Sao Paulo, Brazil

We arrive in the capital of Brazil, 17 million people, with no room. Go to the ATM machine to get some Ruies, their money. There is a tourish information booth at the airport and the guy speaks English. He help us find a room at Hotel Joamar, right downtown in a great location. Also tells us about the Brahma Bar with live nightly entertainment. Get a cab downtown and he drops us off half a block from the hotel on the non-driving street. I get my pack on my back as young boys volunteer to help us for ruias, of course. The hotel is located well and the room is very nice, $11.56 each a nite. The elevator is broken so we hike up 3 flights of stairs to our room. I am amazed that I make it all in one swing. Leave my stuff to help Janeen. A guy has already brought her big bag up and I go to help with the smaller one as a man tells me not to leave my bag in the hall so I move my stuff into the room before helping Janeen. By this time, the guy from the desk has got the other one up for her and she has arrived out of breath from the climb. She is also extremely tired and still does not feel real well. She lays down to sleep and I open my bottle of Argentine Malbec, my Argentine rougfort cheese and have my meal with the crackers from El Trapiche! It is delicious. Watch tv showing the Sao Paulo Carnaval and never get out of the room to the Brahma Bar. Slept well, up late after 9. Janeen is feeling a little better and we shop on our way to the Brahma to get a bite to eat. They are not open till lunch so hang out in the park for a bit looking at art. Have a conversation with one of the artists, take her and her husbands pictures and she gives me one of her hand-made pieces painted on a matchbook with a magnet on it for the frig. I thank her and we wander thru lots of stalls selling all kinds of stuff and listen to some live music. Back to the Brahma and order steak au poive which was very good. Janeen cannot find anything on the menu so refrains as her stomach is still not back to normal. The waiter gives us a note a Brazilan English speaking woman who we met earlier at the Brahma, and has left us, inviting us to the Sao Paulo Carnaval and to call her on her cell should be go. We never went, but thought that was such a nice gesture on her part to go out of her way to make us feel so welcome.