city with its 5 million inhabitants is a great city for a stopover. The people are friendly, although I met mostly foreigners. The weather is unpredictable at best, so be prepared for rain! There are plenty of interesting sites such as the night safari, sentosa resort (a bit dull I thought), lots of different temples, lots of shops (Bungi was awesome for cut-rate items), cheap transportation system costing me nearly $3 (£1.50) for 45 minute ride to the airport from Chinatown and low-cost food (mostly found at hawkers). One of the best sites I recommend is Marina Bay Sands, which offered panoramic views of the city, although it’s expensive if you dine there.
    

Flight Back Home!!

     Today was my last day of my 4 and half months of travelling around the world. It has been an incredible experience; I have seen some amazing sights, meet so many awesome people, and done some out-of-this-world things.
 
      I have lack of words to think of on how to describe the experiences I have had it has been that good!!! I will make two videos, one of Asia, the other of the Americans. I have done most of the video for Asia, it just needs some more tweaking, and I have yet to start on the other one. I will also upload all my photos to Facebook once I have got a chance.

      In any case, I had to wake up early in the morning as my flight was in the afternoon at 4:15PM. I woke up around 10:30 AM, and after getting washed and dressed, I went to the local supermarket to pay 38Rs (£12.06) which I owed the hostel. However, my bank card was not working so I ran back to the hostel and called them up via Skype. Thankfully it worked after I reset my card!! I went back to the supermarket, and took out 60Rs (£19.04) and bought a drink and some crisps for the journey.

     Once I got back to my hostel, I paid the 38Rs which I owed the hostel. I had packed all my luggage beforehand, so I was ready to leave. I walked to Faria Lima, and after paying the 3Rs (91p) I took the metro to Republica and changed to lines to go to Tatuape. From there, I paid 4.70Rs (£1.40) to get on the airport bus which took around one hour to arrive at the International Terminals 1 & 2.

     I had just over two hours before my flight was due to leave, so I checked in straight away, and after finishing the rest of my drink I went through security. About 90 minutes later I was on the British Airways flight, and on my back to England!!!

     It was a long flight, taking around 10 hours to reach London Heathrow. I watched Dark Night and Wrath of Titans on the touchscreen on the seat infront of me. You can choose from many forms of entertainment, such as music, T.V. and movies. I feel asleep for a few hours, but I did not feel tired enough to sleep for long. It can be hard to sleep on planes, especially if you are not tired enough.

     We landed at Heathrow 20 minutes earlier because we had good tail wind. However, there was a queue so we had to wait 10 minutes or so. Once we had landed, the jetty was not working so we had to wait for stairs to arrive!!! I would never have thought in England they would use stairs!!! Anyways, I was through immigration very quickly. My uncle and my mum were waiting for me in arrivals, and after greeting them,  it was a nice feeling to be back home!!!

Classical Sao Paulo

    Today was my last full day in Sao Paulo, so I wanted to see the remaining areas of the city that I had not seen yet. Last night Felipe told me he would meet me at 3PM at the hostel.

Classical Sao Paulo

    As I did not get back till late yesterday morning, we both needed a good sleep after a very long day, which is exactly what I had. I woke up around 2PM. After getting washed and dressed, I sat waiting for Felipe in the reception area. He called the hostel up around 3:15PM to tell me he would be a bit late, around 20 minutes or so.

Municipal Theatre

    After he had arrived, we left to go into the city centre. We had to get the subway from Faria Lima in order to Anhangabau. Once getting there, we walked to the Municipal Theatre, which was quite a classical building.

Orthodox Catholic Church

    After looking at that, we wandered over to the main Catholic church in the area. It was quite an imposing building, and we went inside to look at it a bit more. There was mass going on, so we had to be quiet.

Inside the massive church

    As church volunteers asked for money, he was telling me that the Catholic church relies on these donations, however the Protestant church takes 10% of someone's wage. I was astounded at this figure, and he even said some of the Protestant churches look like temples because of the money invested in them. The social pressure to pay this percentage is the reason why so many people do it. If the churches had re-invested some of this money into the poor communities in the area, I am sure there would be less problems.

Inside the church

    I was wondering if this was case for the Anglican church as it has been a dominant force in Britain over the centuries, but has declined as people became less interested in Christianity. I asked why the Vatican became so powerful, and he says it is because the central institutions have more people contributing money to them.

Meal at the mall

    In any case, after we had this discussion, we left the area as it was becoming dark. He was telling me that the central region of Sao Paulo can became very dangerous at night because of the amount of poor people who live there. We did briefly wander over to the first law school built in Brazil, where many of the presidents of the country have studied. When we were there, we could see many people starting to conjugate in that area. There were also prostitutes hanging around a certain area we where in. This is one of the reasons why he has only been to this area a handful of times in his 6 years he has spent in the city.

    After we had caught a bus back to Faria Lima, you could see the how the level of poverty changed once we got towards Paulista Avenue. It seems to me that this avenue acts like a divide for the city; one of side, the buildings are neglected and full of graffiti; but on on the other, buildings are more modern, not falling apart, and have less graffiti. He told me the government is unwilling to tackle these issues in the poor precinct of Sao Paulo because the people have nowhere to go if moved. I wonder if something will happen with the run up to the World Cup, but it seems politicians are unwilling to confront these problems in their city.

    Once we had arrived, he took me to one of the malls in the area. It was quite fancy, and interesting to see. Afterwards we went to another mall, which had a food court. I only had around 15Rs (£4.76) so I had to buy a relatively cheap meal from a less known restaurant. I chose a combination meal, comprising of beans, rice, chips, salad and chicken. He said this is quite a typical dish for Brazilians to have. I actually like it quite a lot it. I also had a chocolate moose, which was quite tasty.

    Before leaving the mall, he bought me a chocolate-strawberry ice cream, which was delicious. Thanks Felipe!!! We then walked back towards the bus stop that takes him back to his apartment. Once we had arrived, I sat with him waiting for his bus. One of the things he told me was that Sao Paulo is mainly a city where people work, unlike Rio where people go there for holidays. Only those with little money do not go.

   I have had an amazing time with Felipe in this very interesting city. I would definitely come back to Brazil, as there are so many amazing places to visit such as Salvador and Rio. I also have to thank Felipe for enhancing my experience, and making my stay in Sao Paulo so awesome. Thanks buddy!!!

   After I had said good-bye to Felipe, I went back to the hostel. It was getting late, around 9PM I think. For the rest of the evening, I chilled out and did yesterday's blog entry which took a very long time!!!! I did not go to bed until around 2AM, ready to sleep as tomorrow I will be leaving Brazil and going back home to England

Weather

Warm around 21 degrees during the day

Mild around 10 degrees at night.

A Long Day in Sao Paulo!

    Today, me and Felipe planned to go on a tour in the city, and then in the evening go to another party.

In the Liberdade region of Sao Paulo

     I woke up around 12PM after having 5 hours or so of sleep. I was feeling quite energetic, as I was excited to see the city in its glory. We needed to be at station Se for a tour of Liberdade, which was due to start at 2PM.

My wish is in there somewhere!

     Felipe called the hostel's phone, and he told me to meet him at the local Subway restaurant, which is two blocks away from my hostel. When I got there, I also decided to have a subway sandwich. The meat-ball one I bought, the sub of the day, cost me around 13Rs (£4.11). It was a little bit irritating as two meatballs fell out on our way to town!!! The sandwich was cut, so some fell out!

Me @ Esadio Munipal

     Both the metro and the buses are the same price, 3Rs (around £1), so we got on the new line at Faria Lima, changed at Republica, and was at Se not long after. In order to participate in the tours, you only have to pay the 3Rs that is required to get into the station. As the metro is public and regulated by the government, these tours can be organised.



     We registered at the tourist desk inside the metro station. Station Se is a big interchange station, something similar to London Waterloo. As the weather was continuing to be horrible and raining, we had to wait till 02:30PM to see if the tour to the Liberdade area of the city was going to go ahead. Basically, this is the area where all the Japanese immigrants came to live in the early part of the 20th century. If it was raining, they were to take us to the Tanabata matsuri (star festival), where we could make wishes on pieces of paper and put them on trees.

A view outside!

    Whilst waiting around for the next 30 minutes, Felipe taught me some Portuguese phrases, such as 'Voce fala Ingles?', meaning 'Do you speak Portuguese?' and 'Eu sou Ingles', translating to 'I am English.' I tried it out on this cute Brazil girl in her mid to late 20s, I reckon. As I knew only these phrases, I had to wait for Felipe to help me out on that one!!!!

The pitch

      At 02:30PM, we were told that the tour was cancelled because of 'safety' reasons, but it was only spitting so I could hardly imagine a flood coming down on all of us! In any case, we all grabbed the subway to the next station, Liberdade.

The pitch!!

      Along the way, the tour guide was explaining to us why the Japanese immigrated to the city. The tour guide was actually speaking in Portuguese, but there was an English helper there too. She told me they came because of military conflicts in their country, so they sought to seek safety here. I assume at the time the Brazilian government opened their borders to foreigners to increase their workforce, especially to work on the plantations. It is no wonder why Sao Paulo is so cosmopolitan today. I also did not know that Sao Paulo has the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan!

The outside area

       Once we got to the festival, we split away from the group and went to the trees to add our wishes. I am not a big believer in these kind of things, but who knows maybe my wish may come true!! Afterwards, we wandered down the street, taking in the atmosphere. There were many people there, and I spoke Japanese to a few of them!!! Although they were not very talkative.

'Culture of Peace'

       Once we had spent time there, we caught the metro to Paulista Avenue as there was not a direct line to Estadio de Pacaembu, the football stadium that recently had a football museum built inside. It was not a long walk from Paulista Avenue, around 10 minutes or so.

The stadium!

     Once we got there, we bought the tickets to get inside, which cost me 6Rs (£1.91) and Felipe 3Rs (85p) because he is a student. He told me that students get a lot of concessions on public transport and it seems even museums!! I also handed over my passport so I could get English audio equipment as most of the exhibits were in Portuguese. We were only allowed to take pictures of the stadium and not of the exhibits.



      Even though the museum was mainly in Portuguese, it was really interesting to see. Going up the escalator, I got even to see Pele!! Although not in real person! One of the rooms had commentaries of the best goals scored by Brazilians. We saw a room full of old photographs. Another section compromised of all the World Cups with videos and photos from each time period. We even got a chance to play foosball, which was cool!! There was even a 3D video of the former Barcelona player, Ronaldinho, doing kick-ups, with his skeleton friend!!!

      In a part of it, we got to see a glimpse of the football stadium, but it sucked that we were not able to go outside into the stands. After we had finished, we went into the sectioned off area of the stadium to take some pictures, which was cool. We then wandered back to near Paulista Avenue to get a bus back to my hostel. By the time we had left the stadium, it was already 05:30PM.

       Before we went back towards my hostel, we went to the local supermarket to get some food. I got some hot dogs, as did Felipe. I also bought some chocolate cakes!!! We then went back to my hostel, where we parted ways till the evening. I chilled out, and ate some hot dogs!

       Later in the evening, Felipe sent me a message via Facebook that it would be best to meet him at his apartment. He gave me his address, and told me what to do. So after getting washed, I left the hostel around 10:30PM. I walked to Faria Lima street, and waited at the bus stop on the right-hand-side. It took awhile, around 30 minutes or so for the bus that I wanted to come along (for terminal lapa).

      The guy working at the hostel wrote some Portuguese down so I could give the bus assistant an instruction. After 15 minutes or so he told to get off at this stop, which I did. Felipe told me to wait at the bus stop, but I was not 100% that was the right one. I waited around, and asked someone for help, and someone told me that was the right area. After a while, I saw Felipe coming towards me, which was a relief!!

      We then went up to his apartment, which was right at the top of the apartment block!! He must get fit by walking up and down those stairs everyday. We chilled out for a few hours and had some drinks. We left around 2AM to get the night bus to town. It was very cold outside, and at one stage I did not think the bus would come, but it did around 02:30AM.

     Around 30 minutes later, we were in the central area of Sao Paulo. This is much more dangerous than the downtown district of Paulista Avenue. However, we followed the sound of the music and we had reached the club not long after!!

      Once inside, we danced for a while. There were 3 main sections to the Lion's Club: one with a massive dance floor, another outside area for smoking and a area with sofas and a small dance floor. To be honest, I was pretty exhausted after a long day, so after dancing for a while, I chilled out to the early hours of the morning!! Felipe had much more energy than me, so continued to dance away. It was certainly a different atmosphere than the club we went to the night before, and I was feeling a little out-of-place, as the people seemed to much more alternative, and there were quite a few gays there too!!

     We left around 6AM, got two buses back to the main street that runs perpendicular to Inacio, the road where my hostel is on. I was back in my lovely bed around 7AM!

Weather
Rainy around 16 degrees during the day
Chilly around 7 degrees at night