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October 21 - November 21, 2006
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Rio Videos
Aerial : Utah Aerial : Rio Aerial : Atlanta Tourist Tips Copacabana - Oct. 23 Copacabana - Oct. 24 |
Copacabana - Oct. 25 Maracanã - Oct. 26 Copacabana - Oct. 28 Mangueira - Oct. 28 Rio Slums - Oct. 29 Other Misc. |
Floripa Videos
Floripa Friends Floripa, Brazil - Oct. 30 Floripa Jugglers - Oct. 31 Palhoça, Morro dos Gauchos Pinheiras - Nov. 3 Lagoa do Peri - Nov. 5 Praia da Armação - Nov. 7 |
Florianópolis - Nov. 7 Peri and Armação - Nov. 8 Lagoinha do Leste - Nov. 11 Bugs - Nov. 14 Matadeiro - Nov. 15 O Rappa Live - Nov. 15 Floripa - S. Paulo - Rio - Nov. 17 Aerial - Salt Lake - Nov. 21 |
| Tips for the foreigner traveling to Brazil. It's also to refresh my memory for the next time I travel there. I'll be adding to this list as things come to mind. Bus - Onibus (O-nee-boosh) Do yourself a favor and learn about the Brazilian bus system before you get on one. Get a map of the area that you are going to be traveling in. The bus system is actually one of the most professionally operated public systems in Brazil, definitely better managed than the airport. Any problems I had were because of my own fault. It helps to know what to expect. And you need to know your route. They don't have a radio that announces each stop, but you can ask them to alert you at a stop. Once you know which bus to take, find a bus stop. Watch for the bus that you need, the bus won't stop for you unless you wave him down. Enter through the front of the bus. You will meet an operator working a turnstile, you pay him, or if you have a bus pass, you swipe it there. If you have any questions, ask him (Called the Cobrador, or "Collector"), he's the only one who can talk to the driver (I talked to the driver a few times, there wasn't any problem, but I think it might have been impolite). Then you pass through the turnstile and sit down. Or if the bus is full, find a place to stand and something to hold on to, both hands if possible. When you want to stop, stand up and pull the chord that runs down the length of the bus. This chord is way up high on some buses, I had some people ask me to pull it for them, because it was out of their reach. A good thing to know is; if the bus stops at a bus station, and if you need to catch another bus, and what that bus is called. Once you get inside the station, you can get on any bus, no charge, but if you step a foot outside of the station, you'll have to pay to get back in. Executive Bus R$4.50 This bus is yellow, it has Air conditioning, nicer seats, less people, and they stop anywhere on the way. Regular Bus R$2.10 This bus was green. This bus is hot and cramped 90% of the time I was standing. The bus driver drives like a bat out of hell, so if you're standing, get a good hold and get your feet set, it's survival of the fittest, even the grannies have to hold on for dear life if they take the Regular Bus. One version of this bus is the accordion bus, that bends around corners. People always stand in the middle of it, I wonder how many fingers get crushed in it. Phone - Telefone (Teh-leh-fawn-ee) First you have to buy a phone card, Cartão Telefonico (Cah-town Teh-leh-fon-ee-co). These were R$6 for 40 credits, which is about 5 minutes or less if you call a cell phone, which are the only numbers you'll probably dial, The phone system in Brazil is a complete rip off. If you are going to stay in Brazil for a month or more, it might be worth it to bring a cell phone and open a cell account, I didn't try this, but next time I might. Phone Booth - Orelhão (Oh-re-lya-own) Orelhão means Big Ear. If you're tall remember to duck under the Orelhão. Get your phone number that you are going to dial ready first. Pick up the receiver, watch the digital display, it will say "Coloque Cartão" that means "Put your card in", after you slide your card in the card reader, it will say "Aguarde", which means "Hold on". Then it will show you how many credits you have on the card, now you only have about 5 seconds to start dialing your number, if you don't start dialing in time, you'll have to take your card out and start over. As you talk on the phone, the credits drop about 1 every 5-10 seconds. Food - Comida (co-mee-da) The best way to eat inexpensive fresh food is the balcão. The balcão is like a bar where they sell food and beer etc. They are everywhere, just walk down the sidewalk. A breaded chicken filled snack called a Cochinha (Co-shee-nya) costs about R$1 to R$3, I only needed one for breakfast, and some OJ. Fresh squeezed orange juice is about R$1. You order, you eat, then you go to another window and pay. Some places sell fresh squeezed sugar cane juice, it tastes like sugar water, with just something a little extra, probably any nutrients that the plant originally had before it was processed. Make sure you try the Pão de Queijo (Pom-jee-kayzyu) (Cheese bread), I liked it cold better than hot, but everyone's different. Restaurants - Restaurantes (Hes-tow-ron-chees) Most restaurants are pay by the gram buffets, I usually paid about R$7 for a plate. If you want to eat alot, ask for Prato Livre, or Buffet Livre, which is All-you-can-eat, I paid R$10 for Prato Livre. Grab a plate and silverware, Fill your plate up then go to the weigh station, They will be waiting for you to place your plate on the scale. If you want All-you-can-eat, say "Prato Livre", if you're not that hungry, and you don't think you'll eat very much, it would be cheaper to just put your plate on the scale and pay by the gram. They will ask you what you want to drink, drinks are usually R$1 to R$2 each. They will mark this on your receipt. You pay at the cash register after you're done eating. Important: Don't loose your receipt or they will make you pay up to R$200, if you don't have the money, they will call the police. Clothes - Ropa (Hoe-pa) Clothes communicate more than you think, they tell people where you're from, and a little about what you think, Just like any country, you want to communicate that you want to meet in the middle. You don't want to communicate that you are a foreigner who thinks he's above the locals, and that you want to live in your own protected bubble. I would applaud someone for wanting to just be themselves, but in Brazil, doing this can actually put you in danger. Some clothes can communicate, "I might be worth it to rob". So if it's a question of safety, I would suggest going more with the flow. If you're white as snow, get a tan, either a little bit before, or as quick as you can, once you get there. Wear flip flops or running shoes, don't wear sandles with snaps ect, you'll look like a foreigner. Buy the flip flops in Brazil if you can. Fellas, Put on a pink whitey-tighty swim suit and walk around town in your flip flops, you'll look completely normal here. Crime There are professional theives in Brazil that have spent their lives learning to react when opportunity calls. Unfortunately, when they see a lost tourist, they see a paycheck coming. They have many different ways of robbing people. If you're in a dark or hidden area, they'll use a knife. Some travel in groups, robbing people at night at knifepoint. Some stalk people for days waiting for the right moment. If someone sees you with a large amount of money and you put it in your backpack, they might follow you at a distance, for as long as they can. The second you put it down, they'll snag it. If you lock it up, they'll slice the back open with a razor. If you lock your bike up, they'll cut the lock. Some gangs surround buses and make the driver pull over at gunpoint, robbing everyone aboard. This happened to a busload of Japanese, they hadn't even set foot in the city. It's pretty simple really, don't make yourself look like a target. Don't wear expensive jewelry, or any for that matter, don't flash money or electronics around. I carried a camera with me all around Rio, but I always made sure of my surroundings before I took it out, and then I quickly hid it back away. Making sure that if anyone was looking at me, I would look back and acknowledge them, and if they looked like they might try something, I gave them the look like it wasn't going to be as easy as some old lady. A week before I came to Brazil, a guy from Finland was stabbed in the neck right by where I'm staying. He was taking pictures, and probably didn't want to give his camera to the theives. I know how he probably felt, I would probably resist as well, it's instinct, I value my camera. But, I think if you pay attention to what you're doing, you won't have a problem. Just never get overconfident, more people die from overconfidence than anything else. |
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Rio Videos
Aerial : Utah Aerial : Rio Aerial : Atlanta Tourist Tips Copacabana - Oct. 23 Copacabana - Oct. 24 |
Copacabana - Oct. 25 Maracanã - Oct. 26 Copacabana - Oct. 28 Mangueira - Oct. 28 Rio Slums - Oct. 29 Other Misc. |
Floripa Videos
Floripa Friends Floripa, Brazil - Oct. 30 Floripa Jugglers - Oct. 31 Palhoça, Morro dos Gauchos Pinheiras - Nov. 3 Lagoa do Peri - Nov. 5 Praia da Armação - Nov. 7 |
Florianópolis - Nov. 7 Peri and Armação - Nov. 8 Lagoinha do Leste - Nov. 11 Bugs - Nov. 14 Matadeiro - Nov. 15 O Rappa Live - Nov. 15 Floripa - S. Paulo - Rio - Nov. 17 Aerial - Salt Lake - Nov. 21 |
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