Brazilian Odyssey: from business capital to pleasure capital, a journey along the east coast of Brazil proves, once again, that South America's largest country is also among its most diverse tourist experiences

Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas, August-Sept, 2002 by Scott Singer

With MORE THAN 17 MILLION RESIDENTS in the metro area, Sao Paulo is the world's fourth largest city It is also Brazil's business capital and the start of our journey But that did not matter observing it from 5,000 feet. At that height, the incredible scale of Sao Paulo, with its forest of concrete high-rises, dominates all other impressions.

On the ground, the city proved as exhausting and gritty as it looked from the air. But it was a worthwhile tourist adventure. Close to our hotel, on Avenida Paulista in the financial district, we visited the highly recommended Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo (MASP), the billion-dollar collection of which includes works by Rafael, Botticelli, Renoir and other masters. Battling traffic, we visited the city's enduring historic buildings in the Centro Velho. And in the wealthy Jardins section outside of downtown, we marveled at the beautiful homes.

Still, with all the commotion, it was a relief to discover an oasis from the masses of people and endless stream of cars. At the Parque do Ibirapuera, known as "the beach of Sao Paulo," we found a few rare moments of quiet in the city There's little water to be found in this landlocked metropolis, so the park's trees, grass, monuments and museums were a welcome respite.

The highlight of Sao Paulo was Liberdade, the heart of the city's large Japanese population. Since the mid-1800s, when Japanese immigrants first made their way into Brazil to make a living on the coffee plantations, hundreds of thousands of Japanese have moved into the country The story of the Japanese travels to the new world, and the subsequent settlement in the cities and the wilderness, is given a uniquely Japanese perspective at the Museu da Imigraca o Japonesa (Museum of Japanese Immigration). We arrived barely an hour before closing, but the elderly Japanese-Brazilian staff welcomed us warmly, even lighting up an already-darkened floor. Back on the streets of Liberdade, lit by Japanese-style street lamps, we found a strongly Asian community and stores filled with traditional Asian merchandise.

Sao Paulo's food reflects its diverse population. We saw everything from Italian to Vietnamese food, and traditional fare from every region in Brazil. At Dona Lucinda, we ate "miner" food from Minas Geris. The lengthy buffets offered meats, pork stews, and desserts based on vegetables, and refried beans. It was there that we developed an addiction to Pao de quinoa, the cheesy dough snack that melts in your mouth and goes straight to your Waistline.

By the end of any day in Sao Paulo, the cars, people and noise take their toll. All the more reason to stay someplace like the Hotel Inter-Continental, nestled among the skyscrapers in the heart of the Avenida Paulista financial district, where a Jacuzzi can be found in many of the rooms. The views of the city were also impressive, but the bubbling water beat out any vista. While the hotel is just fine for leisure travelers, well-located and filled with amenities, the rooms are outfitted for business travelers (with fax machines, computer printers, Internet access and desks).

Salvador

A two-hour plane ride north of Sao Paulo, still on the east coast of Brazil in Bahia state, is the city of Salvador. Salvador provides a strong contrast to Sao Paulo, beginning with its tropical feel, from Caribbean-like weather and subtropical foliage to a heavily Afro-Brazilian population. The city is the cradle of the Afro-Brazilian religions candomble and umbanda, just as its world-famous cuisine is based on African ingredients such as coconut milk, palm oil and peanuts. In part because of those religions and their traditions of art, song and dance, Salvador has been home to a disproportionate number of the country's famous artists, such as musicians Astrud Gilberto and Joao Gilberto, poet Vinicius de Moraes and novelist Jorge Amado.

Unlike Sao Paulo, Salvador retains a great deal of its beautiful historic architecture in the upper part of the city, Cidade Alta, also known as Centro, The area is anchored by the Largo do Pelourinho, a pillory square where slaves were once sold. Colonial architecture flows out from the Pelourinho, along cobblestone streets and open plazas (rife with unrelenting vendors selling jewelry and religious trinkets), to 34 colonial churches and a string of pastel townhouses. A walking tour of the area took us to such buildings as the Palacio do Rio Branco (formerly the governor's palace) and the 17th-century city hall building (Camara Municipal). We made our way to Jesuit Square, where a group of young men demonstrated Brazil's fighting-dancing blend of martial art known as capoeira.

After marveling at the leaps, kicks and near-misses that characterize capoeira, we reluctantly tore ourselves away and headed inside the plain-looking Catedral Basilica. We were rewarded with an interior that is among the city's most beautiful, where the carved and gilded wood-paneled ceiling is juxtaposed with side chapels and an ornate Rococo altar, While the Catedral Basilica's interior was impressive, it was at the Igreja de Sao Francisco and the Igreja da Ordem Terceita de Sao Francisco-just off Jesuit Square - where we found the most beautiful religious buildings of our trip. Igreja de Sao Francisco is decorated with incredible azulejo work, blue and white tiles depicting the marriage of the king of Portugal to an Austrian princess in Lisbon. The story takes up the entire cloister of the monastery Its detailed backgrounds provide an important record of how Lisbon looked before a 1755 earthquake damaged the city The Igreja da Ordem Terceira de Sao Francisco is covered in ashlar (square-cut Stones) depict ing the seven deadly sins in great detail, apparently for the monks to meditate on. Inside, its reliquary is decorated in ornate 1940s Art Deco and gold detailing.