Last weekend I went to Zu Lai Temple (如來寺 in Chinese) and I was surprised to discover that it’s the biggest in Latin America too. It’s situated in Cotia, a city near Sao Paulo - Brazil but many people don’t know about its existence. Even people from Sao Paulo don’t know this place, so if you are from another country don’t feel ashamed.
Normally, when someone comes to Sao Paulo there are many things to do and see. Places like Paulista Ave, Ibirapuera Park, MASP, are some of the “must places to go”. But if you have more time to enjoy the city or if you have already been here, maybe you should try half a day visiting this Temple.
For those, like me, who don’t have a car, I have good news. Every Sunday a bus leaves Liberdade Neighbor, just nearby Liberdade metro station. The bus departure at 08:30 a.m and costs 18 Brazilian Reais for a round trip. It takes approximately 50 minutes to arrive at the Temple. Then, you can enjoy the place until 04:00 pm which is the estimated time to come back. I took this bus to visit the temple but if you could, my suggestion is to go by car. Why?
Firstly, I agree the value is good for the distance and because the bus is just across the metro station. But I think leaving at 04:00 pm is too late. It took me half this time to see and enjoy the place. If you go by car you can go back anytime. Secondly, if you have more people interested in visiting the Temple it can be cheaper to share the trip. The temple has free parking.
I know Local Guides like adventure, so I supposed that many of you will try the bus. Just pay attention to the departure time because there are limited seats.
After arriving there you can walk and walk. This is the biggest temple but you’ll have enough time to see and relax there. And it’s not so big at all. Last weekend I arrived just in time for the Tai chi which was happening in the central place. Many people were there learning the movements and practicing it for a while. Because you come earlier, you’ll see great spots to take a photo. After two hours the place starts to have more people competing for great shots. Another nice tip is to take incense and take say “thanks” while putting it with the others.
Probably after walking and maybe watching the ceremony, you’ll be hungry. My tip is to go to its restaurant. It’s a vegetarian restaurant with good food. It costs 30 Brazilian Reais and it’s “all you can eat”. The food was delicious, I had to repeat it once. All the money is used for the temple’s maintenance.
If you are not so hungry you can have a coffee too.
At its web site, they ask to not bring food to the temple, but I saw some people having snacks and no one was judging them. If I knew, I would have to buy some cookies. But picnics are prohibited! Also, respect the different cultures when dressing up and talking. There are many people from different origins and religions there.
