Curitiba to Sao Paulo:
I was tremendously excited to have finally arrived in Brazil! And having done so in my van that I drove all the way from Chicago made it so much more special. The southern part of Brazil is very similar to Argentina or Uruguay, both demographically and culturally. What is very different, of course, is the language. Even though I felt comfortable speaking Portuguese in Chicago, it took me some time to get my brain cooperating when I had to speak and understand it all the time. Curitiba (the home of Anderson Silva) was a very pleasant and welcoming city. On the other hand Sao Paulo was imposing by its humongous size, chaotic and full of energy. I hope that next time around I will have time to explore this megalopolis.