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 Sao
Paulo is the largest city in South America and it is known to be
the
fastest growing city on the continent. Sao Paulo (Portuguese
for Saint Paul) is the capital of the state of Sao Paulo in
southeastern Brazil. It is located 400 kilometers (250 miles) from
Rio de Janeiro, and 1,030 kilometers (640 miles) from the Federal
capital Brasília.
The city has an area of 1,523 square kilometers (588 square miles)
and a population of just over 11 million (2006 estimate), which
makes it the largest and most populous city in the Southern
Hemisphere.
 Nineteen million people live in the greater Sao Paulo metropolitan
area as defined by the government, making it one of the five most
populated in the world. However, when the many adjacent metropolitan
areas, such as Baixada Santista, São José dos Campos, Campinas,
Sorocaba, etc. are included, such as in the Extended Metropolitan
Area Sao Paulo, there are nearly 29 million inhabitants, more than
any other city in the world except Tokyo, Japan with 35 million. The
region forms an even larger urban corridor or megalopolis with Rio
de Janeiro and Volta Redonda.
The city
is covered with skyscrapers that stretch beyond the horizon in all
directions. Sao Paulo has the world in itself, with its amazing
varied popular sections, such as Bexiga (The Italian District),
Liberdade (The Japanese District), and Vinte e Cinco de Março (The
Arab Business District) ... All at once, São Paulo has more than 600
hotels and nearly 1000 restaurants.
the city has lots to offer to visitors, such as:
Butantã Snake Farm and
Museums For the truly exotic, see snake, scorpion,
and spider exhibits at the Butantã Snake Farm and Museum where snake
venom is extracted at the research center for antidotes used
worldwide. True art lovers should not miss the Sao Paulo Museum of
Art which houses masterpieces by Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso,
Monet, Goya, Degas, and other world-renowned painters. The Sacred
Art Museum provides a rare example of pau-a-pique construction
(sticks and clay without lime) as well as religious art from the
16th century in an active convent. Looking for something a little
different? Try the dome-shaped Aeronautic and Folklore museums in
beautiful Ibirapuera Park (a health enthusiast's dream with jogging
tracks, trails, and tennis courts as well as another museum and a
planetarium).
Coffee Plantation
The State of Sao Paulo is still one of the most important coffee
producers in Brazil. A 120 kilometer ride to the Northwest, takes
you to a plantation which is administered by a Dutch cooperative
where the main product is coffee, but citrus-fruits, cotton, soy and
flowers are also cultivated. Guests will be introduced to the
plantation process and a charming open air lunch is served in the
most rustic farm style.
Sao Paulo's Nightlife Almost intense as the New Yorker's. Start
the evening with a cocktail high above the city from Terraço Itália
restaurant, with a fascinating view over the city night lights. Then
proceed to one of the best "Churrascarias" that Sao Paulo has to
offer. After dinner, you are invited to one of the best
entertainment places in town, where you can listen to Jazz, Rock or
American Country Music, dancing modern international rhythms or just
to enjoy the fantastic Brazilian rhythms, like the Samba and the
Forró or Frevo from the Northeast. And if you are still in the mood,
round up the famous nightclubs, because Sao Paulo never sleeps.
Santos and Guarujá
Santos harbor is located 65 km from São Paulo. A fascinating trip
along with marvelous landscape and splendid views of the Atlantic
Ocean. Highway crosses large areas of the Atlantic forest. The city
has got impressive modern buildings and large tree framed avenues
and parks. The old "Coffee Trade Building" from 1922 is worth a
visit - after a short sightseeing we cross the city's center and
continue along the beaches to São Vicente, in the neighborhood where
the Southern Brazil's discovery began in 1507. Visit to the
beautiful Porchat island and embark a ferry-boat across the channel
to the seaside resort of Guarujá, favorite weekend refuge of
Paulistas. |
