The SPrawl

"After two days in Sao Paulo I now know why Brazilians like to party: the place is such hard work that you have to enjoy yourself when you can. Horrendous traffic jams, stinking pollution and a cityscape that is so indistinct that even local drivers cannot orientate themselves (one hill of mid-rise tower blocks looming over higgledy-piggledly shacks looking much like another). Caipirinhas and churrascarias are some compensation for this urban nightmare, but not enough for my taste. And, despite being a city of 20 million people (third largest in the world), Sao Paulo has precious few tourist attractions. Among them are the notorious love motels, where young couples can rent a room away from their parents for a couple of hours (and older lovers can do likewise). With fantastic names such as Alibi and Opium and kitsch themes (Ancient Egypt, Roman Empire), these temples of lust are one of the few SP sights that can alleviate the boredom and frustration of travelling around this enormous, unwieldy place.