“Oi! Tudo Bem, Japa”
This noise may at first sound weird to the untrained ear, but actually is somewhat affectionate. You see, most Paulistanos would assume that I’m of Japanese heritage as the largest community of Japanese people outside Japan is found in this city. This is over three quarters of a million inhabitants of pure Japanese descent (albeit with a Latino temperament) – not to mention the new generations of mixed-raced ‘Nippo-Brasileiros’ – a melting pot indeed. There’s a very interesting reason as to why this is, that I won’t go into, but it makes great trivia – and I found the answer I needed at the Japanese Museum of Immigration in the district of Liberdade. Walking through Liberdade really summed up Sao Paulo’s attitude to race. It’s a hotpot of all things Asian plus some other cultures for added flavour. At first, I thought I’d wandered into a some crazy ‘one-world’ theme park, but this is the real thing – Brazil’s infamous cultural integration model come true, set in a landscape of ‘as far as the eye can see’ concrete high-rise towers and suspended cable lines.
On exploring the city further, I found that the spirit of Liberdade extended to many other districts. I’m a real foodie, and I found myself in eateries of all kinds throughout Sampa, including many creative outlets offering the currently fashionable buzz that is ‘fusion cuisine’ – although I have to turn my nose up at cream cheese in sushi; it’s just wrong on every level. But in seeking out the very best of Paulistano food, my tastebuds were enriched with flavours like pastel, grilled meats, feijoada, bachalau and mortadella, washed down with ice-cold chopp (draft beer) or a caipirinha, or ten.
“Caipirinha ou Caipirioska?”
The ‘bicha’ at the gay bar will shout this over the bar to you. Paulistanos traditionally have a drinking palette limited to beer or their national cocktail made out of that potentially blinding sugarcane spirit, Cachaca. But as the middle classes rise, you’ll hear this bar call more and more often, as luxury vodka or in some cases Japanese sake is used as the base spirit, just another one of those weird cultural fusions. Throughout my time in the city, I’d learnt that you can only ride the Paulistano wave if you go old-school. So the answer to this question is always “Bicha, um caipirinha com Nego Fulo!” or some other local Cachaca of choice.
Drink one of these and you’ll believe that you’re fluent in Portuguese, but you’ll only really be limited to the words of a Michel Telo song. Two, and you’re ready to take on the locals at samba dancing with a massive, unashamed grin on your face. Three – well the boys will be screaming “Aloka!” (that roughly translates as ‘crazy bitch’) at you whilst you dance the ‘Bate Cabelo’. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of catching a drag show in Brazil, it has a basic pattern – she launches onto the stage in one outfit, lipsynchs to Porto-pop or Madonna for a bit, starts stripping down to a bikini, takes her elaborate diamante headpiece off and starts whipping her hair up a storm, round and round, faster and faster. When she’s done, and seriously dripping in sweat, she’ll pull her wig off to show she is a man. Trust me, after a big caipirinha drinking session, you’ll be doing the same – I’m speaking from experience.
For kicks, giggles and to satiate my interest in gay people-watching, I found myself sipping caipirinhas in the gay and gay-friendly venues around Avenida Paulista.
Taking in the surrounding areas of Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta, I found a wonderful collection of hang-outs to suit every taste; from exclusive members-club like venues where you’ll find coiffured, pedicured, sculpted and gymmed ‘boy barbie dolls’; to coffee bars and restaurants frequented by the black polo-neck wearing, thick-rimmed bespectacled queer intelligentsia of the arty and trendy Villa Magdelena. From the midweek silent-discos rammed by skinny-jean clad, bearded hipsters of the up-and-coming bohemian San Cecilia neighbourhood; to the infamous down and dirty meat-markets where students and blue-collar singles come to mingle, fuelled by super-strong 2 for 1 drink offers. They all come for the laissez-faire attitude here, brought together by their sexual orientation and quest for love, although many will probably first experience it in one of the ubiquitous ‘love motels’ in the area.
What I do take from my time here, is that the scene is a strong and very community-driven one, which is really refreshing to find in such a big city. You’ll find the biggest Gay Pride carnival in the world here, with a sea of people swarming Avenida Paulista each year, attracting nearly 4 million revellers. But outside this gay neighbourhood, it seems that gay people are integrated into many of the other districts, each with its own bars and clubs. I’m sure that being gay is not without its struggles in this predominantly Catholic city, but on the surface, it seems as though the mainstream is accepting and tolerant of gay people.
Uwern stayed at Hotel Unique, arguably Sao Paulo’s most designer hotel.
At OutThere, we believe in boundless travel. But we understand that some destinations can pose challenges to travellers that complicate visiting them. We advise all visitors to inform themselves about local legislation and customs, and to work with a trusted travel provider in order to ensure a safe and pleasant holiday.
