Title : Business in Sao Paulo...nah!!!
Review : You havta believe...my first experience of travel to the land of plenty and it hadta be for all official reasons...as in pure business and commerce and trade and only that much! In and out within 7 days including the days of arrival and departure and time taken to offset the jet lag (maybe about 2 days) and a tight schedule of hectic training on equipments aimed towards bettering the environment, i.e., equipments for recycling and hence ecofriendly...so agenda all very noble and proper...some on-site visits to check out the actual functioning of the equipments in real time and all this leaving almost a negative time value towards pursuits that bring the bold and the beautiful, the rich and the trendy, the beauty and the beast to this land of aplenty!!!
Time of the year...July Weather...unpredictable, varying between extreme sunshine to the roaring thunderstorms Language...strictly portugal Translator...a mesiah who orders the daily dose of proteins and carbs and directs the taxi driver to yr supposed destination After a good day and a half of sleeping to get over the extreme jet lag, we are told by the receptionist at the hotel that our hosts (the company whose equipment we plan to distribute) have suggested we utilise the sunday to travel towards the beach (about 2 hrs drive from sao paulo city) with the help of a private taxi driven strictly by an english speaking driver cum guide...
As we step out of the hotel...voila...bright skies turn grey and pour torrents of rains over the sun soaked city...yet we venture towards the beaches of Santos (the legendary Pele’s hometown). Amazingly dense and lush green landscapes, witnessed thru the dense mists! Driving in the hope that the weather remains unpredictably true to its reputation we drive to the Stadium and musuem exhibiting Pele’s trophies and game history, then onwards thru miles of beach skirting avenues...
But the legendary sun and sand combination of this region elude us until we reach the fag end of our wits and let the time difference catch on us and drive back to the hotel for another night of blissful siesta. The next few days of rigorous training went by in a jiffy...though we networked and made acquaintances from all over the globe with the other attending trainees and the company staff(extremely courteous and helpful)...sampled more than superman’s share of the delectable local cuisine (thru the expert guidance and translations of one of the manager’s from the company) and did a wee bit of shopping of the famous brazilian leather and sporty wear as gifts for family back at home.
Time for a few last minute closed door meetings with the seniors at the company, agreements signed, challenges accepted and promises made to return back on a fine sunny day...rushing back to the hotel to check out in time to get our taxi to zig-zag us thru the rush hour city traffic...just in time to check in our excess baggage at the airport (more samples and minimal shopping) to leave us some spare time for the duty free counter...bagful of chocolates and a box of strong brazilian coffee...board the aircraft for our onward journey to mumbai via johannesberg!
Strong aroma of the coffee percolating thru numbed senses after a grueling 10 hour long haul to J’berg plus a 5 hour wait and finally onwards to mumbai, with a generous portion of creme brulee on my extended table, I am greeted by the very genteel and petite air stewardess offering me a cushion or probably a warm blanket to make the remaining of the journey more comfortable...as I accept her offer and agree with my co-traveller that if there is heaven on earth...this is it, this is it!!!