Chaos!! Driving in Sao Paulo

Driving in Sao Paulo is not for the faint of heart.  In fact, if you are here for a week or less, then my advice is simple - don't drive.  Like most things in Brazil, I struggle to relate the experience to my friends and family in the tame, relatively tranquil, predictable midwestern United States.  Yes, we have tornadoes and violent Spring storms but in some ways they are more predictable than driving and traffic in Sao Paulo.

First, due to the length of my stay the company arranged a car for my use.  I am grateful; it provides a level of control and flexibility that I enjoy when I travel.  We can explore where and when we choose.  Plus we can take some sidetrips on the weekend - the beach or mountains. 

The car is a 2012 black Honda Accord with a GPS.  One problem, the GPS only speaks Portuguese!!  We thought we had it programmed this morning to English, but no.  We'll try again tomorrow.  Other than the language the car is perfect - very nice.

Here are some of the challenges you face when driving in Sao Paulo (don't imagine that Rio is any different)...

•  I swear that there are 20 million people in Sao Paulo and 30 million vehicles
• There are no trains for freight in a country the size of the US which means that everything, and I mean everything moves by truck - all shapes and sizes, makes and models and some slow and some fast
• Although they drive on the right side of the road (Thank God!) the traffic patterns are very different.  One-way roads, traffic circles, very few left turns, turn-abouts and merging traffic everywhere are some of the differences.
• Then we come to pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles.  They are everywhere.
• The motorcycles are the worst.  They obey no rules of the road that I know of.  They drive between the rows of traffic and weave in/out at will usually on both sides of the car.  Their single rule maybe simpler than I think - get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

Say some prayers for us.  St. Christopher the patron saint of travelers is most welcome with us.

I'll relate one humorous story, my only regret is that I did not have my camera.  It was Friday night in stop-n-go traffic on the Castel Branco motorway heading west to Alphaville.  Cars were moving in and out of traffic and merging onto the highway while motorcycles sped between the rows of stopped vehicles.  A motorcycle passed me on the right with a large box duct taped around his waist and his chest. 

"Toto we're not in Kansas anymore."