I've been in Brazil for two months now and have only three days left before I'll be going back to Argentina on Friday evening. My Spanish is suffering terribly from the Portuguese I've been surrounding myself with for the past two months so I've decided that, before going back to Denmark, I'll drop by Córdoba once again to revive my Spanish...hopefully not resulting in the same thing happening to my Portuguese as happened to my Spanish. Argh! I suppose this is what happens when you decide to learn two similar languages almost simultaneously...and don't have the linguistic capability of a four-year old. Wish I were bilingual from childhood...

Since I've already been to Córdoba and written about my experiences there on this log, I've decided to make this account my very last one. So here goes, right from the centre of madness: The city of São Paulo.

People say a lot of things about São Paulo, mainly that it's a) dangerous, b) ugly and c) crazy. And after having experienced the city myself, I suppose I can agree with all of them, however, the truth is a bit more complicated than that.

It's true that São Paulo is dangerous but at the same time I think people should remember that São Paulo has three times the number of inhabitants as has my country. No wonder more things happen here. However, crime is a big problem here and it reflects on the security measures throughout the city: In the metrô you'll see armed police in almost all stations; when two rivaling football teams (both of São Paulo) met this week, the number of police officers was extreme. In the building where Carolina lives (in a quite safe neighbourhood), there's is a guard all day round, seven days a week, to let in only the people who live in the building as well as their visitors, who'll have to be approved before the guard pushes the button to open the iron gate. This is normal procedure in all the places I've been to here in Brazil - in Catanduva, which is a small and safe city, as well as in Salvador, though our building there was technologically old-fashioned and, as such, manually opened by the guard permanently stationed just inside of the gate.

Here in São Paulo, however, it's another story. There isn't just one iron gate, there's two in most of the buildings I've seen. It functions the way that upon entering the first gate, you close it behind you and only once the first gate is closed, the second will be opened. That is, you enter a sort of cage, which is a double security measure to make sure to keep out any intruder. It's a safe feeling, but at the same time it makes me feel kind of paranoid always to be reminded of the danger of living in São Paulo... In some privileged residential areas, a cluster of streets are closed-off in a so-called condominium, only accesible via a guarded entrance similar to that of the buildings.

Regarding whether or not São Paulo can be called ugly, it's of course a matter of taste, and in my opinion the city certainly has it's ugly sides: Roads and traffic jams dominate the picture and many places are just gray and rather dull looking. I thought I'd seen the worst of living conditions in Salvador, but that was only untill I got to São Paulo and passed by the most terrifying favela I've seen to this date. Couldn't believe my own eyes, and this sight is quite normal once you get to the outer suburbs of São Paulo (which I only do by car with Carolina, when we're going somewhere, so don't worry, I'm not walking around in the favelas...). There do exist really nice neighbourhoods n São Paulo with beautiful buildings and trees in front, but I miss the small patches of green and the beautiful plazas that other cities have. In this respect, it's obvious that São Paulo grew out of industrial times: No old architecture, and as such, completely different than Salvador with its colonial-style buildings.

On the other hand side, São Paulo has something else: First of all, and this might just be my general fascination for big cities, but I do see the beauty in the ugliness of this city. Might sound contradictory, but there's a certain charm to be found in all the gray that this city is made up of. Also, the cultural richness of the city reflects in the numerous - and professionally done - graffities on murals all over the city. Those, who maintain that graffiti isn't art, come to São Paulo and have a look for yourself, that may very well change your opinion. I would never call São Paulo beautiful but in short, simply saying that it's ugly doesn't correspond to the vitality of the city, 'cos São Paulo really has a pulse, which beat can be felt in every street no matter how gray it might be.

And finally, the craziness: That São Paulo is a crazy place is not an opinion, that's a fact. It's as if it isn't enough for São Paulo to be one of the biggest cities on Earth. It has to squeeze even more people into the streets, into the metro, into the roads than any other city I've yet seen. Well, I suppose that's why Greater São Paulo reaches 17 million inhabitants. I still haven't really grasped just how big this city is; it's as if it just can't sink in. But looking at a map and realizing that the distance it took me at least one hour to cover is only a small stretch on the map brings me a bit closer to understanding the size of this place.

Being a tourist in São Paulo is not easy, and I would only recommend this place to people who share my fascination for big cities. But even so, São Paulo is sometimes too much for me and on such days I just feel like running off to the apartment or hide in a nice coffee shop away from the crowds. Wondering if "Killing me softly" in fact was written about São Paulo? However, I remind myself that even the Paulistas themselves have days like these; Carolina and her boyfriend got lost today in a far-fetched neighbourhood and spent two hours (two hours...) finding they're way back. That's life in São Paulo, where commuting to work can easily take two hours each way and where a one hour car journey is just a piece of cake. I admire the Paulistas simply for living in this city. They have to put up with a lot just in order to be inhabitants of this place. I think I'd love São Paulo, if I'd lived here always because the city certainly has a rich and interesting cultural life, but coming from Denmark, I don't think I could ever get used to life here.

My last load of photos will be uploaded in one of the days to come... Thanks to all of you, who've been reading along and thanks for the comments and emails - I'm finishing this log, but I'm still here in South America for a while, so keep in touch on hotmail or facebook!

Kristine