Arrival in South America

Trip Start Oct 17, 2004

Trip End May 13, 2005

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Flag of Brazil São Paulo, Brazil
Sunday, October 24, 2004

So, my jumping-off point in the South American continent was a nice shock - one of the world�s largest cities! To be honest, it wasn't the nicest place I could have hoped for. I used the week to get my feet really and become used to life in South America. Hectic week, but I suppose good for getting me used to life in South America. I felt it was too dangerous to go out on my own at night, especially when I saw people with guns in my first day, often heard gunfire and was at one stage followed! Still, I managed to see some of S�o Paulo's "sights", like the commercial heart of Brazil (skyscraper-filled Avenida Paulista), Ayrton Senna`s grave and the Sao Paulo football team's stadium.

Then, of course, came the real reason I'd started in S�o Paulo...the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix! Three excellent days sat in a grandstand with amazing views and full of Brazilian lager louts! The prices, views and atmosphere were far better than I've ever known back home at Silverstone, although it did lack Barrichello winning his first race in front of his home crowd. The only other down side was getting horribly burnt on the first day, and peeling deliciously over the following week - nice! Once I got back to the UK, I discovered that I had made a brief appearance on international TV, being in a crowd shot at the Grand Prix!

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