Sao Paulo holds plenty of high profile events such as Sao Paulo Indy 300, Sao Paulo Art Biennial, Sao Paulo Fashion Week and Brazil Grand Prix Formula 1 Sao Paulo. It is a home to Sao Paulo Stock Exchange, Future Markets and Cereal Market Stock Exchanges and has been home to different tallest apartments in Brazil such as Mirante do Vale, Italia, North Tower of United Nations Centre Enterprise and Altino Arantes. Sao Paulo is also colloquially called Sampa and is also quite famous for its unreliable weather, size of its helicopter fleet, multitude of skyscrapers, architecture, severe traffic congestion and gastronomy. The original coastal settlement in Brazil, Sao Vicente was established in the year 1532 and was first permanent Portuguese colony in New World. 22 years later, Jesuit missionaries Jose de Anchieta and Manuel da Nobrega and Tibirica Chief established the Sao Paulo village called dos Campos de Piratininga around 42 miles inland from the city. The clergymen founded a mission at Colegio de Sao Paulo de Piratininga, intended at converting Tupi–Guarani native Brazilians to Catholic faith, along with making it easier for Portuguese crown to rule them.

Sao Paulo is situated in south-eastern Brazil in south-eastern Sao Paulo State, around halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. It is located on flat terrain situated within Serra do Mar, itself the component of vast area called Brazilian Highlands with average elevation of approximately 2,621 feet above sea level. This distance can be covered by two highways – Anchieta and Imigrantes, which roll down the range leading to Santos’s port city and Guaruja’s beach resort. Rolling terrain triumphs surrounded by developed regions of Sao Paulo except in city’s northern area, where Serra da Cantareira Range sports sizable remnant of Atlantic Rain Forest and higher elevations. The complete area is quite stable tectonically, and no noteworthy seismic activity has ever been recorded.

In all of Brazil, individuals of various ethnicities mix with each other, creating multiethnic society. At the moment, people of many different ethnicities make Sao Paulo their home. The main groups taking into consideration all metropolitan regions are: three million people of Portuguese descent, six million people of Italian descent, 1 million people of Arab descent, 665,000 people of Japanese descent, 1.7 million people of African descent, 120,000 people of Chinese descent, 40,000 Jews, 400,000 people of German descent, 150,000 people of Greek descent, 60,000 Bolivian immigrants, 50,000 people of Korean descent and 250,000 people of French descent.

The luxury goods sales in Brazil recorded $8.9 billion in the year 2010, as per GfK Brazil, out of which 70 percent of luxury goods are marketed in Sao Paulo City and 95 percent of sales in city are symbolized by luxury quadrilateral. The Cidade Jardim mall is one of the high-end malls, in Jardim Panorama, Morumbi district, with cinemas, boutiques and restaurants, including Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Giorgio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Longchamp, Hermès, Rolex, Montblanc, Tiffany & Company, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Alexandre de Paris, Emilio Pucci, La Martina, Daslu department store and Canali. The Italian Fendi, Prada, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Tod’s, Dolce & Gabbana, English Issa London, Argentinian brand Etiqueta Negra, flagships of Dior, French Twins for Peace, Cartier, Chanel’s new store and Gucci.

The Iguatemi Faria Lima located in Faria Lima Avenue, is one of the oldest malls of Brazil released in the year 1966 and is regarded as eleventh most expensive shopping regions worldwide as per Cushman & Wakefield. Amongst the more than 30 global luxury marques include Emporio Armani, Burberry, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Bvlgari, Bang & Olufsen, Diane von Fürstenberg, D&G, Missoni, Gucci, Kate Spade, M Missoni, Bottega Veneta, Marc Jacobs, Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Louboutin, Ermenegildo Zegna, Louis Vuitton, Baccarat, Max Mara, Tiffany & Company, Swarovski and Swatch.

With 20 thousand square meters, the Sao Paulo’s Vila Olimpia neighbourhood is the Villa Daslu departament store sells around 330 global and national luxury brands like Ermenegildo Zegna, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, Blumarine, Balmain, Givenchy, Chloé, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Missoni, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, DKNY, BCBG Max Azria, Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith, Goyard, Tom Ford, Salvatore Ferragamo and Sergio Rossi. In the adjacent region, is being developed the future high-end mall called JK Iguatemi, which will have marques, including Balenciaga, Versace, Gucci, Nicole Miller, Ermenegildo Zegna, Chanel, Tod’s, Longchamp, TopShop/TopMan, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Burberry, Diane von Fürstenberg, Miu Miu, Polo Ralph Lauren, Goyard, Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, Carolina Herrera, Bottega Veneta, Dolce&Gabbana, Coach, Inc., Tory Burch, Sephora, Rimowa, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vicomte A., Daslu and Paula Cahen D’Anvers.

In Jardins are Aston Martin, Ferrari, BMW, Bentley, Maserati, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Porsche, Volvo, Pagani, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Land Rover dealerships. Hotels as Porto Bay, Tivoli, Emiliano, Fasano, Unique and Renaissance are one of the best restaurants in the world as Fasano and D.O.M. In nearby and Oscar Freire streets like Bela Cintra and Haddock Lobo are some of the best marques of Brazil and world with Calvin Klein, Bang & Olufsen, Dior, Cartier, Ermenegildo Zegna, Emporio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Marina Rinaldi, Marc Jacobs, Montblanc, Max Mara, Salvatore Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Versace and Tommy Hilfiger.

Sao Paulo Fashion Week, which was founded in the year 1996 as Morumbi Fashion Brasil is one of the major and largest fashion events in South America. Brazil initially entered into global fashion circuit with increasing reputation of famous Brazilian top models, including Adriana Lima, Isabeli Fontana, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bündchen, Ana Beatriz Barros, Fernanda Tavares, Brenda Costa, Izabel Goulart, Evandro Soldati and Ana Hickmann.

The city has several universities and colleges in Sao Paulo include Universidade de Sao Paulo; Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Sao Paulo; Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho; Faculdade de Tecnologia de Sao Paulo; Instituto Federal de Educacao; Universidade Federal de São Paulo; Universidade Nove de Julho; Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes; Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie; Universidade São Judas Tadeu; Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing; Fundação Getúlio Vargas; Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado; Universidade Anhembi Morumbi; Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas; Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais; Faculdade de Comunicação Social Cásper Líbero; Faculdade Santa Marcelina and more.

Sao Paulo Landmarks: Street leading to Banespa building; Court of Justice of São Paulo; Paulista Avenue; Brooklin; Banespa Building; Catedral da Sé; Edifício Copan; Estação da Luz; Mooca; Liberdade; Mercado Municipal; Municipal Theatre of São Paulo; Museu de Arte Sacra; Museu do Ipiranga; Museum of the Portuguese Language; Pátio do Colégio; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo; Praça da Sé

Sao Paulo Parks include: Parque da Aclimação; Parque da Água Branca; Parque Alfredo Volpi; Parque Anália Franco; Parque Anhanguera; Parque Buenos Aires; Parque Burle Marx; Parque da Cantareira; Parque do Carmo; Parque Cidade de Toronto; Parque dos Eucaliptos; Parque Estadual Fontes do Ipiranga; Parque Ecológico do Guarapiranga; Parque Guarapiranga; Horto Florestal de São Paulo; Ibirapuera Park; Parque Estadual do Jaraguá; Parque Jardim Felicidade; Parque Luís Carlos Prestes; Parque Nabuco; Parque do Piqueri; Parque Previdência; Parque Lina e Paulo Raia; Parque Raposo Tavares; Parque Raul Seixas; Parque Rodrigo de Gásperi; Parque Santa Amélia; Parque Santo Dias; Parque São Domingos; Parque Severo Gomes; Parque Ecológico do Tietê; Parque Trianon; Parque Vila dos Remédios; Parque Vila Guilherme; Parque Ecológico da Vila Prudente; Parque Villa-Lobos.

The Brazilian rainforests are famous for being home to several snake species. One of the most famous one among them is Brazilian coral, a snake with black and red body adorned by white stripes. This snake uses the powerful neurotoxins for preying. The other dangerous snake species found here is fer-de-lance; these snakes possess the ability of killing human beings effortlessly. Snakes can camouflage themselves within the surrounding greeneries of the forest, which makes walking across the Brazilian rainforests an extremely dangerous proposition.

These forests also have amphibian species like the poison dart frog; they are known for their amazing colors as well as for their ability of warding off the potential predators with poison. The poison is secreted form the skin of these frogs. Some of the poison dart frog varieties found in the Brazilian rainforests includes Phyllobates terribilis and sapphire-blue frogs.

According to experts, wandering spiders are the most venomous of all spider species existing on earth. These spiders are quite common in the banana plants of the Brazilian rainforests and whenever they are disturbed, they reciprocate by biting. Human beings walking across these forests also have possibilities of experiencing bites of the bullet ants. The pain caused by a bullet ant bite usually lasts for an entire day.

Brazilian rainforests is also home for the jaguars. The jaguars are great hunters; they have extremely powerful paws and jaws, using which they take down large preys. The strong jaws of this animal are capable of cracking a turtle’s shell. Another dangerous animal species found in the Brazilian rainforests is the black caiman or Melanosuchus niger. This animal is found in the fresh water bodies of Amazon basin. Black caimans almost got extinct; but the conservation efforts have resulted in slow, but steady comeback of this endangered animal species.

InterContinental Sao Paulo houses 189 guestrooms and boasts a lavish presidential suite and a specially decorated executive floor. The interior of the hotel is done following the Art Deco style of the 1920s. Besides housing well-appointed rooms with amenities like coffee maker and high speed internet connection, the hotel also allows accessing Wi-Fi in all its social areas including Club Lounge.

For fitness freaks, there is a fitness center in this Brazil hotel. The fitness center is named as Estacao Fitness; it is equipped with all the advanced exercising equipments and you will be guided by two notch physical trainers according to your requirements. This fitness center was renovated in the year 2010 and stays open for the guests all through the day. You can also sweat it out in the swimming pol. The hotel has a outdoor pool and pool in its 3rd floor.

As mentioned before, InterContinental Sao Paulo acts as the perfect accommodation option even for business travelers. The business center of the hotel can be used from 7am till 10pm. There are Executive Suites and Executive Floors specially equipped with business facilities like Facsimile, Printer, personal computers etc. If you have meeting organized at any other location, the hotel will organize private limousines for you. You will also be offered foreign currency exchange services within the hotel premises.

If you are wondering where to dine during your stay at the InterContinental Sao Paulo, you should be rest assured. The in-house restaurant of the hotel i.e.  serves delightful French cuisine topped with Brazilian flavors. The restaurant is located in the lobby floor of the hotel. You can enter Tarsila for having all your meals, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The surrounding area of this national park is also extremely picturesque. There is the famous Statue of Christ and Cocovado Mountain. The place also has other attractions like Gavea Rock and the second highest mountain peak of the city, Tijuca Peak. The Tijuca Peak is rated among the most beautiful regions of Rio de Janeiro and attracts thousands of tourists from different corners of the globe every year. Standing on the peak you will get to see the extraordinary view of the entire Rio de Janeiro.  The prominent places of the city like Maracana Stadium and Rio-Niterói Bridge and famous beaches like Leblon, Botofogo, Ipanema and Copacabana can all be seen from the top of the Tijuca Peak.

As you’ll enter the park, you will come across exotic breeds of topical flowers, the stunning waterfalls and encounter a number of new experiences. One of the most exciting possessions of the Tijuca National Park is the Gavea Rock, locally referred to as Pedra da Gávea. It is basically a rock containing gneiss and granite. The rock mounts 842 m above the sea level. The rock looks lot like a human face. The common believe suggests that due to its size and position, the Gavea Rock undergoes severe erosion, which has resulted in this unique shape or design of the rock.

The Office Room:

This place is probably the biggest witness of the fight the Paraguayans took part in to earn independence. All the important documents related to the action taken by the freedom fighters are preserved in this room. Majority of these documents have signatures of the patriots of Paraguayan independence. There are also painting related to the independence of the country.

Dining Room:

The interior of this room has distinct influence of the colonial style of living during the early 19th century. You will get to see a sword owned by Fulgencio Yegros. The walls of this room also carry works of famous painters of that era.

Living Room:

The living room of Casa de la Independencia Museum has furniture belonging to the 1830s. The designs of the furniture are based on the French style of that time. Majority of the furniture contained a combination of bronze and wood. Here, you will come across full-size portraits of Fulgencio Yegros and Pedro Juan Cabalero.

Bedroom:

This room has a bed used by Fernando Mora. The wall on the right side of the bed has a portrait of his. The room contains many other objects used by Fernando Mora preserved with care.

Oratory:

Here, you will get the chance of observing some great Franciscan and Jesuits carvings. This part of the Casa de la Independencia Museum has many other objects belonging to different religions.

You will come across restaurants dedicated to Nordic, Chinese, Mexican, Turkish, Arabian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Armenian foods in the city of Buenos Aires. The city also hosts eating joints serving vegan, macrobiotic and aphrodisiac foods. You will also get to choose eating places based on your budget; there are simple road side fast food joints in the city as well as sophisticated restaurants.

The most preferred meal among the natives of the region is ‘parrillada’ or ‘el asado’. If you love meats, this is a perfect food item for you. It includes grilled steak along with few other cuts. Traditionally cooked parrillada contains meats, morcilla or blood sausage, chinchulines or small intestines, riñones or kidneys and sausages. Parrillada is cooked over charcoal i.e. wood fire. The ideal way of serving this Argentine dish is with fried potatoes or salads. As parrillada is the most celebrated food item of the city both for the natives and the tourists, you will also come across eating joints named after it. Majority of these restaurants only serve barbecued chicken and meats.

‘Minutas’ is the name used for fast-dishes in this part of the world. It may require only a few minutes for preparing ‘minutas’ like other fast foods of the world, but unlike the conventional fast foods, they are not unhealthy. The most popular minutas found in Buenos Aires is ‘milanesa’ or the breaded meat. Milanesa includes empanadas and fried potatoes.

Have a look at some of these options that we have put together for you!

High Line, New York:

NYC has managed to turn an elevated train track that had been unused for decades now into a public park. The elevated track is now known as High Line. It was originally built on what was the West Side of New York in the 1930s and its purpose was to keep the freight trains off the streets of the city. Now it has been converted into a 30 footer structure which is lined with wild geraniums and maple trees. It gives you a wonderful viewpoint to take in some of New York’s most iconic sights.

US National Parks:

The U.S. National Park system is known to waiver its fees a couple of times in the year. In the case of New York’s Adirondack National park, the autumn foliage makes for a lovely sight during the last two weeks of September.  September is also the mating season for the elks and you could play witness to some mating rituals if you visit Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

Smithsonian Museums, Washington:

There is a very good reason why the capital of the nation remains to be one vibrant center when it comes to culture and arts.  There are somewhere around 19 Smithsonian galleries and museums that are located here; and of them a good 17 are in Washington D.C. This year is the centennial year for the Museum of Natural History and you could witness some special exhibitions which would look into the Museum’s history and evolution.

The Getty Center, Los Angeles:

The Getty Center is known to be credited with helping out Los Angeles become a highbrow cultural capital. The impressive buildings made of travertine marble have been known for their sweeping views of a lot of sights including the Los Angeles basin.  These hold a remarkable collection of some European Art; and the admission is generally free. You may have to shell out a little for the parking, though.

Aruba Aloe Factory, Oranjestad, Aruba:

The native aloe variety can be found all over this island. You could take a tour through what is a state-of-the-art Aruba Aloe Factory and get a chance at seeing the production processes for yourself. Right from harvesting the raw aloe vera leaves to the making of the processing of the finished product; stand witness.

Tijuca National Park, Rio de Janeiro:

This sublime site of about 12 square miles is known to come in as the largest National Park in the urban world. It is home to almost a hundred different species of wildlife and plants. While in Tijuca, do not miss the Cascatinha Waterfall which comes up to a measure of above 100 feet high. The Pico da Tijuca, at 3350 feet, is said to be the highest peak in the Tijuca National Park region.

E. LUCAS BRIDGES

If anyone can be given credit for aptly describing the experience of living, eating, sleeping and breathing in Ushuaia, it is E. Lucas Bridges. In his book ‘Uttermost Part Of The Earth’ published in 1948, Bridges speaks of his experiences in this remote city of Tierra del Feugo. As most who have read the book and visited the place will agree, there is no better rendition of a traveler’s experience to the ‘Uttermost part of the earth’. It’s almost like him giving you an insider’s view on the life of the American Indians. It is recommended that you read the book before you plan a trip to this tip of the world. It’s better to know what you’re headed for, isn’t it?

TREKKING IT UP

An absolute must do when here is a hike up to the Glacier martial, which is part of the Mount Martial range that lies directly behind Ushuaia. If you’re in the area during the heavy tourist season, you needn’t worry since there is a ski-lift that will help whisk tourists up to the top of the slope. If, however, you decide to hit the city during its off season, then you’re pretty much on your own. You could, however, as a traveler once wrote ‘hoof it’; and, yeah, he did manage to hoof it! If you are the types who likes the idea of ‘being one with nature’, then this is an absolute must for you.

THE CHEAPEST THING IN USHUAIA

You can be assured that everything (read: everything) in this city is expensive. Its even more expensive than Buenos Aires (Don’t ask me why!). Funnily though, the only thing thats non-expensive, and very affordable is goat cheese. If you’re an ardent lover of this milk product, then you’re in paradise; because Ushuaia is, simply put, a goat cheese lover’s paradise.

THE PENGUIN ISLAND BEACH

This beach can, most safely, be called the best place to visit when in Ushuaia. When you near the beach, you will be given instructions on how you’re expected to stay quiet and not startle the penguin population that inhabits the island. When you’re finally there, you’ll notice how the penguins are ‘curious’ by nature. They’ll encircle you, and have a good close look at you. You’re also given a chance to glance at their nesting areas. If you’re there at the right time of the year, chances are that you’ll get to see the chicks as well; and that can be quite a sight.

All in all, the experience of being in the southernmost country of the world can be almost surreal. You definitely can feel the difference about being away from the noisier cities that most of us come from; and this stark difference is something that everyone ought to experience once in their lifetimes.

Propped against the cerulean skies, this spectacular gargantuan hand is evidently not made of flesh and blood. Dubbed as the ‘Mano de Desierto’ also candidly called the ‘Hand of the Desert’- this is the superlative work of art that never fails to draw one and all who happen to lay their eyes on it.

The sweat and blood of Chile based sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, this enormous figure soars to a humongous thirty-six feet up in the air with an iron and cement made bottom providing support. The sculpture was built at a height of more than three thousand feet rising above sea level on the practically arid flat terrain of the Atacama Desert – deemed the most parched-dry locales ever in the world. Still in spite of its seclusion and scorched setting, motor vehicles on a regular basis halt at this place and hoards of eager onlookers line up to soak in the magnificence of this desert piece of art. A definite halt for those touring along the Pan American Highway, from the time it was instated in the year 1992.

The brainchild behind this fine artwork, artist Mario Irarrázabal studied philosophy and art from the University of Notre Dame. He even completed theology from the Università Gregoriana Pontificia located in Rome following which he received training under the guidance of Germany-based sculptor, Otto Waldemar. His foremost exhibition in the year 1970 showcased the human form as a means to convey key themes like unfairness, solitude, sadness and torment. The amplified versions like those palpable in the ‘Hand of the Desert’ are observed to lay emphasis on human susceptibility and defencelessness.

One might ponder that such an immaculate work of art is the one and only sculpture of this kind and magnitude, but hands have been a regular theme in Mario Irarrázabal’s work. The artist’s earlier work named ‘Monumento al Ahogado’ or the ‘Monument to the Drowned’ concluded in 1982 has an analogous theme comprising of five fingers partly interred by sand located on a beach in Punta del Este – a famous resort town situated in Uruguay. Related themed sculptures were also crafted by Irarrázabal in 1987 and 1995 in places like Madrid and Venice respectively.

Nonetheless, in spite of these other works of art, the soaring hand of the Atacama Desert still aptly manages to preserve its own charisma, conceivably due to the desolate landscape on which it is propped.

Doodling at times tends to slander the magnificence of this gigantic sculpture, hence intermittently it needs to be cleaned up. Otherwise, the ‘Mano de Desierto’ is optimally preserved, and in most probability would continue to stay in this way for time immemorial.

This mysterious structure might well stand tall long after human civilization perishes. Who knows?

Around 70,000 years ago, the foremost traits of human occupancy in South America occurred when they moved from Asia passing the Bering Land Bridge and eventual spanned all areas of the continent as they made their way southwards. Widespread farming activities have been recorded in the Amazon Basin from 2000 BC, with animal husbandry becoming prevalent in 3500 BC in Andes and close by regions. There were many upcoming civilizations that sprung up like the Canaris, the Norte Chico, Amazon, Cara Supe, Chavin, Moche of which Inca also called the land of the four regions was the significantly urbane.

Christopher Columbus’s momentous, incomprehensible discovery of the Caribbean islands en route to seeking new-fangled ways to reach Asia- the esteemed spice paradise, finally did led him to his coveted destination. These series of revelations added more vengeance to the already simmering tensions between Portugal and Spain.

To get matters adequately sorted out, the Treaty Of  Tordesil has was signed in 1494 which assigned all areas with reference to an invented line that was nearly 48 degrees west of Greenwich. All areas to the west of this would come under Spain and those on the east would belong to Portugal, with Brazil going to the Portugal.

What ensued were a series of attacks on South America by series of conquerors from Spain and Portugal, with selfish motives to own land and reserves by separating it into colonies. Lima founded in 1535 as the capital of Peru was the epicentre for all the findings and conquests. The natives were incapable in combating several deadly diseases that were unleashed by these Spaniard invaders around 1572. With ulterior motive to harness gold and silver, the Spaniards slave drove the natives in the Brazil plantations and the Bolivian mines. All these caused significant decline in the native population.

The Spanish colonies managed to gain independence close to 18th century, when Spain was engrossed in fighting war against France. As the war concluded around 1814, Venezuela, Argentina and eventually Brazil declared independence by 1822.