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Today was our first full day in Sao Paulo. After getting a great night's sleep, we started off with a fantastic breakfast that consisted with an assortment of fruit, eggs, bacon, waffles, and juices. The yogurt was in a liquid form that you drink which was weird but it was still very good. 

We began with an hour drive of the city on the way to the zoo. We drove through some areas with shops and lots of people (everything was closed because it was Sunday and everyone closes up shop on Sunday) but we had seen some of the shops on the walk yesterday so we knew what they looked like. A lot of the houses that we drove by were gated and very close together. Most of them had little shops with garage doors on their properties which was very different from anything I've seen before. One of the things that stuck me was the streets and how confusing they were. The streets are so crazy steep and drivers were very erratic but we got there in one piece! The Zoologico de Sao Paulo was one of the coolest places that I've ever been in my life. The place was so lush and green and had a huge lake with little islands and monkeys on them! Adrian and Patty took us around the zoo and showed us the highlights of Brazil's animals. They included various types of alligators, macaws, wild cats, as well as many others. My favorite was seeing an ocelot that reminded me of the tv show Archer. The other thing that struck me as odd was how there were domestic cats walking around the exhibits (one of which was in the seal pen) but we found out that they were feral cats that lived there to take care of pests. 

We then went to the China Town area and that was nuts! There were so many people and there was something interesting to look at in every direction. The market was full of people getting lunch and shopping around the various tents. For lunch most of us got meat sticks (strip steak) called pichana while a few others tried some of the . Ordering was slightly overwhelming but once we got rescued by Patty we got our food quickly. The language barrier is extremely difficult but we try to work around it using simple phrases that we do know and a lot of pointing at stuff that we want. Amanda and I broke off and looked at some of the tents that were there. Venders had everything imaginable: jewelry, leather goods, clothing, and home decor. One of the things that I bought was a necklace that Patty showed us. It was my name written on a single grain of rice and set in a tiny vial filled with water. It was so cute! I'm hoping that I see some more leather goods later in the trip to see if I can find a pair of boots. The shopping continued on Avenue Paulista where there were more venders and antique sellers. There was music and the boys were dancing the zumba! Once it started to rain we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. Dr. Skaar took a few of us to the super market so we could get snacks and a few bottles of water. I got a lemon lime tart that tasted really good. Once back to the hotel again a few of us that decided that night life wasn't for us decided to go swimming and chatted around in the lounge.

And that was the day! I really look forward to tomorrow!  

To Friends/ Family Members and the friends/family members of traveling companions,

Our first hours in Sao Paulo were eye opening to say the least.  As our bus bounced around on an interstate, that was 4 lanes wide, it was past by just inches on either side by motorcycles whizzing past.  As for turning signals and traffic lanes in Brazil they seem to be about as real as Bigfoot and the Lochness monster (i.e. very few believe and abide by them). Surprisingly though it was not what really caught my eye as we traveled through the city, It was the skyline of a city that was 3 times the size of New York and home to over 19 million people. Of the 19 million people there are countless artists making their mark on the city... literally. There isn't a single building without some kind of graffiti on it, except for government buildings.

Our first stop was the sight of the first high rise building in Sao Paulo. The Predio Martinelli building was built 1924 and was originally 12 stories tall, but Mr. Martinelli want to go bigger and eventually expanded until the building was 24 stories tall.  At this point the Sao Paulo government would not allow him to go any higher. In a demonstration of the building's safety and a bit of an "I will do what I want" attitude Martinelli built a penthouse above the capped building and made sure that it reached the equivalent of a 30 story building.  

During a our tour of the building we were able to see quite the view of the city, and hear some of the history of the building after Martinelli had passed.  In the 1960s it became a home for the homeless, prostitutes, and drug users/dealers.  As the decade neared a close the mayor of Sao Paulo used military force to clear the building and once cleared the clean-up and remodel could begin.  The clean up required a lot of work to remove all the dirt, pieces of wall left over after the building had been looted, drug paraphanelia and not to mention the dead bodies. As it was removed from the building the "trash" that was pile towered over 9 stories tall in a 24 story building (something could have been lost in translation). 

The entire history of the building isn't quiet so grim.  Since seizing back control of the building Sao Paulo has turned the building into a tourist destination and refurnished all the marble, chandeliers, and everything else that was stolen by looters.  Now Heineken rents out the penthouse and throws a huge party every year.  After finishing our tour we got on the bus and headed to the next destination..... 

Our second stop was an open market in the heart of Sao Paulo, it was filled with salted fish, spices. meats, and kiosk after kiosk of food.  Starting from the top my first stop was the second shop inside the door where I got lunch, Lunch consisted of a Brazilian dish called, bacalhau. Bacalhau was described a salted fish stuffed inside a fried bread, and let's just say that it was not a disappointment.  The one that I had resembled a giant crab rangoon with it savory puffed bread shell, and then was filled with flaky fish.  Other foods I was able to sample today ranged from guava juice to espresso, but probably the most interesting items I was able to taste were the fresh fruits that Brazil had to offer.  Many of the names I either missed or I would be unable to spell them even if I did remember so instead I will describe their appearance and taste.

The first fruit resembled an artichoke is size and color but had tighter petals to almost the point it looked more similar to GIANT green blackberry.  Don't let the green color fool you this fruit tasted similar to honey.  Eating its slimy yet gritty texture the only thing going through my mind was, "I bet this is giving me cavities right now."  

Another fruit that wasn't terrible was a fruit that  was the hybrid between an apple and a mango both in appearance and taste. It had the texture and sweetness of an apple, but with the added twang of a mango.

The third fruit that was chopped up for us to try was actually the fruit of a brazil nut.  Everyone seems to think Brazil nuts are delicious so you would expect the fruit to be delicious as well correct? Well then you would be mistaken.  Just the initial feel of the sliced fruit reminded me of a dressed wild turkey, where it is firm over the muscles but still a large number of tiny bumps similar is size to buckshot BBs.  Now the flavor of this particular fruit was something else. As soon as it touched your tongue it dried out your mouth and the fruit suddenly feels fuzzy.  I would have to say this is a hangover fruit, not in that it cures a hangover, but instead gives all the sensations of a hangover for a relatively brief moment.

The last fruit was most likely the inspiration for or actually the first maraca.  It is about the same general size and shape of a lemon, maybe slightly larger, has a stiff outer edge, and a large stem that sticks out like a handle.  While the inside is very hard, the inside of the fruit has the relative consistency somewhere between a pomegranate and tapioca pudding. The frogegg-like fruit surrounds the seeds, of which, are meant to be consumed with the rest of the fruit.  But its not my favorite due to the huge texture change from slimy fruit to crunchy seeds or the fact that I still had the taste of the Brazil fruit in my mouth.

Outside the fruit many other foods were tried, probably the most surprising was Brazilian bologna.  Surprisingly enough Brazilians love bologna and I won't name any names of my fellow travelers, but a few traveled over 5,430 miles to eat a fried bologna sandwich. Bologna was just one of many different meats and cheeses just hanging out on unrefrigerated shelves, and no one seemed to care.  So far this was my favorite stop, but we needed to leave in to go to our next stop, this time we were able to enjoy a nice hike through the city.

Our hike took us to monument in front of the first church of Brazil and the starting point of Sao Paulo.  The point was chosen because it is the highest point in the area so everyone would be able to look up to the church also it was easier to defend from the native people. This meant it was quite the incline for our hike to get there. Once inside of the first church, which is now a museum, we were not allowed to take any pictures. The church museum was filled with interesting oil painting most of which was the painting called 40 martyrs. Collectively every member of the group counted the all the faces and the highest number found was 39 we never actually found all of them.  Additionally there was a beautiful garden outside filled with "exotic" plants included coffee trees. Dr. Skaar was quickly disappointed when he approached and read the sign that prohibited picking the bean/fruit.  

Once we concluded the tour of the first church we then took a short walk over to a large Cathedral with a 6 pointed star in front that served as ground zero*. The inside of the Cathedral was massive and made me feel small and insignificant from the shear size and volume of the hall.  There was also an organ that had pipes that wrapped all the way around the front altar.  Please see the ppt. below for full pictures.

*ground zero for elevation

Best regards from Brazil,

Colten Fales

Dr. Peggy Auwerda and Dr. Brad Skaar will be leading a group of 16 students to examine the structure of the bovine and equine industries in Brazil with attention to the distincti ve differences in environmental management and resource usage, markets and management style in the raising of horses and beef cattle in Brazil. The students include Jacob Baker, Andrew Benning, Colten Fales, Jared Gradeless, Holly Hochberger, Logan LaFrenz, Erin Lewis, Stephanie Martin, Amanda Megyese, Anna Moenk, Tyler Ohl, Cooper Royer, Carlene Sabas, Rachel Stika, Felicia Summers, and Levi Wedig. We will leave May 20^th arriving in Sau Paulo May 21^st. The trip will consist of the following schedule.

Saturday, May 21^st - City tour in São Paulo where we will walk around the São Paulo historic marks.

Sunday, May 22nd - Visit São Paulo zoo.

Monday, May 23^rd - Visit MVZ/USP (Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia) and the evening will be spent at Jockey Club de São Paulo

Tuesday, May 24^th – Travel to Itu. On Tuesday we will visit Cabanha Paulista – Itu/SP Criolo www.cabanhapaulista.com.br and on Wednesday, May 25th our visits will include the farms horse breeding Quarter Horses and Lusitano Coudelaria Rocas do Vouga – Itu/SP Lusitano www.rocasdovouga.com.b

Thursday, May 26^th - Travel from Itu to Pirassununga. The afternoon will consist of visiting horse breeding race Mangalarga Marchador Haras Nova Tradição Mangalarga Marchador www.harasnovatradicao.com.br and the evening is celebrated with a Brazilian Barbecue.

Friday, May-27 we visit USP (Universidade de São Paulo) at Pirassununga with Professor Alexandre Gobesso (Equine Production). Professor Gobesso, Brazilian students and faculty members will discuss Equine Production issues. In the afternoon we fly to Goiania.

Friday May 27^th – Sunday May 29^th - The group takes a break at the Rio Quente Resort, a natural hot springs resort.

Sunday, May 29^th -  Transfer to Mercure Goiania Hotel

Monday, May 30^th consists of visiting Vera Cruz Agropecuária Complex –feedlot of 30.000 animals, innovative by-product utilization in cattle diets (corn husk treated with Ca oxide; tomato waste, sweet corn waste; Nellore seedstock production; corn and rubber tree production).

Tuesday, May 31^st -Drive to Senador Canedo (30 minutes from Goiania) and visit a JBS packing plant. It was recently bought by JBS and is an export oriented plant. In the afternoon we drive to Nerópolis (45 minutes from Goiânia) and visit Ana Paula Agropecuária. The owner is Gustavo. He set up a system of intensive grazing operation at his ranch. A lot of cattle on pasture and supplemented to get high carrying capacity.

Wednesday, June 1^st we fly back to Sau Paulo, leave for the USA arriving back in Des Moines on June 2^nd.

During the trip students, Dr. Skaar and Dr. Auwerda will be describing the trip via the blog.