Part Five: São Paulo, Brazil

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Day Fifteen

Another glorious day in Brazil! The weather and environs of São José do Rio Prêto reminded me of Australia's Northern NSW or Queensland. After some very pleasant morning Hare Krishna mantra meditations, we packed our bags and set off in a south-easterly direction to São Paulo, but not without one last photo opportunity outside the Espaço Cultural Subhadra. The mood was upbeat and merry, characterising my whole stay in Brazil.     

Our plan was to arrive in São Paulo around lunchtime, specifically at the famous Hare Krishna Gopala Prasada restaurant on Rua Antonio Carlos, where we would have lunch, check the kitchen and facilities, as well as the foodstuffs which the staff had already bought for the class. We sent them the menu a few days ago, and so they would have already photocopied class notes for the students. Then I could chill-out for the rest of the afternoon.The route to São Paulo was very picturesque, through rural regions and passing many orange orchards, sugarcane plantations, innumerable papaya and mango trees, and countless coconut palms.

Seeing the awesomely large São Paulo in the daytime was even more overwhelming than at night. Founded by the Jesuits in 1554, it lies on a plateau 2,493 feet (760 metres) above sea level, and 45 miles (72 km) from the coast. Today it is the industrial and financial centre of Brazil, generating over 30% of the GNP. It boasts 12,000 restaurants, 70 museums, 500 cinemas, 50 theatres, 29 shoppings malls and an intense nightlife.

Gopala Prasada Restaurante (gopalaprasada@bol.com.br)
was opened in 1996, and is run by a couple of dedicated ladies Nrihari and Madhava. The daily clientele figures are very impressive - on average 350 diners partake of the sumptuous cardápio (menu) every day for 10 Brazilian reals (about 4 USD$). The place is three stories, with dining areas on every floor. Popular areas are the low tables where diners sit cross-legged on Indian-style cushions. Today's prato feito (set lunch) was wonderful:

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