Last updated: October 2026
From Istanbul to São Paulo in one go: thirteen or fourteen hours, the longest flight I have ever taken. We flew economy and the service was good — meals included, and at the back of the plane a permanent tray of sandwiches, snacks and juice you could help yourself to whenever you wanted. Your own screen, more films than you can watch.
That plane had outside cameras, and that closed a loop for me. A friend from university who travelled a lot — she studied to be cabin crew, and she loved planes even less than I do — once told me: some day you have to fly on a plane with the outside cameras, it is worth it. I am a plane nerd, so I never forgot it. On that flight I finally got it: water, clouds, and then the landing in São Paulo watched from the camera and from the window at the same time.
We decided to stay one night in São Paulo instead of connecting straight through. Here is what we did not know: in the United States, in Europe and in Argentina, downtown is usually the nice part of the city. In Brazil that is not a safe assumption. We stayed downtown and it was rough — a lot of people sleeping on the street, fights, police pulling people apart. Not what we expected at all.
That night we went out for a caipirinha to Itaim Bibi, which along with Jardins is one of the pleasant neighbourhoods, and the next day we went to the Iguatemi shopping centre, in a seriously wealthy part of the city. Both were lovely. If you only have one night in São Paulo, sleep there and not downtown.
From São Paulo to Foz do Iguaçu we went by bus, overnight. It was much cheaper than flying and the luggage was included, which with two suitcases each makes a real difference. In Foz, Camila's sister picked her up; I took a taxi to the Puerto Iguazú terminal and another bus home to Posadas. Mid-October 2023, after a day in Istanbul and a night in São Paulo.
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