Two Days in Sao Paulo

     Gloria and Antonio, members of the Tatui Branch, invited us to go to Sao Paulo.  It was a whirlwind of activities that we thoroughly enjoyed.   We arrived in Sao Paulo the night of Wednesday, October 11.  We stayed with their daughter Jo and her husband Ricardo in their beautiful home.  They were the ultimate hosts.  Top Picture:  Jo took us on a tour of Sao Paulo Thursday morning.  She wanted to show us the Governor's Mansion but it was closed so we took a picture outside the gates.  Beautiful building.
     We went to a park that was huge and very lush and beautiful.  Most everyone in Brazil has a dog or more, parked at the side of the street in the park was a van that was a mobile pet wash and groomer.  That is service!
     After arriving at Jo and Ricardo's we went to the Sao Paulo Temple and went through an endowment session.  The Sao Paulo Temple is elegant, elegant.  The wood is a luxurious dark cherry color. There is a wonderful story that goes with the type of wood that was used.  There are beautiful stained glass murals as you come in. 
     Picture 4:  Antonio, Jo, Gloria, Kathy and Al.  We are standing in front of the Theatro Municipal.  It is a beautiful, elegant theatre.  It reminded me of the Pantages in Los Angeles.  We saw ballet that was called the Ballet of the Blind.  All the dancers were either blind, deaf or handicapped in some way.  It was heartwarming and inspiring to see how they had overcome their challenges so beautifully in their ballet performances.
     Pictures 5 and 6:  We went to the Mercado, a huge, huge market.  Booths are set up by individuals selling fruits, vegetables, gifts, cheeses, anything you can think of.  Upstairs were restaurants where we had lunch.  They are famous for their 'Dagwood' sandwiches. 
     Pictures 7, 8 and 9:  Jo and I at another park.  Orchids just grow wild in Brazil, eye candy.
     Pictures 10 and 11:  At the Mercado we bought some fruit. The fruit guy was quite the salesman, he kept slicing off these different fruits to try.  After a while you felt obligated to buy something.  The fruits above are Pitaya Amarela (Dragon Fruit), Dekopon, Granadilla and Kiwi Gold.  The Dragon Fruit is delicious, sweet and smooth.  Fruit in Brazil is very inexpensive so we didn't ask how much the Dragon Fruit was, we should have!  When we went to pay for it all, the Dragon Fruit was about $12 American dollars apiece! Good thing it was so good!