A walktour through São Paulo´s graffiti

Walktours through São Paulo´s graffiti

Urbanoids and lovers of urban art can be amazed by the graffiti in São Paulo. Now there are two walktours offered by this site, acoording to a news published today at the Folha de São Paulo, the cities´most read newspaper. 

http://www.streetsofsaopaulo.com/

They basically offer two tours, one in the north zone and another one in the central/west zone.

Graffiti is controversial in São Paulo, though the city, known nationally as the stone-jungle, is in fact the perfect environment for pixações: the spray-made drawings, phrases and codes, sometimes impossible to be understood by people outside the scene. 

The drawers (known as pixadores) were since the 70s always trying to escape from the police and private guards. It seemend they wanted to put their sprays at the higher or most-difficult-to-get place, as an untold competition between themselves. High-rises with white walls and highways were always their main target. 

However, it is clear this kind of manifestation evolved, and graffiti nowadays is manytimes colourful and inspired, and it is becoming to be recognized as an art - not as a common opinion, let´s say. 

But some artistis like Osgêmeos ("The twins") and Kobra have some pieces exposed or even made abroad.

It is for sure an authentic popular and street art that is now getting international museums and the consent of many condos in São Paulo, which are accepting the panels made of graffiti. 

The Kobra´s panel in fronto of Shopping Paulista, at the beggining of Paulista Avenue, is one of the most famous graffitis in the city. It was a tribute to Oscar Niemayer, Brazil´s most famous architect, who died in recent years.

Floripa (4) - Lagoa da Conceição - eating out

Floripa (4) - Lagoa da Conceição - eating out

Avenida das Rendeiras, which is a strip surrounding the Lagoa, has lots of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. The best shrimps can be eaten there, as they offer its sequência in a fixed price, generally for 2, 3 or even 4 people. 

You can just walk by the Rendeiras avenue and see prices fixed at the easels in front of each restaurant - and choose also by its atmosphere and its looking. Some have air con, some don´t, some have music, some are at the open air etc. You´ll clearly see some simple places and some fancy ones, some with brazillian music and others with a more intimate air. 

The sequência de camarões - literally translating, the shrimp sequency - consists of three or four plates containing, each, about a dozen of shrimps, made fried, steamed or with a garlic or lemon sauce, accompained by salads, french fries, rice or other side dishes. 

Shrimps prices are a real bargain if compared to other places, and you can eat them so much!

A nice discovery for me, in 2016´s carnival, was the Beijú Tapiocaria, located at Avenida das Rendeiras, 1590: they do delicious Tapiocas, a tipical plate from brazillian northeast, which can be described as a cassava flour pastel, filled with savory or sweet fillings. Also, their caipirinhas are the best in the Island of Santa Catarina. Here´s their site at facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Beij%C3%BA-Tapiocas-Caipirinhas-1571755029759548/

But there are lots of bars you can choose too at Avenida das Rendeiras, as well some nightclubs that may operate only during summer time. 

Floripa (3) - Lagoa da Conceição

Floripa (4) - Lagoa da Conceição

View of the Lagoa da Conceição and the dunes of Joaquina beach, at the other side 

In the middle of Santa Catarina Island, just opposite downtown Floripa, in the East part of the Island, there is the scenic Lagoa da Conceição.

View of the Lagoa da Conceição and the dunes of Joaquina beach, at the other side 

The Lagoa is linked to the sea by a channel, which ends in the Barra da Lagoa beach. 

The Lagoa da Conceição

Actually there are two main lagoons, separated by the Avenida da Rendeiras (rendeiras avenue). This neighbourhood has a small centre with some banks, restaurantes, b&b´s, ATM machines, clothes´ and beachwear stores and somme other kinds of commerce. There´s a very nice Havaianas store there, with different kinds of products from this brand to buy. 

This small town locally known as centrinho da Lagoa works as a basis for tourists visiting the Lagoa and its surrounding beaches, Joaquina, Mole and Barra da Lagoa. Local buses and taxis generally go to the bus depot located in this "centrinho da Lagoa" (downtown Lagoa). 

The Lagoa offers Stand Up Paddles and Scuna tours. The water is very hot and isn´t very clean, compared to the seawater surrounding the Island. It is advisable to mind for excessive jellyfishes which may occur during hotter summers.

It is a nice spot to stay, because it is in the middle of the Island and surrounded by the most beautiful beaches, in my opinion. Lagoa has good options of hostels, bed&breafasts, hotels, pousadas and even camping.  There you can stay outside the city, feeling to be truly having vacations and at the same time having some urban ammenities. 

Between Christmas and New Year´s Eve, as well during carnival, the place gets really crowded, with traffic jams; sometimes black-outs can occur, speacially when temperatures rise too much and everybody is using aircon. At those times of the year, it is important to check googlemaps about trafic and estimated times, and be mindful that, in the morning, there will be lots of people trying to get to the beaches and, in the afternoon, the contrary. People may also leave the beaches earlier if there´s rain, what is quite common, by the end of the day, during summer in south Brazil. 

Floripa (3) - The Santinho beach

The Ingleses and the Santinho beaches

The Dunes at Ingleses beach, to the left. To the right, passing over the Dunes,
you can arrive at Santinho beach. But both are accesible by car or bus. 

Still in the north side of Santa Catarina´s island, there are the Ingleses and the Santinho beach.

Ingleses is a very urbanized beach, with a small sandlane. 

Facing the Atlantic Ocean, Santinho is a windy beach, perfect for windsurfing and kite-surfing. Some surfers also enjoy the south side of the beach, close to the rocks. The north side is separated from Ingleses beach by tall dunes, from where nice pics can be taken. 

If you walk from Ingleses to Santinho, this is the scenery you´ll get

The most famous and expensive resort of the island is located at Santinho, the Costão do Santinho resort, built over the stones at the south side.

The dunes hidding the Santinho beach

Alongside the hotel, over the rocks, there´s a path open to the public where some rock art, made thousands of years ago, can be seen in the stones. It is not clear what the paintings in the rocks mean, as they were done by the first humans to settle in the island, much before the Europeans got there. From atop the rocks, nice pics of the beach can be taken.

The path linking Santinho´s beach (in the centre) to Moçambique beach, to the south

The rock art at the rocks of Santinho

For the brave and in good shape tourists, it is possible to continue this path untill the next beach, Moçambique beach. It takes about 2 hours in a 2 km hard trail (1,6 miles). The problem is, if your transportation is at Santinho, you´ll have to come back. Another option is to climb more 1,2 km (about 800mi) uphill to the peak of the mountain. 

More rock art

Florianópolis 2 - Jurerê International

Florianópolis (2) - North Side of Santa Catarina´s island: Daniela, Jurerê International, Canasvieiras, Ingleses and Santinho

The north side of the Island of Santa Catarina hosts some famous beaches, specailly Daniela, Jurerê International, Canasvieiras, Ingleses and Santinho beaches.

Daniela is a calm sea beach, as it is located in the northwest side. West beaches at the island face the continent, so seawater is calmer and almost without waves. 

Canasvieiras is known for receiving a high number of argentinians in the summer, some owning real estate there and even hotels and bread and breakfasts. 

Jurerê Internatioal is the beach of the rich and famous, or the ones trying to be. Yachts, jet skis, speed boats in the sea, champagne and beach clubs playing lots of eletronic music in the sands - even during carnival. Behind, huge mansions. This is the beach to see and to be seen. And to spend lots of money in the beach clubs or at some party in a yacht. 

The mansions of Jurerê International

Jurerê International

One of the beach clubs at Jurerê

Tomorrow, I´ll write about Santinho´s beach.