The Lonely Planet Hates São Paulo

I write this entry in response to Paul who commented a few entries back that following the blogs on caipirissima meant that he wouldn’t have to buy a Lonely Planet guide when he came to Brazil. Now, I am the first to admit that I have a whole shelf of LP guides. A quick look at them shows that they have served me well and it is clear that they have come in handy as I have traipsed around the world. However, the writers of the LP have their biases – and in Brazil, their bias is clearly towards Rio. Now I understand that Brazil is a big country and it is impossible to cover every little detail, but really, the facts say it all: LP’s 1998 Brazil edition has 52 pages on the city of Rio de Janeiro and another 30 dedicated to the rest of the state. In comparison, it has 15 pages on the city of São Paulo and another 8 for the rest of the state. In any case, it’s pretty easy to do the math! Fortunately the Fique and Fuja guides give me everything I need to know for life in São Paulo.