17th August 2009


My Introduction


Hi there, my name’s Paul. I’m the owner of these apartments and I’m an English man in São Paulo.  Gosh that makes me sound like a famous singer/song writer! Well maybe not. 
Blogging – an excuse to rant or a chance to share thoughts about things that I think are important? Maybe both, but as an Englishman in Sao Paulo for much of the last 7 years I do feel that I have some insight on living in this wonderful country; with it’s good sides, it’s bad sides and everything between.
I’ve been travelling back and forth from the US and Canada to Brazil as much as a dozen times a year, working for big Canadian and US companies in the technology sector.  I’ve had to learn how to survive, even flourish in this Latin land. I’ve learned many lessons, some the hard way.  I’ve come to terms with the country, its politics, work ethic and people above all else. 
So, what will my Englishman in São Paulo Blog be about? I am not sure where I will end up – I just know the starting point.  Anyone coming over to Brazil for the first time will just wonder what they are letting themselves in for. I hope to answer a few questions and help you understand how, where, who and often why this is such an intoxicating place. I hope to do it with humor, and a pinch of style. You will be a better judge than I of whether I make the grade!
First things first: Learn to speak Portuguese.  Not Spanish, Portuguese.  If you cannot read it or write it – OK, but learn to speak it.  Like everyone else, Brazilians respond to well when they see you try and speak their language.  It opens doors everywhere.



18th August 2009


Today’s topic: Is it safe?


Err, is any big city safe? Am I safe crossing the street?  Do airplanes drop into the Atlantic Ocean on route to Paris?  Can I cycle on the street and not be killed?  The simple answer is yes, mostly yes, it is safe.  If you are the worrying kind; don’t worry!
So, my thoughts probably say more about me and my way of thinking rather than they do about actual safety in Brazil and Sao Paulo.
But let’s talk some facts (this will be rare as I’m not going to be sifting through tons of data for my blogs – just giving my personal views and experiences)…
Rio is the violent city, not so much São Paulo. Rio is where you have lots of favellas or shanty towns where the police rarely dare to tread. Here there are lots of desperate people who turn to crime in that desperation.  I’ve seen tourists in Rio have their wallet stolen or their expensive watch taken off their wrist.  I’ve even been close to a bank when it was robbed. But really, most of the time Rio is not that bad, if you use common sense:

  • Don’t go to places too far off the beaten track
  • Don’t use taxis without meters
  • Don’t walk with expensive jewelry in the street (day or night)
  • Don’t carry more than one card and $100 in cash
  • Don’t try and hold onto anything in a bad situation.
  • In Rio – keep an eye out for your things on the beach
  • Everywhere – be aware as you walk around; are you being followed? Are there people around?

  So – wear a swatch, not a Swiss watch, carry no more than $100 in cash and if someone wants it – give it up. Don’t be a hero.  So – traveling in Rio avoid the really shady places and don’t carry expensive stuff with you
São Paulo? Well, I’ve never be attacked in São Paulo – but lot’s of people have.  So take a few small precautions:
A few positive steps:

  • Do carry a special wallet with only on credit card, one debit card and $100 is reals
  • Do have the numbers of these cards written down somewhere else
  • Do wear a cheap watch. I say wear a swatch, not a Swiss watch (OK< Swatch is from Switzerland).
  • If you need to take a laptop out – do carry it in a bag that looks NOTHING like a laptop bag.
  • Do always know where you are; if you are lost, find a policeman, a gas station, or a taxi – just use your common sense!
  • Do make sure your hotel or apartment has 24 hour guards/security
  • One you might find strange – even crazy: After sundown, don’t stop at red lights; slop down, make a ‘Californian rolling stop’, keep an open space ahead of your car.  Police seem to show a blind eye to this.
  • Do keep your car windows up at night

But now that I’ve scarred you, let’s get real.  I believe 10X more people are killed on the roads in São Paulo – especially ‘motoboys’ than are killed in violent crimes. So don’t be paranoid, it’s still nothing like Mexico City or parts of Venezuela or is it Columbia? And it’s just so much more fun!


19th August 2009


Sundays and holidays – the best days for sightseeing and bike riding in São Paulo


Do you ride a bike? Do you have a death wish? Biking and Sao Paulo do NOT go together. Brazilian men and women drivers personally own the road.  All the road. Cyclists are a bore. Cyclists slow down traffic. Cyclists get in my way. Cyclists do not exist.  If they did, they would to be ignored or worse, be driven over whenever possible. Leave a space between the car and the cyclist? Don’t be crazy, why waste the space?! And since the new law prohibiting cell phones and driving, the cars all now have blackened windows and their owners all feel free to talk non stop. Result? Even more death on Brazilian highways for cyclists.
Well, that is true 6 out of 7 days a week, then God made bike day. Summer or winter, (what winter), Sundays are glorious days to explore the city.  Crave a hard ride around the “university city” or fancy sniffing out a bargain at a flee market. Maybe a casual ride in one of the parks or just a gentle ride to your favorite brunch? All are possible on a Sunday.  The traffic disappears, what does exist drives more slowly, the motorists actually see bikes on Sundays – giving you at least 6 inches from certain death. Unheard of luxury in São Paulo!


22 August 2009


Flats, apartments and apart-hotels – what’s the difference and which is best for me?

First thing first, In Britain, a flat is usually just another name for an apartment, in Brasil it’s not. Over here in São Paulo you can find all three and they all mean something a bit different.

  1. Rental Apartment: This usually means one or more bedrooms and usually comes unfurnished.  Apartments tend to be bigger, the kind of place you might want to buy one day.  The rental charges usually do not include anything except the rent itself.  Be careful!  What’s usually not included:
    • Service charge and or condominium charges
    • Local property taxes (0.5 – 0.75% of the sale value per year is an estimate)
    • Garbage tax
    • Electricity, water, gas
    • Cable, internet, phone
    • Maid or other services
  1. Apart-hotel: This is where it gets tricky!  These are hotels which have been created with many or all units being small apartments.  You may have simple small bedsit units or larger units with separate bedrooms, living rooms and bathrooms. Typically, the cooking facilities will be basic.  However, they are often fitted out with everything you might need such as furnishings bedding and towels. The hotel will often have some form of catering; even if only for breakfasts. The hotel will often have a small fitness room and may even have a small pool or rooftop terrace if you are lucky.
  1. Flats: These are very similar to apart-hotels. However, the unit s are usually all smaller “studio” sized rooms from 20 – 40 m2.  They are fully furnished and serviced with maid and bed linen and towels.  However, these units are usually not part of a hotel as such – so you will not get full hotel service although you might get breakfast included.

So, the key question is what do you want from your home away from home?  Here is my way of sorting it out:

For the first month of a longer stay or only a week a month over a longer period:

  • Start with an ordinary hotel that you can walk away from when you are finished. Stay in 2 or 3 different areas and explore; see what the local areas are like. If you know you will be a regular customer, renting a flat for the days you are in town may be worthwhile; a little bit bigger room and a little cheaper than a full service hotel

Staying more often or over a couple of months?

  • Now is a great time to stay in a flat or apart hotel. Depends how much space you need, how much you can afford to pay and if you intend to start bringing more of your own things across to Brazil.  You have to think; will I be staying for less than 2 weeks a month; can I justify keeping the place permanently rented?

I want my place that I can call home and leave my stuff there – not carry it all with be back and forth. I want to feel that it is my place and have guests to stay

  • You officially graduated to an apartment. Small or large it does not matter. It’s about having your own space, privacy and having your own things around you.
  • Now you have to choose: Do you want it furnished and serviced or bare and ready for your own furnishings etc.
  • Remember that in Brazil, it’s not easy to do everything as a foreigner, without a CPF and RG (similar to social security and taxpayer numbers), you cannot buy some things, you cannot have local bank account or sign up for some accounts.  As such, it may be easier to rent an apartment that has everything included.

I hope this way of thinking about hotels, flats, apart-hotels and apartments helps you!  It took me many years to really get to understand the differences and the best options!

 

29th August 2009

I was asked – why did you create these apartments?

OK, the first part of the answer is kind of obvious – to make money. Yes, I admit it; you need money to survive and have fun.

But why set up these apartments, in this way as a business?  OK, 4 or 5 years ago I was a regular visitor to São Paulo – spending 3 out of every 5 weeks here. And until that point I’d stayed in hotels. I’d tried a few for location, size & cost. I’d been lucky to have a suite on the top floor of the old Crowne Plaza hotel and I’d had another suite at the Staybridge hotel.  As hotel suites, they were fine – 30 – 40 m2 and the staff were always great…

But, it was time to have my own stuff around me. I was bored of not being able to have my own space, keep some stuff in Sao Paulo  (my bicycle for example) and I just needed something more to call home.

So, I then started looking for a rental apartment. What a mess!  I must have seen 20 or 30 apartments. It does not matter what I told the realtors, it was so difficult to get something good and not break the bank.  What did I see? Here are 20 descriptors that applied to one or other apartment:

  • Small, dark, dank, dingy
  • Bad views, noisy
  • Smelly, old, sad, rundown
  • No furniture
  • Crap furniture
  • Old furniture
  • Broken furniture
  • Tired, ok, you get the drift!
  • 14” TV with 2 channels of pure static
  • No internet
  • Just plan horrible!

My other options were small flats in an apart-hotel. But these were small studios or one beds with limited kitchens and a “hotel feel” rather than a “my space feel”. Finally, I saw some much bigger units – up to 100m2, but these cost between $6,000 and  $10,000 US per month, which was outside my budget.

What I was looking for just did not exist.  I knew talking to other expats in São Paulo that I was not alone in wanting a nicely furnished, clean and happy space, at a reasonable price, with all the difficulties worked out.

So, when I started this business, I created spaces that would satisfy my own vision, my own demands of a modern, clean, larger space, in a central, safe and fun area, that I could feel proud to invite a special friend around if I wanted to. 

Take a look at the photos and let me know if you agree!

 

10th March 2010

Prices for accommodation in São Paulo

What happened to the world crisis?  Seems São Paulo hardly went into recession, and within 6 months, growth had started again.  Prices for all types of accommodation in São Paulo have firmed up.

Buying:

The last 12-24 months has seen changes in prices in the best areas of São Paulo.  Prices of apartments to buy have increased by 25 – 30% in Reals.  Good, older one bedroom apartments could be found for as little as R$150,000, now they run $200,000 plus. Add another $R30K+ for a single parking space. Two beds like the ones we rent out (before we make them nice) were running at R$175,000, now expect to pay R$250,000 plus.

Rentals:

The biggest change is in the apart hotels. Two years ago you could rent a 35 sq meter suite for R$2500-R$3000 a month after haggling. Now, you will get little change from R$5000 a month.

Last year, we reduced the rentals on our flats by R$1000 a month to make sure we rented them. Now, we wish we had 10 more units to rent out!

 

14th March 2010

New biking lanes in São Paulo

One of the world’s least bike friendly cities just crawled 2 steps toward the light.  Hard won battles, but a great start…

Sunday bike lane specials.

Around the park Ibirapuera, on Sundays from 7.00am until 2.00pm, there are a number of special, ‘policed’ temporary bike lanes.  They are marked out in bright red, they are policed by volunteers (at junctions for example) and are becoming well used. They link at least 2 parks, maybe there is more to come?

And later today, I’m going to try out the new bike path on the side of river.   It’s supposed to be about 20km long and totally free of traffic. We’ll see and report back soon.

 

Pls drop me a line at paulayscough@hotmail.com with views on the blogs and ideas you want me to talk about.

 

 

 

 


Phone us on +55 11 9299 4057 – Brazil
+55 11 7605 2101– Brazil
contact@mychichome.com.br

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