Thursday was the birthday of São Paulo , a fantastic excuse to close the whole of Paulista Avenue to traffic and give it over to pedestrians, cyclists and Paulistas having a chill out day.

There were lots of buskers performing every 100 metres or so, performing a whole mixture of music. Interestingly there was not much evidence of the Bosa Nova associated with Brazil, but a lot of modern jazz and rock guitar work. One particular highlight was a shy Hendrix lookalike simply playing good old classic rock.  With the dominance of X Factor wannabes back in the UK, will Brazil be the guardian of guitar based rock?

Paulista Avenue borders all the gated residential properties of the Jardins District and many of the residents promenaded with their dogs, nearly all of which had long fluffy fur coats, which we find somewhat surprising given that São Paulo  is pretty hot most of the year.

This was our last day in São Paulo, the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, and having chosen to start our journey here rather than Rio de Janeiro or the more usual tourist destinations, we found it to be a most rewarding city to visit.  While it may not have the big set piece bucket list things to see, simply scratch under the surface and it has so much to offer.

Date: 25/01/2018