Iguatemi Mall, Sao Paulo

What could have been a 2-hr trip to Sao Paulo took us 6. And to add to the stress was some hotel confusion that took another hour to get sorted out.

By the time I went to bed, my body was telling me that it needed to sleep for at least 2 days. Too bad my stomach didn't agree. It woke me promptly the next morning at 8, growling for breakfast.

I was more than happy to go back to sleep after breakfast but encountered another opposition. The hubz made a marital decree that a day in Sao Paulo will not be wasted spending in the 4 corners of our hotel room. I opposed such decree and lobbied with my very own conditions: I will only get my lazy arse out of bed if the day's activities involved something relaxing, rejuvinating and calming.

...And so he took me to Iguatemi Shopping Mall!! Am I a lucky wifey or what?!

The mall didn't disappoint. As with any other mall, it delivered the promise of relaxation, rejuvenation and calmness. While it's in the "smaller" side compared to the malls that we're used to here in the States, it's got all the designer "essentials" enough to transport any girl to shopping dreamland!

Brazil has a very steep tax on foreign goods. For comparison, an LV Neverfull GM That costs $750 here would retail for about $950 in Brazil; a pair of Louboutins on sale at Neimans for about $400 sells for $850 in Brazil, and that's on its final clearance already... Ay caramba!!!


But fret not, my dear friends... I didn't go home empty-handed. Of course not! That would be a violation of the Shopaholic's Code of Conduct. Stay tuned to see my Brazilian trinkets and souvies!

While roaming around the mall, we also caught this exhibit featuring gowns of Hollywood icons of old.

And here's us performing our touristy duties posing at a small Japanese Zen garden inside the mall

Restaurant Review: Figueira Rubaiyat

We flew to Sao Paulo to celebrate my birthday but with no idea how. For once, my usual plan-to-the-very-last-detail self took a backseat to make way for the spontaneous side that I didn't know existed.

We had about 1 night to do some research and immediately zeroed in on the legendary "Figueira Rubaiyat" -- a place a lot of food blogs are raving about. We were so lucky to get reservations on such a short notice!

The restaurant is so unique as it is named after and built around a massive 130-yr old fig tree!







The food and wine surely didn't disappoint.





...But the highlight of the entire night has gotta be this!
For the first time, we got to try this perfectly marbled and perfectly grilled kobe beef!




The tag says "Tropical Kobe Beef - point of origin tracked and screened".



Here's a little secret: I actually saved the red tag at the end of the meal because who's to say I'll ever get a chance again to eat a 14oz steak priced as a pair of designer shoes!





And here's what I wore...


-- pink crochet wrap top from Portman's in Aus -- Anne Klein swimsuit -- Lucky Brand jeans --
-- Louboutin "Picador" slingbacks -- hubby's belt --

São Paulo

As our plane was about to land in São Paulo, I was completely shocked with what I saw... Buildings as far as the eye could see and our plane hovering just a few hundred feet above this mega massive city!

Sugarloaf Mountain

We almost skipped this tour not knowing what Sugarloaf Mountain is and what to expect once there. Glad we went because the sweeping views from the mountaintop was simply spectacular!

Copacabana beach on the left side and Christ the Redeemer in the distant right side

Samba!

This is by the far the cheesiest thing I've done as a tourist but for a mere $3, who can resist such cheap entertainment?!

Allow me to indulge my lifelong dream of participating in The Rio Samba Carnival!




Well, except that I am 6 months late from the actual Carnival (happens every February).



The costume however, was for real and had its share of 15 minutes of wild fame parading along Sambadrome!




TADA!!!


Judge if you must, but I certainly had a ton of fun!

Vivienne Westwood for Melissa

photo credit: google

One day, as I wandering aimlessly along the shopping streets here in Brazil, I came across this quaint little shop that had the cutest flats in their display window. Intrigued, I came in and realized they were all made of plastic! Yes, plastic! And not only that, they smelled like bubble gum too!!

The SA was kind enough to give me a quick fashion round-up saying the designs are from a Brazilian company called "Melissa" whose eco-conscious creations features plastic shoes made out of recyclable materials.

And just like any other hip retailer in this day and age, Melissa collaborates too with designers to come up with some special, stand-out pieces!

In particular, these "Ultragirl" flats is a collaboration with the fashion icon, Vivienne Westwood. They immediately caught my eye and within 5 minutes, they were mine!

Here's the rest of the Vivienne Westwood collection for Melissa.
Aren't they the cutest?!





And here's a Jean Paul Gaultier design for Melissa.

I have a feeling this is not my first and last pair of Melissa jellies.
Already eyeing the Lady Dragon and the 3-strap flats!!!

Travelogue: ♥♥♥ Copacabana ♥♥♥

For the latter part of our stay in Rio, we decided to stay in Copacabana just to see how it is compared to Ipanema. Glad we did coz we loved the area! There's definitely more action, more food choices and more shopping... and to top it all, the beach is twice as long!

Thank you dear hubz for all the wonderful pix!!

-- Zara pink white top -- white skirt from Myer in Aus -- orange Havaianas --