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Sent from Sao Paulo, Brazil on Dec. 25

Hey guys, I am about done with my Brazil tour.  Arrived at
the bus station in Sao Paulo, where I will stay until my
flight back home on Dec. 26/27.  I should add that I did
the entire one-month trip without speaking a word of
Portuguese or Spanish, though by now I know several words,
and understand--reading--much more.  I met only a handful
of Brazilians who could stutter in English, some spoke
nicely, but none at ticket counters or info desks.  I
relied on the native intelligence of the people, for
example, saying the name of my next destination and showing
my watch, meaning ?when is the next bus to such and such
place??  Seeing that I could not understand the local
language, the person wrote down the time(s) and the price,
and that was that, as I had done also in Ukraine, Belarus,
etc.  Let me give you my view of languages.

1. Languages.  I grew up with Turkish, then changed to
German, attending junior high at an Austrian boarding
school, later even more exclusively in Germany as I
attended high school.  By then I could speak German as well
as Germans.  All that effort was wasted when I arrived in
USA started English, as I took my classes at the
university.  I began to realize that while I was
tri-lingual, much of my memory cells in effect were filled
with vocabulary, grammar, der-die-das clutter I no longer
needed.  German is translated so well into English that
indeed I could read Goethe?s Faust in English and not lose
much on nuances.  And as I delved deeper into English,
while making a silent resolution that I would not learn
another language, I noticed that my fluency in German
declined, though I could read almost as well as before.

I put my resolution into effect in Arabia.  5 years there
and I made almost no effort into learning Arabic.  All my
work was exclusively in English, and I did not need
elaborate Arabic outside.  That others could speak a few
words in English was sufficient for most needs.  It did not
bother me that I could not tell or understand jokes in
Arabic.  The world was getting smaller, globalization
taking hold, the Internet connecting world, and English was
becoming the International language.  As time passed and I
became a world traveler, much of the useless der-die-das in
my memory was now replaced with places like Kigoma,
Tanzania and Mpulungu, Zambia--ends of Lake
Tanganyika--which was OK.

When I was in Africa in 2005, I took many bus thru about a
dozen countries, in a span of about 14 days, I was the only
white among the natives.  I noticed that people from one
region spoke a dialect unique to them, that people in the
adjoining region did not quite understand them, for they
had their own dialect.  If the 2 regions wanted to
talk to each other, they used Afrikaans in the south,
Swahili in the north, in effect making these 2 languages
into a bridge for Africa-wide communication, much like
English on the International arena.  I thought of how
English, French, German, etc. took hold in different parts
of Europe, one group using the word GUGU for this, the next
group using GAGA for the same, JUJU in some other part. As
these became higher civilizations, the speakers of JUJU
became French, those who uttered GAGA English, ones with
GUGU German, no different than what I was witnessing in
Africa in 2005: tribal sounds.

When you visit Latin countries, one of the first things you
will notice is language schools advertised all over the
place.  And apparently enough idiots enroll in these
classes to make them popular money-makers, for you have to
pay for them, not to mention take time off from travel to
attend the classes.  As most travel books underline, the
native cultures are supposedly delighted if a visitor makes
an attempt to stutter in their native tongue, AS IF this
makes them part of this tribe.  I think otherwise.  Here I
am taking a month of, and incurring substantial costs, to
come and visit this country, indeed circle the whole place
as if a native (I was the only tourist in almost all the
buses I took), and all this did not suffice BUT stuttering
a few words in the native tongue would do the trick. 
NONSENSE.  To me the only reason a visitor needs to learn
the local language is if this person is studying that
language, doing research related to something about this
country, or something of that kind.  Otherwise, instead of
expecting ME, a passing tourist, to take classes and waste
my travel time and fun, and pay for this besides, it would
be much easier for the Government of that country to find a
native person adequate in English, tell that person that
he/she would not need to translate a book but be merely be
prepared to give basic info to foreigners--also Europeans
and other travelers, who are generally good in English--to
make their travel easier.  This is what hospitality is all
about.  So if I DONT find such an office and person, as in
Kaliningrad, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Latin America, and
other places, this conveys to me that this
Government/country does NOT really VALUE ME as a visitor,
that I am seen merely as a hard currency provider.  This
also means that I will not make the effort to learn the
language of such a society.  Besides, I have now traveled
thru 123 countries.  By this logic, I would have had to
learn say about 200 too 300 of the GUGUs and GAGAs (words)
of say 100 tribes.

2. Tourist Set-up in Brazil.  Except for the lack of
English, I found Brazil very well set up for tourists and
backpackers, perhaps as good as South Africa and Australia,
of course much superior to the USA--due to very bad public
transport in USA.  (Indeed, the only sensible way of doing
USA is to arrive with 3 friends--to share costs--rent a car
for say 6 weeks to 2 months, and circle the country,
stopping at hostels where you can find them.)  As for the
long-distance bus system, if the Intercape buses in South
Africa and Namibia are the best in the world, the ones in
Brazil would rate as 2nd.  It has 3 classes: Executive,
Leito, and Conventional.  Even in the latter, there is
ample leg room and the seats are comfortable, though a bit
tight sideways.  The price is cheaper than comparable buses
in Mexico and Turkey, perhaps also than the ones in South
Africa.  Hostels exit not just in large cities, several in
bigger ones, but even in villages.  I liked Brazil, though
I wish more people spoke English, especially at bus
stations and info desks.  It is difficult to imagine that
in a reasonable advanced country like Brazil, people look
at you as if they never heard there is a language called
English.

3. Add Florianopolis to your Brazil list.  Several natives
mentioned that Florianopolis is perhaps the MOST livable
city in Brazil.  After using one coupon flight to Manaus,
taking the ship to Belem, flight to Salvador, flight to
Campo Grande (for Pantanal), bus/flight to Iguazu for the
falls and Itaipu Dam, use your last coupon (or take the
15-hour bus, as the roads are a bit better in the south) to
Florianopolis on the Atlantic coast, if you want to see ONE
beach-town.  Fortaleza is nice too and has beaches 3 hours
south and north, but I liked Florianopolis the best as it
packs all in one site.  It is actually an island 54km long
(North-South) and 18km wide.  So from either the mainland
or the island the other shore looks as if you are on the
Bosporus in Istanbul, even the villages remarkably similar.
 Yet, there are so many beaches and lagoons, etc, that
parts of the vista also resembles that of San Diego, though
from close-up the architecture is more that of resorts in
Turkey.   Wait till I post some photos and post cards.

Florianopolis is in the State of Santa Catarina, just south
of the state Parana with the city of Iguazu on the west
and Curitiba on the east.  (We passed Curitiba on the way.)
 There is luggage-check and info desk at the bus
station--no Internet.  For sight-seeing in one day take a
city bus from the city bus terminal about 200m to the right
as you exit the long-distance terminal.  a) From Terminal
B, take Bus 311 to Lagoa da Conceicao, change (at the end
of line) to Bus 360 to Barra da Lagoa, all (20-min scenic
ride) in one ticket for 2.30 Real ($1).  Walk around a bit
to get a feel for the place, village.  Get back to the
terminal the same way. 

For northern and southern parts of the island use buses at
Terminal C and D. b) to south: Bus 410 or 430 connecting to
563 (2:75 Real, 30 min), c) to north: Bus 210.  The scenery
varies from very quaint to spectacular, all in a
sub-tropical setting.

4. Minas Gerais (State) out, Sao Paulo in.  After
Florianopolis I was going to take a bus north to Belo
Horizonte, state capital of Minas Gerais, said to be a
pretty state, north of the State of Sao Paulo.  But then I
decided against it.  I have already covered 19 of the 27
Brazilian states in this huge land, among them the most
interesting ones.  So instead, I took the 10:30pm bus to
Sao Paulo and arrived at 8am next morn (Dec. 24), to give
myself a day or 2 of sight-seeing, in this Brazil?s largest
city, before my midnight flight back to USA on Dec. 26/27.

5. Sao Paulo, Bus Station to Hostel.  Sao Paulo is at least
3 times larger than Paris, a lot of it haphazard, with many
favelas--ghetto-like places--on hillsides.  But, of course,
there are also nicer parts.  When you arrive at the
long-distance bus station in TIETE, the small tourist info
counter is next to a garden-like patio.  It was closed when
I arrived, but I got a metro map and a downtown city map.

Look around for the escalator to one floor up.  Turn left
and walk straight ahead to the metro ticket counter and pay
2.10 Reals for the one-time ticket.  You are on the Blue
Line here.  Look for the sign to JABAQUARA, the end
destination of that line.  Get on the metro and get off at
the 5th stop at SE to change to the RED line to BARRA
FUNDA.  Get off the metro at the 2nd stop at REPUBLICA. 
Here You will take 3 separate elevators.  There are 3
separate exits.  Take the one to Rua do AROUCHE--make a U
after the 3rd escalator, walk about 100m, then take the 4th
elevator to street.  MARK this SPOT.  To your left is the
Republic Square, just 20m away across the street.  15m from
you just around the corner is also the bus to the airport
(24 Reals), the ticket office also right there.  This is
also the direction you will walk for sight-seeing all the
way to the cathedral and justice building just past the SE
station.

However, to get to the hostel, you will turn right and walk
about 100m to the next big x-street with park-like Largo do
AROUCHE as center lane on that street.  Stay on the right
sidewalk, cross the street to AROUCHE park, keep the FLOWER
Market to your right, also passing the huge
(banyan-tree-size) rubber tree, and continue straight until
you come to a circle.  Circle the circle from left to the
other side and look right across at the 7-story yellow
building with orange trim.  (The brown building, Hotel SAN
MICHEL, will be on the left corner.)  The yellow building
is the Downtown HI Hostel Sao Paulo.  This is not the best
or liveliest neighborhood, but you are at the center of the
city.  The entry is on the first street to the left as you
come to the building.

a) At the Hostel.  4-bed dorms go for 27 Reals (25 for
members) with breakfast, sheets and towel included.  There
is a smoking patio on the 7th floor; Internet ($ Reals per
hour) and breakfast are on 1st floor.  By the way, you can
pay your bill by credit card at this and all other hostels,
but here they do not accept Dollars--too many fake
ones--whereas all others, in fact, give you change for
Dollars.

b) Walking Tour.  The hostel has a 3-hour walking tour for
20 Reals.  Since I was there on Christmas there was no
tour.  You can take the tour on your own.  Everything you
want to see is reached by turning left at Pra(ch)a
Republica where you got off to get to the hostel.  The map
from the hostel is too detailed.  Get a map of touristic
sites from the Info kiosk at the other side of Republic
Square.  Most of this area is pedestrian on weekends.  Walk
to SE Square, reach the cathedral, and circle the block in
front of the ornate justice building.  If you want to see
also the most exclusive street in Sao Paulo in the JARDIM
PAULISTA nearby, enter the SE Metro Station, take the BLUE
Line in JABAQUARA destination and get of at PARAISO (4th
Stop), walk across the platform to the GREEN Line in the
direction of MADALENA, get off at the 2nd exit at
BRIGADERO, turn right after getting off the metro, and walk
to AV PAULISTA exit.  I did not find this street
particularly interesting, 4 lanes going this way, 4 in the
opposite direction, a center divider with light posts and
trees, framed by tall commercial buildings.  If you want,
make u-turn after the escalator to the street, and walk 2
metro stations to CONSOLA(CH)AO, then reverse your steps to
return, now taking the GREEN line in the direction of ANA
ROSA, getting off at Paraiso to BLUE Line to TUCURIVI,
getting off at SE, and if you had enough of Sao Paulo,
continuing on RED Line to BARRA FUNDA and getting off at
Republica, as you did from the bus station, and walking
back to the hostel.  You are done with the best of Sao
Paulo.  (IN Rio you would have needed at least 3 days: 1)
for Corcovado and Sugar loaf, 2) City tour, getting off the
bus in Ipanema and walking back thru Ipanema to Copacabana,
perhaps all the way to the Meridian Hotel on the beach
side, returning on the sidewalk side, with a stop at Maxim
for a beer and people-gazing, 3) taxi to the China (or
Chinese) point.)

Sirman