Driving in São Paulo at Night

It´s while riding in cars late at night through São Paulo that I feel the most alive.

It is my first night in São Paulo. Though it is midnight and the streets are empty on the outskirts of the city, Fabricio dodges what cars there are like a madman.
"I don´t stop at stoplights at night," he tells me, "because this street is notorious for its carjackings."
We drive through what looks like a ghost town, the only signs of life other than the other cars are ominous clouds of black smoke drifting up from the underpasses below us. It´s revitalizing. Every stoplight is like chugging a redbull, especially if there´s a car stopped in front of us, locking us in, making us wait to see what our fate will be.

The next night I am in Guilherme´s car, the radio blasting American hits as the brazilians in the car sing horribly along to "Pokerface". Guilherme is the picture of relaxed, leaning back in his seat with one hand draped over the wheel. Looking at him, one would think we were driving through the countryside on a Sunday morning. But this is downtown São Paulo, a place where some people have never even seen the countryside, and the cars are all around us, forgetting about traffic lanes and flying by perilously close. Another song comes on the radio and it´s like a switch is turned on; with one flick of his wrist we are thrown in the next lane just inches away from two cars, then with the turn of his arm we are dodging a car coming straight for us, one movement later we´re off an exit narrowly avoiding two busses... ...three lanes merging into one without any notice? No problem. Guilherme does the most amazing maneuvers that would kill me in an instant if I tried them, all in a couple of seconds, all without putting a scratch on his small black car, all without so much as blinking, still with one arm hung over the wheel, relaxing in the driver´s seat.

I am entranced. I am in love. And as a really good song starts to play, I am alive. I am alive, and unafraid, here in Guilherme´s car driving through São Paulo at night.