Home after 5 days racing around in Sao Paulo, a crazy city of 18million people which expands to 25million during the day.
Despite the growing Bio-Fuel used in market the moon had a red glow to it each night due to the haze and you never actually saw the sun.
If you can help it try not to fly Aerolineas, they may be the cheapest but this is one of those times where you get what you pay for and Business Class isn’t much better than Economy so I would consider another airline, LAN Chile is an option.
I found this to be one of the worst continents for jet lag due to the time difference and extreme late nights everyone has there. Finishing in the office around 2130hrs then going straight out for dinner killed me most nights – never getting to bed before 24oohrs.
Went on a tour of Caio bus factory after a 3hr drive out of Sao Paulo. I have never seen so many ant/termite hills, emphasised by the red soil I dear say. The bus bottoms (chassis) were imported and the rest was assembled on site. The factory seemed clean and organized but the assembly lines are labour intensive with no robots used at all. I do not want to see another loser cruiser again – the wheels on the bus go round and round (you had to be there) Caio buses could transport the whole of New Zealand in two days, that is how huge they are. One bus with capacity for 280 people had 400 people roll out on to the curb one day.
After the cocktail party for the Trade Mission we all went to the All Blacks bar, which was a dump (typical sports bar), as the Minister wanted to go… amazing how you get use to non-smoking bars and cafes in New Zealand.
Had a few traditional dishes, meat and more meat 
Went to two great restaurants that cater for the local dishes, Churrascaria’s, for a hilarious night of meat; the wild boar was great covered in chutney – we didn’t even bother with the salad bar. Also tried sucking up a straw the local Mate Herb tea, a stronger version of the green teas we drink here. And Campenesa restaurant on the motorway on the way to the bus factory which served the number one dish, meat with a tomato sauce and cheese on top then baked in the oven – delish!
The cafe that made me laugh was where your plate of food was weighed at the check out, paid for then you found a table to dine at.
Another fun night was the dinner and fruit Caipirinha’s at Sky Bar in Unique Hotel. I recommend this one if you want to get out of the grot of the city, reminds you life is not half bad.
If you intend on living there for a while do not buy a nice car and have a uniformed driver as people will think you are rich and rob you. And even though everyone dresses in bright colours the cars are all greys, blacks and other mute colours.
We experienced a 200km traffic jam, the key is to keep moving by driving around the blocks pretending you are jumping cues – toll roads were usually empty and saved 2hrs worth of cuing.
In the end I think a few companies did business and others gained market research. It was noted at the round table that it takes time, lots of perseverance to enter the market, a partner is essential and you need local knowledge, lawyers etc. Large companies are usually family owned and everyone works in them, relationships are key to doing business.
