2 Sep 2009
Journey to Sao Paulo
I just returned from a busy week in Sao Paulo, Brazil where I presented at a regional DB2 conference. Time outside of work was limited and wandering around Sao Paulo is discouraged. A lot of time was spent going back and forth in taxis, but I managed to get out and enjoy this amazing city.
We did a little site seeing on our first day in Sao Paulo and visited the central market and Museu da Imigração e Memorial do Imigrante (Immigration Museum). It was fun to get an introspective on historical as well as modern Sao Paulo. 
The Brazilian population is culturally and financially diverse yet wonderfully integrated. Sao Paulo is the largest city in South America. The dichotomy of modern skyscrapers set among deteriorating neighborhoods is striking as you consider Brazil as a key emerging market similar to China and India. But the Brazilians seem to have a joy seldom seen in super cities and celebrate their role in the emerging world.
Click here for a couple more pictures of Sao Paulo.
Our first dining experience was Brazilian barbecue. If you’ve never experienced this before, it is a carnivore’s delight. Slabs of meat are brought to the table on skewers and sliced to the customer’s preference. As a vegetarian I was totally grossed out and tried to keep my peace for the most part. The next night we found a white table cloth steak house called Dihno’s Place with a wonderful seafood menu. I thoroughly enjoyed the poached salmon with mango sauce and the irresistible desert bar. It was so good we returned to Dihno’s twice during the week with larger and larger groups.
Our last day was a day off but an important meeting was scheduled with the local team for mid afternoon. Feeling confined to the hotel I decided to indulge in a relaxing massage in the morning. All in all it was a very nice trip but I needed to get out more. I hope to be back for this conference next year and see more of Brazil.
Bon Voyage, Jay
