9/3/15
I am not talented in languages (I mean, have you read my blog? It is full of grammatical and spelling errors, so much so I wonder if non native speaker can understand my writings). It took me a long time to “master” English (in a sense, English is still lording over me). Before I started this trip, I wanted to learn Spanish: it is a language I think will become very useful as South America matures. However, I also had an excuse for not studying: too tired, too much work (the real work, not that I was just lazy. Well, I was..), too little time, etc. I definitely regretted not being better at Spanish as the trip progresses. As time went on, I got a little better, and was terribly excited in Columbia: their speak slowly an clearly- perfect for beginner like me.
The day’s blended into one: not because I was partying too hard, but because I spent the night traveling from Cuba to São Paulo. The first leg lasted for 5 hours from Havana to Lima; then a 2.5 hours of layover; and finally another 5.5 hours from Lima to São Paulo. It has been a while since I did any long distance flying and it showed: I failed to sleep much and was constantly woken up by noises and vibrations (nope. Not the good vibration). It did not help that the in flight movie kept breaking down, and we watched the first 45 minutes of Tomorrowland twice before they finally switched to another movie. (I don’t know, I think clooney is starting to show his age…)Nonetheless, the plane made it to São Paulo (the passengers clapped when the pilot landed in Lima from Havana. I am not sure if we were all pleased to have left Cuba, or just was exuberant that we watched Tomorrowland twice and never finish, since it looked to be a terrible movie).
The immigration was a breeze: I went through the check point in less than 15 minutes. Baggage claim gave some of us with checked in backpacks quite the scare: we all waited by the conveyor belt, and I could see looks of dismay and agitation when we realize our bags were nowhere to be found. By pure chance, I walked by the oversized luggage section and realize all out backpacks were treated as oversized. It was too early for a bus ride to my hostel, so I had to paid an exorbitant amount to a taxi driver.
Arriving at my hostel, I took a quick nap (well, a 2 hours nap) before heading out for my first tour: a free walking tour of the Paulista Avenue: a street full of modern buildings and skyscrapers. It was a nice change to be back on a modernized city: the metro was easy to comprehend, on time and crowded; I saw McDonald everywhere; Starbucks at multiple busy street corners; coca cola and coke zero on proud display cases. Even the air felt less humid (well, it is. I am a long ways away from the equator after all…).
Paulista Avenue is the cultural and business center of the city. Each building is required to have a cultural center at the first floor, which makes it really interesting to wander into buildings and look at exhibits. Seeing a Starbucks, I finally broke down my barrier and ordered a frap and a brownie: sugar had never tasted so good in my life (well, I say that a lot. I do love sugar. And chocolate. And good coffee. And ice cream. And sushi…). I joined the walking tour that brought us around the avenue, explaining the histories of the buildings and the area. I also noticed a lot of Japanese restaurants: there are a lot of Japanese immigrants in the city, and I was told the Japanese crushing here is very authentic. (I will talk with my wallet and see if we can come to an agreement…)
I had dinner with one of the tour group mates from Peru, and we were in a local restaurant when I heard a famoar accent: singlish (from Singapore). I eventually talked to the two ladies who are auditors, and it was a nice way to wrap up the evening…except I realize someone stole a bottle of shampoo from my backpack during the flight. That and I realized I cannot read the menu at all, and ordering food and paying at supermarkets are challenging once agaib.
It was funny, I did not realize how much Spanish I had picked up during my trip. While I am still at a beginner level, I can at least order food, read a menu, talk to taco drivers and ask directions. Being in Brazil brings the challenge of language back to forefront once again. I guess for the last month of my trip, things will continue to be interesting and motivating. I am learning new things everyday.
(Now I need to start learning how to find a bathroom, and some simple phrases so I can eat. My dinner consisted of all fried food….not the best dish…)
Chen's Travel Blog 