N by NW: Getting directions in Brazil

One of the things that always cracks me up here is how difficult it can be to try to get around São Paulo when you don't know where you're going, since many times the street signs have been stolen or vandalized, or the indications simply make no sense! (to be fair this applies to much of the Brazil that I've seen really, but São Paulo is so much worse due to its sheer size!). In general, most Brazilians seem to prefer to talk to another person in order to obtain information, rather than read it on a map or at a bus stop. People are used in arriving at a place and just immediately asking for help as a first option whether the information is already written down or not. From asking a sales clerk in a store to a security guard at the bank to somebody outside sweeping the street, you name it, Brazilians prefer to have human interaction tather than to read the information written down. This probably has a lot to do with the high iliteracy raate as well, but still I think it's part of the character of the people. Not necessarily a bad quality by any means.

But Brazilians I've traveled with in cars through São Paulo mostly don't even carry a map. Their attitude is simply, "I will ask as many people on the street as necessary until I find my way":) While sometimes this seems like the easiest way, I have yet to go anywhere where we didn't need to stop at least 5 times and ask gas station attendants or random people on the street before finally arriving at our destination (with difficulty because the kind of directions people tend to give tend to be completely vague, such as: "go straight and then when you see that one sign you take a right and then just ask someone else";)).

Well, one especially amusing "directions instance" was a couple of weeks ago when four of us were trying to find our way to a club in Brookin, almost a suburb of São Paulo. Once you are on the Marginal, the highway that follows the rivers along São Paulo, if you miss your exit, you usually need to drive several miles down the road before being able to turn around. So, of course, none of us having been to this area before, we missed our turn off and then were compeltely lost. We stopped at a gas station first and were told to continue straight until we saw a round about and then try to circle back; that was all.

So, we found the round about, started back in the right direction and then had to ask yet again another gas station attendant. This one told us to go straight three stoplights and then take a left. Well then of course there was the confusion of were we supposed to count the stoplight directly in front of the station as the first one or not? And with 20 million people in this city, you had better be in the right lane before you turn or it's awfully difficult to work your way over to the correct side!

Luckily, we did end up turning onto the correct street to get us back on track, but we still had no idea where the actual discoteque was. So now we were just slightly lost instead of completely lost:) We turned right off of the main Ave. to a quieter street and came across a small restaurant. There was a man standing outside so we asked him if he knew were Asia 70s was (the name of the club). He didn't but he went inside to get his wife, the hostess, to come out and help us. She knew more or less where it was, but she had us wait while she took our paper of printed out Google map directions and brought it inside to ask someone else. Then, a few minutes later the Chef of the restuarant came out!:) She gave us clear, succinct directions exactly how to get there and we were fine. But all of us were struck by how kind the people were there, for us to talk all the way down the line to the Chef was pretty great, I thought, and also somewhat comical. I mean, how many restaurant workers does it take to give directions to a place only a few blocks away?:)

I think I am still pretty American in my ways and prefer maps:) But I have to admit that as confusing as it can be to stop and ask people on the street, despite São Paulo's crazy size and chaotic style, in typical Brazilian style, people are still willing to take the time to help you out when you need it, which can give almost a small town feel to this immense metropolis at times. Quasi heart-warming:)