After a very long day on the road we finally arrived in Sao Luis on Wednesday morning at 4:00. We didn't have a place to stay so I tried to call a few pousadas and hostels listed in the Lonely Planet from the Rodoviaria, the overland bus terminal. Unfortunately only one place answered and they wanted to charge us the full price for the same night, so we decided to just take a taxi to the historic center and look for a pousada there. So far we never had problems a place to stay as it is low season right now and pretty calm...
Unfortunately the pousada we tried first was full, the streets deserted and no other pousada or hostel to be seen. The guy from the pousada sent us to a hotel round the corner that on first sight looked out of order but then... well, imagine a beautifull and stylish hotel with a spacious lobby, red carpets on the stairs, crystal candelabra, hotel boys wearing gold embroidered liveries... and now forget about that place for about 50 to 60 years, and you get the Lord Hotel as it is now ;-) They didn't renovate or renew anything (apart from part of the staff - maybe ;-)) and it looks like a hotel museum or museum hotel. But as the rooms are clean, the rates ok and the staff very friendly we decided to stay...
The historic center of Sao Luis is a mix of say Porto and Havana. Most houses have the typical Potuguese 'azulejos', the colourfull tiling protecting the building from the heat and humidity of Sao Luis climate but unfortunately are in a typical Cuban state of decay and break-up. And compared to other historic centers like for example the Pelourinho in Salvador, the center of Sao Luis is not very touristic and commercialized. Most buildings are still in their original use as home, shops, craftshops or little factories. So on one hand its good that the place has not been renovated yet as you get a good impression of what it used to be 'before the tourists came', but on the other hand it seems that many houses are beyond repair. From one big and beautifull building in the very center for example only the outer walls are left, inside many trees are growing.
Apart from the historic center, which definately is the most interesting part of the city, Sao Luis also has a nice modern part and a huge strip of beach with many barracas and bars. The city seems laid back and people are friendly... it's a pity that we don't have more time to explore the place and its surroundings.
And, of course the Brazilian phenomenon of meeting people works here, too - very efficient ;-). On our first day here we had to share a table in the famous restaurant 'Antigamente' with a Brazilian guy. A Maranhese living in Manaus. We started talking, got along well, decided to meet again at night to go out... he introduced us to his uncle, a gold digger from the Amazon, who took us in his car to the beach. The uncle went back earlier and then we had to discover that it was impossible to get a taxi back to the city center. Our new Brazilian friend flagged down a white car which he mistook for a taxi... and the guy was ready to help and drove us back to the center for free. And guess what, yesterday when Thomas was on a day tour to the Lencoes Maranheses the fake taxi driver called my hotel and asked me out for dinner. We had a great time and when we went back to meet Thomas after the tour... guess who me wet? The gold digger and his friends. A half hour later also our initial friend showed up. So after only two days in Sao Luis we already started to bump into 'friends' downtown. Its a great feeling, makes you feel less a tourist and more at home. But of course, every time you leave you also leave behind some new friends. I guess, my Facebook, Orkut, MSN etc will explode by the time I get back ;-)
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