- Sao Paulo's one of the biggest cities on the planet, and it's one of my favorite cities in the world.

I'm here with my good friends, tour guide extraordinaire Flavia Liz di Paolo and superstar deejay Paulo Pacheco, who show me their favorite sights and sounds in this monster of a city.

Let's get fly!

I'm Ernest White II... storyteller, explorer.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

I mean, look at us!

We're chasing the sunset!

Join me and my friends... What's going on, boy?

[ Indistinct conversation ] ...and discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

Come with me.

Whoo!

"FLY BROTHER."

- Major funding for this program is provided by... Marie Roberts De La Parra -- personal coaching, executive leadership, and self-empowerment.

Courageous Conversation Global Foundation.

Promoting racial justice, interacial understanding, and human healing.

MetalShake by Sweden.

Additional funding provided by the following.

- Sao Paulo.

With 20 million people, it's the economic engine of Brazil.

Sao Paulo is all about movement.

Well, sometimes.

It's a city of superlatives.

It's the biggest city in South America.

It's got the most expensive real estate in Latin America.

It's got the biggest helicopter and bus fleets in the world.

[ Helicopter blades whirring ] The most pizzerias in the world.

The largest number of Italian, Syrio-Lebanese, and Japanese descendants outside of their respective countries, and people from all over -- Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

[ Dog barks ] It's the biggest Portuguese- speaking city in the world.

It's got all the biggest things, including traffic and pollution.

But even with all that, Sao Paulo is still my favorite city on the planet.

♪ It's exhilarating and exasperating... [ Sighs ] ...expensive and overrun, friendly and ruthless, light and dark.

I love it here.

♪ ♪ ♪ I've been coming to Sao Paulo since 2007, and even lived here for a while during Brazil's boom years, when the economy was hot, too.

But today, I'm connecting with two of my best friends from that era, who'll be taking me around to a few of their favorite places in Sao Paulo, and you'll get just a taste of why I love this city so much.

This morning, I'm hanging out with my friend Flavia Liz di Paolo, the world's most thorough tour guide, who sees nothing but beauty in this beast of a town.

♪ - Straight to Santa Efigenia viaduct.

- Flavia Liz has got Sao Paulo down pat.

And my girl has been a pioneer in developing unconventional experiences, including architecture tours in the city's multiple downtowns... ♪ ...community-building experiences with organizations in the favelas, and tours of Sao Paulo's world-famous graffiti.

- We are exactly in the middle of old downtown and new downtown.

So, Ernest, this orange house is a very good example of what downtown used to be until the '50s and the '60s.

- Okay, so before that, all the buildings looked like this kind of -- - Very colorful, very eclectic.

A mix of architectural styles.

- Sao Paulo is over 460 years old.

They got architectural styles out the wazoo, and people, too.

Just a mere 40 miles from the tropical beaches of the Atlantic Ocean in southeastern Brazil, the capital of Sao Paulo state squeezes over 11 million people within its 590-square-mile city limits.

And the even bigger metropolitan area has more people than the popular US states of New York or Florida.

Its pockets are deep, too.

Sao Paulo's GDP is estimated at $600 billion, with its finance, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors chugging along despite the roller coaster ride of Latin American economies.

But it's not all work and no play in Sao Paulo.

- This is, like, Flavia Liz's stylish, uber-stylish friend here in downtown Sao Paulo.

We were just walking and you were like, "Ah, my friend!"

But in Portuguese.

- Ah, meu amigo!

So, tell us... - He's one of my best friends.

- Okay.

- He has been living in the streets of Sao Paulo downtown for the last 25 years.

- Ah, so he's homeless.

- He is homeless.

He's proudly homeless.

He never begs.

And he's a self-taught furniture designer and object designer.

His hat was made by him, although it doesn't look that good right now.

He has better ones.

And he's also a capoeira teacher.

His name is Mestre Alegria.

Aah!

You see?

- Um prazer.

Our tour of downtown continues with Flavia Liz leading the way.

- So, Ernest, have a look how beautiful this Art Deco facade is.

- It's gorgeous.

I love it.

- It could be anywhere in Manhattan, am I right?

- It's fabulous, Flavia Liz.

- It is.

- [ Laughs ] -And it was a bank.

Banco de Sao Paulo.

- 1938 was when they opened it, so it's the same age as my mom.

Hey, Mama!

It's old as you!

So look at this beautiful facade... - Ooh!

- Which is a...

I'm sorry.

Again?

- No, not again.

Continue.

- It was recently restored, and on the right side, we have this Jewish-Brazilian bank, but it's inside a Fascist building.

On the left side -- pay attention -- on the left side, we have a Syrian-Lebanese facade since -- - José Fakhoury.

- José Fakhoury.

- Now, that building at the top up there, what is that?

- That is the fake Empire State Building, that's how I call it.

- The Empire Fake Building.

- Uh... - Empire State Building, Empire Fake Building.

- [ Laughs ] Yeah, that's good.

Empire Fake Building.

- The Altino Arantes Building, also called the Banespao or Farol Santander, was indeed inspired by the Art Deco design of the Empire State Building in New York.

Named for the president of the bank that built the tower, construction on Sao Paulo's version began in 1939, eight years after the Empire State opened.

Inaugurated in 1947, the iconic structure rises 529 feet and 35 stories, with a skate park designed by world champion skater Bob Burnquist on the 21st floor and sweeping urban panoramas on the 34th.

It's tall, y'all.

- We have the flag of the city, almost nobody knows it.

Everybody knows the flag of the State of Sao Paulo, which is the third one.

But I love what is written in the middle of the flag of the city, which is in Latin -- "Non ducor, duco."

Do you know any Latin?

- Um, I don't.

- Uh-huh.

- My Latin's pretty rusty, but... - Follow, I drive?

I lead?

...I still got it.

- Yes!

You are really intelligent!

You are more intelligent than I thought.

- Shade.

- You are the best.

♪ - Welcome to Batman's Alley.

- Here, she takes me to the Beco do Batman, Batman's Alley, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of unbroken murals and street art.

- Why do they call it Batman's Alley?

- Don't ask me.

- [ Laughs ] -There are many versions.

There are many different versions.

- Now, they say that the image of Batman was one of the first pieces of graffiti in the area and the comic book character lent his name to the whole shebang, but they say a lot of things.

Regardless, Batman's Alley attracts street artists and aficionados from all over the world.

- So, our former mayor started to do this bird, but Daniel Boleta, one of my friends, also a street artist, finished it.

- So the former mayor is a street artist?

- No.

- Oh.

- He's a professor of the best university of Sao Paulo and Brazil.

- Okay, which is called?

- University of Sao Paulo.

- Obviously.

- Where I graduated from, by the way.

- Naturally.

- I met Flavia Liz on a city tour a few years ago when I was working as a journalist in Sao Paulo.

We connected over our shared love of languages, architecture, culture, and, well, Sao Paulo.

And she's the perfect embodiment of Brazilian affability -- funny, welcoming, and a little bit silly.

- You got an MBA in luxurious hospitality management?

- Yes, because I worked with -- - What's up, guys?

- Hi!

- You want to talk on camera?

- No.

- Oh.

Oh, not when we ask you to talk.

[ Laughter ] - Typical.

- All right.

Tchau!

♪ ♪ - Sao Paulo is the Mecca of the graffiti... - Okay, why?

- ...in the world because the quality is very high.

- Okay.

- And it's almost everywhere.

And people admire it nowadays.

People like it.

People understand it.

Uh... until 15 years ago, it was, it was something... - Nobody liked it.

- Yeah.

- Now we love it.

- Exactly.

- Da risada!

[ Camera shutter clicks ] - Aah!

♪ - Sao Paulo is the epitome of a megacity.

You can get anything you want here, including organic chocolates from the Brazilian rainforest.

- Remember Amma Amma, Amma Chocolate, I mentioned?

- Yeah.

♪ - This way.

- Okay.

Knowing I don't need any of the calories, Flavia Liz insists that we head to one of her favorite chocolatiers for a little cocoa and a little culture.

♪ Flavia Liz, tell me about this place.

- Yeah, this is one of my favorite places in Sao Paulo.

It's called Amma and it's also one of the best chocolates we have.

- Oh, wow, okay.

And Brazil's known for its chocolate, huh?

- Yeah, and the cacau.

You can try some here.

- Brazil grows some 250,000 tons of cocoa beans every year, mostly in the northeastern state of Bahia, and is among the world's top 10 chocolate producers.

Yet somehow, the people stay so slim.

- This one is organic cacau with pink pepper.

It's very exotic, isn't it?

- It is exotic.

♪ Capuaçu.

- Cupuaçu.

- Cupuaçu!

Well, no one at home is gonna judge my Portuguese.

- I know.

I love cupuaçu.

It's one of my favorite fruits.

- Mmm.

You know, I really hate those TV shows where people eat.

- Oh, okay.

- 'Cause then you're at home and you're like, "I can't eat what they're eating.

- [ Laughs ] -So, anyway, we're gonna do it now, though.

And this is 100% organic chocolate.

- Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I did mine yesterday, so I can put it in your mouth.

[ Laughs ] - Bom...chicka-baw-baw.

Brigadeiros are a traditional chocolate sweet made in Brazil.

They come in countless sizes and varieties, but here's just one tasty recipe.

To make 20 brigadeiros, you need 4 cans of condensed milk, 3 egg yolks, 7 tablespoons of butter, 4 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa, - a 2-ounce chocolate bar with 75% cocoa, and toasted Brazil nuts for garnish.

Chop up the chocolate bar and mix it with the milk, egg yolks, butter, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat.

Stir continuously while cooking for about 10 minutes until thick and gooey.

Remove the dessert from the pan and put it into a baking dish to cool.

You can eat the confection right off the spoon, or roll it into bite-sized balls and top with Brazil nuts for a nice crunch.

♪ Amma, temple to every single evil incarnation of chocolate in existence, is also where we're supposed to meet up with my buddy Paulo Pacheco, beefcake and superstar deejay who's been keeping dance floors in Sao Paulo lit for over a decade.

Hey, Pacheco, what's going on, man?

Dude, it's good to see you, man!

- Good, good, and you?

- You know Flavia Liz, obviously.

We're about to have some coffees and cacau drinks here... - This is a very special place here in Sao Paulo, eh?

- It is.

- It's heaven.

- All right, well, I'm glad you brought me here.

Brigado.

Um chim-chim, um brindis.

Oh, my gosh, this is excellent!

- It's amazing.

- Ay, meu deus no ceu.

[ Ding! ]

♪ ♪ - You're like you and him.

- Flavia Liz, Pacheco, and I pack into her car, cackling and conversing through the city as we work our way towards a meal at luncheonette-cum- launderette-cum-art gallery, Laundry Deluxe, in the Jardins district.

Jardins means "gardens," darling.

♪ Jardins is an upscale area of town near the center of Sao Paulo, with all kinds of eclectic shops and eateries.

- Look at this washing machine, how beautiful it is.

- The speakers.

- So people can come and wash their clothes and eat.

- And eat.

- Let me show you the toilets.

- The toilets.

- The neighborhood remains one of the city's trendiest, with a kooky, cosmopolitan vibe and a whole cast of characters.

- [ Laughs ] It's crazy.

- Oh dear!

- Cannibal.

Cannibal washing machine.

- Many services in one place.

- At Laundry Deluxe, we scheduled lunch with the owner, Fabbio Guia, who's spent time in London and New York before opening the edgy, artsy, eatsy laundry with his two business partners here in his hometown of Sao Paulo.

[ Indistinct conversation ] - The food is ready, let's go?

- All right.

- Let's go.

♪ - With all his worldly knowledge, Fabbio gave us a little insight into that famed Brazilian affability that makes this country so special for visitors.

Brazilian people are so funny, happy, honest, beautiful.

Look at us, a palette of colors, genders, backgrounds, interests, experiences, tastes, and opinions, sitting around a table, talking about the beauty of all those differences.

Connection.

[ unintelligible ] ...Brazilian people with a big smile.

Listen, Brazilian people like to kiss, like to hug, just for friendly.

Not interested like a sexual interest or love thing.

No, just friendly.

I see my friend, a big hug - - I love you.

Like the United States, Brazil boasts a population largely comprised of immigrants, forming a complex and fascinating society.

In 1500, the Portuguese, already a mixed people, laid claim to lands inhabited by the Tupi, Guarani, and other indigenous nations.

Importing enslaved Africans for three centuries to replace the decimated first peoples, and to support imperial cane and coffee exports, the Portuguese held a more lenient attitude towards racial mixing than did the English and other colonizers.

From the 19th century onwards, millions of immigrants from Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Germany went to Brazil, fleeing poverty and spurred by government plans to "whiten" the population -- a policy called "branqueamento" -- followed by those from Eastern Europe, Japan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Nowadays, Bolivians, Angolans, Koreans, Haitians, and Venezuelans have added to the mix, hence the phrase, "Somos todos Brasileiros."

We are all Brazilians.

As the sun goes down, the night heats up, but the party scene here runs 24 hours.

♪ ♪ Later that night, after a nap, Pacheco and I hit the streets of Bela Vista to watch the Vai-Vai samba school get crunk for Carnival.

So, Pacheco, how long have you lived in Sao Paulo, man?

- Ah, let me see, I think 14 years.

I'm here for 2002.

- Okay, now, you know they say on "Sex and the City" that when you're in a place for 10 years, you're a local.

- [ Laughs ] Okay, I'm a local.

I consider myself a paulistano.

- Well, you were the first person I met here, man.

- The first time, you know, the funny thing is that the first time I came was, like, 19... Oh, my God, I don't remember exactly.

I don't know if you know -- if you knew, but I used to be a professional roller skater.

- Before you were a deejay, you were a professional roller skater?

- Yeah, before being a deejay.

I came to Sao Paulo for an international championship with my friends.

- From where?

- I was not in the competition, but -- from Porto Alegre.

- You're from Porto Alegre, right?

- Yeah, I am from Porto Alegre.

When I saw the city, I say to myself, "Wow, I don't like it."

You know, because it's dark, it's gray.

But now I love it.

- Well, I love Sao Paulo because it does give me the kind of energy that you get, that a lot of people feel like they get in New York.

- Yes.

- When I go to New York, it's like, eh, it's New York.

But when I come to Sao Paulo, I get excited about this place.

- This is Gotham City.

- It's Gotham City, man.

[ Laughs ] It's dirty.

- Yes.

- And I'm here for all of it.

Aw, I'm getting hype, man.

We're here.

Vai-Vai, baby!

♪ Samba schools are the big Carnival organizations that compete against each other every year in Rio de Janeiro and, yes, Sao Paulo.

The groups compete in categories such as theme, lyrics, harmony, percussion, costumes, floats, sparkles, bombasticness -- okay, I'm joking about the last two.

♪ But the competition is serious business, and Vai-Vai is Sao Paulo's most successful, most popular samba school.

♪ ♪ ♪ Vai-Vai was also my first samba school experience, when Pacheco brought me here years ago.

And it's also a big part of the reason why I fell in love with this place.

Like American jazz, the exuberant Brazilian genre of music and dance called samba has its roots in the various cultures of Africa.

Taking shape in the state of Bahia, like most things Brazilian, samba melded religious and secular traditions from the country's three founding cultures as it moved south to Rio, then the world.

The result?

A cosmos of movement and music, including melodic samba-cançao, moody bossa nova, vibrant pagode, sexy samba de gafieira, and the samba-enredo of Carnival.

E vc, tem samba no pé?

♪ ♪ ♪ Decades ago, back in Rio, one of the oldest Carnival organizations got its start in front of a teachers' college.

Since that was the school for teachers, one of the organizers said, "then this is the school for samba," and the name stuck.

In Brazil, humble communities practice all year for Carnival, hoping to have their winning samba played on national radio for the next 12 months.

And it's also one of the few times Afro-Brazilian culture gets repped by mainstream Brazilian society.

But let me stop talking, you watch.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Sao Paulo... don't sleep.

It's got almonds, so it's like a meal.

Sao Paulo draws you in, makes you part of the fabric of Brazil, provided you can learn the language.

- What were they called again?

- Cumaru.

- Cumaru.

- E puxuri.

- And puxuri.

Okay, I want you guys to Google that.

[ Laughs ] ♪ ♪ - Major funding for this program is provided by... Marie Roberts De La Parra -- personal coaching, executive leadership, and self-empowerment.

Courageous Conversation Global Foundation.

Promoting racial justice, interacial understanding, and human healing.

MetalShake by Sweden.

Additional funding provided by the following.

To join the "Fly Brother" travel community or to order your own copy of this episode, visit flybrother.net.

♪