São Luís, Brazil












 

 I was lucky to find a hostelmate to tour downtown this morning.  The origin of the name “São Luís do Maranhão” dates back to 1612, when the city was founded by the French. The name “São Luís” was chosen in honour of the French king, Louis XIII, who was monarch at the time. French rule over St Louis was short-lived: by 1615 it was back in Portuguese hands.

The historic part of São Luís, also known as the Historic Centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its rich cultural and architectural heritage.  Most of the museums (such as the Palácio dos Leões, the Museu Histórico e Artístico do Maranhão and the Casa de Nhozinho), restaurants, bars and shops in the old part of the capital are located near the Praia Grande Market and the Maritime Terminal, between the old streets of Trapiche, Giz, Estrela and Portugal. 

We took a lot of photos and tried two local shots and one drink, then had lunch before heading back to hostel for a nap.

I decided to camp in the SLZ airport tonight to catch 5 am flight, because I still have problems with Uber and 99 ride. I would rather had the hostel staff help me to ride to the airport with daylight than riding in the early morning in the dark. Unfortunately, most Brazilian drivers refused to take American credit card but I don’t have cash either, so I ended up paying more for my ride. SLZ is such a simple airport, no ATM machine, no $ exchange, and no phone card selling booth. I tried to get cash at Barreirinhas, but Bank of Brazil’s ATMs kept saying communication was unstable so I gave up. I will get cash in Rio de Janeiro. Now I have to kill 6 hrs before the check in open at 1:00 am. 

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