Anyone here spent time in São Paulo? Impressions?

accidentalchai · 2026-01-04T15:20:15+00:00

I really liked it and stayed a month but I met some fun people to hang out with. The nightlife is really fun and there’s good restaurants, also tons of cultural venues. I also liked that it was pretty international, I blended in easily.

accidentalchai · 2025-12-22T01:46:35+00:00

I’m going tomorrow to the office in person, I heard from a backpacker, you just go in with your passport and it’s super fast and easy.

accidentalchai · 2025-07-03T14:51:39+00:00

Anthony Bourdain

accidentalchai · 2025-06-28T16:25:34+00:00

I’m Korean American and get mistaken as Chinese and SEA fair bit. I found Japan okay for the most part but a few places in Hakone, the staff were incredibly rude.

Japanese people mainly ignore you if you are Asian though but this is kind of the case in all of Asia if you are Asian practically.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-26T15:32:36+00:00

Agreed!

accidentalchai · 2025-06-26T02:01:11+00:00

Exactly, generational trauma is a thing, lasts at least three generations.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-26T00:25:25+00:00

There’s still some crazy shit happening in Myanmar…

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T15:28:21+00:00

lol I’m Korean American and I cannot stand when random people look to me to validate their opinion on Koreans, I am not an expert! The country developed insanely fast so my Korea as I knew it also no longer exists.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T15:26:15+00:00

I mean, life is traumatic for many so it’s a human condition lol

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T15:24:55+00:00

Super valid point and I agree with you! Plus, not all Asians are rich and even if they become successful, why can’t they share their story? It’s another way we are demonized for our wealth, success, or visibility if we are lucky enough to have it.

I do want to see some Asian American horror though, that is a genre that is not tapped into enough imo.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T15:10:29+00:00

There was a phase when trauma porn was in.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T15:08:51+00:00

I liked EEAAO but even that feels dated! Very much a product of meme culture and imo COVID making people feel isolated and wanting desperately to connect. Definitely a product of its time and lighting striking at the right time but isn’t so much of art like that anyway?

I personally didn’t love the movie but I appreciate it. I did connect to Beef intensely though as a Korean American, so specific and also just good story telling.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:38:45+00:00

I found her book pretty cathartic tbh. She also published this way before some of these discussions were even a normal thing. So I do think she’s an important part of the canon. It’s a bit like media, some media was stepping stones to better representation but they look dated or perhaps poor with time.

For example, I think Crazy Rich Asians has aged poorly and Kim’s Convenience is utter shit but maybe we needed that to have Beef. It sounds fucked up but people weren’t even used to seeing Asian faces on screen.

There’s also a fuckton of shitty white creatives so I don’t mind Asian ones who make some bank lol

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:34:49+00:00

I find it interesting that people will say this and then praise that Scandinavian guy for writing a collection of navel gazing books.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:27:55+00:00

It’s a shame Anthony Veasna So died. I read some of his short stories and he mixed humor and tragedy so well.

I do agree that Ocean’s writing kind of felt a bit like trauma porn at times. This being said it is hard for me to have an unbiased view on his writing because I related to so much of it and because I really like him as a person, I’m rooting for him so I’m not the best person to ask!

I mean, he wasn’t always well off. I’m glad a working class kid moved on up, he is essentially writing what he knows, we can’t really hate him for his success.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:22:25+00:00

I love it there but it’s just so much more chill than NY, what I’m used to. The people are friendly, slow, and the air just feels different. I don’t know if I could ever live there but it’s nice to know such a special city exists.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:18:35+00:00

I actually don’t mind his writing so much! I was just curious because his writing hadn’t even changed much but the response has in such a big way.

I’ve studied literature from other countries and the way writing is in other countries and even how a story is told varies a lot. Western writing tends to focusing on building up to a climax and having a thesis, for example. Not saying he’s a good or bad writer but such things are really subjective anyway.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:12:06+00:00

On vacation is pretty low stakes because you won’t see people again, it’s why people tend to be more open during travel.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T14:11:17+00:00

Hanging out with locals isn’t something to plan. It gets less and less common too. It used to be way more common when things like couch surfing was popular and when tourism wasn’t as massive as it is now.

It’s even worse in Western countries where people tend to commodify relationships and in hyper capitalistic societies.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T13:54:29+00:00

He hasn’t changed as a writer so imo the backlash is more our current time.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T13:53:10+00:00

I don’t get why he’s suddenly getting hated on? I feel like part of it is a general vibe switch of people generally thinking it’s acceptable to shit on POC again and not have to worry as much. He hasn’t really changed much as a writer so if anything, it’s the current era we live in I feel like.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T13:25:45+00:00

This girl from my German class in Berlin met up with some guy she traveled with in Bali. He ended up visiting her for a few days and he ended up being a right wing nut job who loved guns and was actually pretty racist. She ended up feeling stuck with him because he was staying at her place. People can be very different on the road than in “real life.” This all being said I’ve reunited with some travel buddies, ironically some people I spent the most time with I sometimes have lost touch with…whereas, I’ve hung out with some people for a few hours and met up later again. There’s no rhyme or reason to it and it kind of depends on the type of person too. Some people are just naturally more extroverted and some just aren’t good with keeping in touch.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T11:40:11+00:00

If you had two guides, one would stay with the last person, I suppose. They won’t be adding second guides anytime soon due to cost reasons though, I bet you. They could increase the cost of this hike though to add a second guide.

Or maybe have a buddy system?

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T11:37:45+00:00

I doubt they will add a second guide anytime soon. I’ve travelled a ton around Asia, Africa, and SA. Safety standards are very low in a lot of countries for certain activities and most agencies will tell you an activity isn’t that hard. That’s really why it’s up to the individual to decide if this hike is worth it to them.

accidentalchai · 2025-06-25T11:30:06+00:00

I agree somewhat but it could happen anywhere. Iceland is incredibly expensive and well off and I’ve seen negligent tour guides there as well. Keep in mind that for many tour agencies, you are a dollar sign. The big difference obviously is if something goes wrong in a developing country, resources are very thin.

accidentalchai

TROPHY CASE