La Dolce Vita Pittman: My security guard

Just few comments about waiters in both BA and SP. I am not sure what they are waiting for, not the customers. Hands down, overall best waiters in the world USA. For as much as I am in love with the Sofitel in BA, in the morning, most people want coffee, more than once. Then the check. Do they want to be paid? Our table has been cleared of plates, there is no water left, we are NOT smoking. In fact we are barely talking to each other, glancing around for the waiter to get the check. What says not ready to leave. And BTW, the universal hand sign for check please is air scribble .

One more thing before I forget, pretty sure Brazilian food is not any good, really simple, plain but not in that down home way at all. I am hesitant to say worse food ever, there was really no dinner or lunch I couldn't wait to have. Really in BA as well. However their beef is pretty tasty. Apparently Brazilian's have a different cow because of the heat and it is known to be not as tasty. They have to use a brahma cow.

After a disappointing dinner our first night and overall lack lustre hotel room, I decided that staying at the hotel while Marci worked is not what Batman would want. I hand been researching private tours of Sao Paulo. We had been warned over and over again about the crime in SP so I was hesitant to go alone. Plus SP is massive. Portuguese language sounds like mush. It's not like any Spanish, not Italian or French . Really communication is a matter of charades

After the hotel breakfast I decided to try out the hotel gym on the top floor of the hotel (21st floor). A far as I could see buildings. Pretty intimidating.

The front desk, 'concierge like'young man showed me a brochure and upon my review asked him to contact this agency .

Best luck. Gabriel Kiss ( pronouced Kitsh) was my guide. He introduced himself and explained a bit of hismpast experiences. He was 62, same DOB as mine, worked for Colgate for many years in Supply chain. Born in Hungary, raised in Buenas Aries, married a brazilian women, has 2 grown children, 26, 29. Spoke a ton of languages. Serendipitous.

I spoke some about my interests, and off in his air conditioned SUV . I learned so much about Brazil, 7th largest economy , biggest exporter of orange juice and the 13th largest stock exchange in the world. One of the top exporters of coffee. Sao Paulo was founded before Colombus arrived to our Americas.

I saw churches, old buildings that were now abandoned, old buildings that had been restored, the stock exchange, the fruit market, the fish market, the everything else market. Here the security sits on tall ladders in the aisles of the stalls. I saw beggars, homeless, business men, the rich. I saw architecture from 15th century, originally from Jesuits, Benedictine monks, to recent Oscar Niemeyer building. We walked alot and drove arpund as well. At many of the places we stopped to visit, they seemed to know him.

Sao Paulo Monday through Friday has 20 million inhabitants . Most multinational companies have an office there. Again massive, the traffic is reminiscent of Rome. I noted police security stands occasionally on the corners.

Gabriel told me a few stories in his guide position. He has accompaned some CEO's in armoured cars. Often accompanied with security with guns. Apparently the Japanese executives prefer transportation in Sao Paolo this way. Another story was with some executives but in Colombia. There is fear of kidnapping there. Apparently his prior employer Colgate utilizes his guide skills often.

We each shared about our grown children. He saw that I was emailing Marci. She had emailed me to say her day was over. Since we were close to the hotel, he offered to pick her up and show us both Batman Alley. This incredbile alley of graffiti in SP. Apparently graffiti is the new underground art there. Kind of Bansky on steroids