SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2014 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 Cargo inside CAMPUS overload cited • Prizes distributed in ICBF Hajika in ferry sinking essay contest P | 4 P | 10 BOOKS • 10 best selling books • Book review: The Word Exchange A sprawling metropolitan area of nearly 20 million P | 7 people, São Paulo is sometimes referred to as the New York of South America. Brazil’s business capital FILM boasts a rich cultural life and restaurant scene that rival the world’s premier cities. • Return to Homs shows a slice of Syrian crisis P | 8-9 HEALTH • Cholesterol drug users may use pills as a licence to overeat P | 11 TECHNOLOGY • Facebook buys fitness-tracking app Moves TRAVEL TIPS: P | 12 Learn Arabic • Learn commonly used Arabic words SÃO PAULO and their meanings P | 13 2 PLUS | SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2014 COVER STORY By Todd Benson f your idea of Brazil is beaches, São Paulo is not the place to go. That’s what Rio de Janeiro is for. I But if you’re a seasoned traveller who tends to shun traditional tourism hot spots for urban adventures off the beaten trail, then put Brazil’s biggest city on your bucket list. A sprawling metropolitan area of nearly 20 million people, São Paulo is sometimes referred to as the New York of South America. While the comparison may be a bit overstated, Brazil’s business capital boasts a rich cultural life and restaurant scene that rival the world’s premier cities. (Map: https://goo.gl/maps/3UJKd) It is also Brazil’s most global city, with long- established immigrant communities from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Japan and the Middle East. More recently it has attracted waves of immigrants from west Africa, China, Haiti and neighbouring Spanish-speaking countries such as Bolivia and Peru, giving it a distinctly inter- national vibe felt nowhere else in Latin America. Antonio Carlos Jobim, the late singer-song- writer who was the godfather of bossa nova, once famously said, “Brazil is not for beginners.” That rings particularly true in São Paulo, whose sheer size, helter-skelter urban blueprint and epic traf- fic jams can wear down even the most experi- enced globetrotter. But that chaos is also São Paulo’s allure. Whereas Rio’s natural beauty overwhelms the senses, São Paulo plays hard to get. It takes time and tenacity to discover its many charms, but once you do, you’ll feel like you’ve joined a select club of travellers who have cracked one of the world’s toughest cities. Soccer fans will get a chance to do so in June and July, when São Paulo will hold six World Cup games at a brand-new stadium on the city’s long- neglected east side. In addition to the opening match between Brazil and Croatia, the stadium will host Uruguay vs England, Netherlands vs Chile, South Korea vs Belgium, plus a Round of 16 showdown and a semi-final. Here are tips for getting the most out of a trip to São Paulo. Restaurants Galore What São Paulo lacks in beaches and beauty, it makes up for in food. From world-class haute cui- sine to simple but satisfying lunch buffets where you pay by the weight of your serving, there is something for just about every appetite and wal- let size. True to its immigrant roots, São Paulo has long been known for Italian cantinas, Japanese sushi bars and authentic Lebanese food. Until recently, however, one cuisine that the city’s restaurant scene largely lacked was, oddly enough, Brazilian. That changed in the last decade, thanks to a group of chefs whose passion for local ingredients Brazil’s beachless spawned a Brazilian food revolution that put São Paulo on the global gourmet map. At the forefront of this movement is Alex Atala, a tattoo-loving celebrity chef whose res- taurant D.O.M. in the swanky Jardins district metropolis is a ranks sixth on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list sponsored by Britain’s Restaurant magazine. If you have deep pockets and you’re lucky enough to secure a reservation, D.O.M.’s eight-course tast- ing menu will take your palate on a tour of the Amazon. (www.domrestaurante.com.br) foodie’s paradise For a more down-to-earth Brazilian food expe- rience, try Tordesilhas about six blocks away. This place serves up regional classics. If you’re in a group, get the barreado, a succulent beef feast that simmers in a sealed clay pot for 14 hours. (www.tordesilhas.com) PLUS | SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2014 3 Two other flag-bearers of São Paulo’s Copan designed in 1954 by the late Brazilian food movement are Brasil a Oscar Niemeyer. Gosto (www.brasilagosto.com.br), a After lunch, grab a cab and head over stone’s throw from D.O.M., and Mocotó to the art deco Pacaembu Stadium, (www.mocoto.com.br), where chef which houses one of the city’s most Rodrigo Oliveira turned his father’s beloved museums. Opened in 2008, eatery on the city’s unglamorous north the Museu do Futebol is a shrine to side into a favourite of frugal foodies. soccer that uses interactive technol- It’s well worth the 30-plus minute taxi ogy to chronicle the history of Brazil’s ride from downtown. national pastime. (www.museudofute- Another long-overlooked cuisine bol.org.br) that has taken São Paulo by storm Another good spot for a walk is in recent years is Portuguese. For a Avenida Paulista, the quintessential taste of the sun-baked shores of the São Paulo postcard. Once a sleepy resi- Algarve, order the grilled sardines and dential boulevard where coffee barons octopus rice at Taberna 474 in Jardim built lavishly ornate mansions, today Paulistano. (www.taberna474.com.br) it is a bustling thoroughfare lined with Other popular newcomers to the skyscrapers, stores and, this being São city’s food scene hail from Brazil’s Paulo, restaurants. Andean neighbors. Suri, a Peruvian Spend a Saturday exploring Vila ceviche place run by a Colombian chef, Madalena, a hilly bohemian enclave of draws a hipster crowd and is packed on art galleries and shops. Make sure to weekends. (www.suri.com.br) sample the tropical fruits on offer at the farmer’s market on Rua Mourato São Paulo By Foot? Coelho, and eventually circle back to Make no mistake, the automobile is Rua Fidalga for a traditional lunch at king is São Paulo. There are almost Bar Filial. (www.barfilial.com.br) 6 million cars, more than a million If you weren’t lucky enough to motorcycles and nearly 34,000 taxis score any World Cup tickets, don’t on the congested streets, causing up to despair. It might be just as fun to 300km (186 miles) of gridlock at rush watch the games at Filial or any hour on a bad night. other of the dozens of eateries scat- Fortunately, some of the city’s most tered around Vila Madalena. Another interesting attractions are best dis- local favourite is São Cristóvão, where covered on foot. Just be careful when the walls and ceilings are lined with crossing the street, because Brazilian sports memorabilia and the waiters motorists rarely stop for pedestrians. wear throwback soccer shirts. This For a walking tour of old downtown, may very well have been the loudest take the metro on a weekday to São place in the city when Brazil last won Bento, the historic monastery that a World Cup in 2002. Pope Benedict XVI visited on a trip to If you’re not in a food coma by now, Brazil in 2007. wind up your trip with a nightcap at From there, stroll through the cen- Skye Bar on the roof of Hotel Unique, tre’s maze of pedestrian streets and the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center When hunger sets in, walk a few a boat-shaped boutique hotel designed take in the architecture of a more ele- (www.bb.com.br/cultura), which hosts more blocks and get the lunch spe- by the Brazilia n architect Ruy Ohtake. gant São Paulo of yesteryear, including art exhibits and cultural events for free cial at Bar da Dona Onça, another The place is expensive, but what you’re the Depression-era Martinelli building, in a beautiful building from 1901; and the exponent of the Brazilian food move- really paying for is the stunning view the city’s first skyscraper. (www.predi- Municipal Theater, a recently restored ment. (www.bardadonaonca.com.br) of the never-ending São Paulo skyline. omartinelli.com.br) gem from 1911 that houses the São Paulo It is located in one of São Paulo’s most (www.hotelunique.com.br) Other must-see downtown landmarks: Symphonic Orchestra. iconic buildings, the curvy Edifício Reuters 4 PLUS | SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2014 CAMPUS MES Indian School scrabble team won the runner-up title in the scrabble tournament School Olympic Programme held swimming competitions for the hosted by Stafford Sri Lankan School, Doha, recently. Mahalakshmi Rajeev of class VIII, girls at Aspire Dome recently. Birla Public School students won won the Champion of the Event trophy while Deep Chandra of class VII of the school, won gold medal in 4X25mts Freestyle Relay. Simon Franseca of VI D, the Best Highest scoring word award in the tournament. Mini Ramesh, Ambika Sukumaran Gurkashish Kaur of V Ai, Sejal Sanil of V D and Shreya Manoj of and Manmadhan M, trained the students. VI N were part of the team. Franseca also won a silver medal in 25mts Back Stroke (Group-Primary II).