Thursday, March 29, 2012
Even before we arrived in Brazil, I found out that Brazil was unique. Our early flight from the UK meant that we arrived the same day; in fact we arrived around 6pm, meaning we’d arrived at rush hour. Now, understand that Sao Paulo is busy at the best of times, but in rush hour a 10 minute drive can take hours. In an attempt to reduce the pressure cars are legally required to take holidays. Each car must take one day off a week during busy periods. In some ways it makes more sense than congestion charges, but it does favour people with two cars.
Unfortunately, my wife’s sister’s car was taking a holiday on the very day we were to arrive!
Therefore we had two choices, to either get a coach ride across town and get a local taxi for the short trip to the house, or get a taxi the whole way. Like in many countries, getting a safe & reliable taxi is something the locals are better equipped for. In the UK, the taxi drivers have “the knowledge”, in Brazil, it’s the locals!
Thankfully, the taxis in the airport are pretty reliable and safe, but you still need to have your wits about you.
After 50 minutes and about £40 later, and after much weaving through the traffic on the major highways, we arrived at my wife’s mother’s house.
But that’s not the least of things.
There are the fog convoys – something that could easily be adopted in the UK on the busiest roads. When fog descends on the motorways, the police stop the traffic to really bunch up the traffic. Then after n apparent age, the whole ensemble trots off bumper to bumper at about 15 to 20 miles an hour until the fog clears. If you are unlucky to arrive as the convoy is leaving, you may have to wait up to 30 minutes for the next convoy. Surprisingly, the Brazilians take this approach well and without much fuss, although you will get some drivers who are exceptionally keen to retain their manhood and weave through the traffic regardless, not content with getting through the fog unscathed, but must get ahead of everyone else. I think it is just old rush hour habits .
Other oddities
Cars drink alcohol… and petrol
Kitchen sinks don’t have hot water.
Coastal restaurants are only open between Thursday and Sunday.
In Portuguese, the days of the week are called market days, but for some reason they start with the second day of market, segunda-feira. Tuesday to Friday follow in the same manner, so Portuguese novices like me have to do maths to work out what day of the week it is. Saturday and Sunday however are more traditional names of the Sabbath and the day of the lord – Sabado & Domingo.