Everything you've heard is true - and then some! (Brazil)

Member Name: chezza99

Product:	Brazil
Date:	20/04/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An unimagined wealth of opportunities for exploration and experience.

Disadvantages: Possible culture shock.

It's impossible to review this vast and exciting country in two thousand words. This offering is intended to encourage your first visit and, I hope, to answer a couple of the more common questions.

I lived here in the mid-Nineties, writing guide books. The Brazilians have a word, "saldades", for the poignant feeling of missing something, or someone, very badly. I still have saldades for Brazil.

Literally half the South American continent, Brazil is only smaller than Russia, Canada and China. Like those countries, it has vast unpopulated areas and covers a multitude of terrains. A very 'new' country - some of the borders are still in dispute - it buzzes with pioneer spirit. In this respect, it's reminiscent of the US in the Fifties: if there's anything to be sold, somebody will be selling it, quite possibly from the back of a pick-up!

When I think of Brazil, I picture a multi-coloured power-pack, bursting with energy. Its oceans (it has over 4,000 miles of Atlantic coastline) are boisterous. Vast rivers pour out enough water to supply the whole world's energy, if only that could be arranged. The sun doesn't just shine, it blazes. When it rains, it pours. Nature seems unstoppable - all over, you see trees breaking through concrete. Wildlife is prolific. Wherever you find people, you'll hear music - and someone will be dancing. I got my first Samba lesson from a couple of elderly ladies, at a drinks stand in the middle of a desert. It's that kind of country!

* People

As well as dancing, Brazilians are famous for football and motor racing. Every driver is in the Grand Prix (in his head); every boy is in the World Cup. Never a committed football fan, I've stopped for hours to watch matches played with breathtaking skill ... barefoot, on sand.

The Brazilian people are equally well-known for their beauty & sexiness: again, more true than you can imagine! I wrote about this for Rough Guides but, here, I'll keep to a few essential points: Beauty, I learned, is more about grace & confidence than physical configuration. Anybody can be beautiful in Brazil. Sex really is something of a national preoccupation here. HIV is widespread; be careful. And, boys ... if that woman seems just TOO sexy to be true, she probably isn't exactly a woman! I found it easy to spot "travestis" but men don't seem to have the knack. Lol.

Try to leave your preconceptions at home, especially any relating to race and class. Brazil is the original melting-pot. Many families - in the northeast, the majority - have members who are white, black, mixed and, sometimes, native. That's right: all in one family. You simply cannot make assumptions.

* Poverty

There is a healthy middle class - that is, it's possible for Brazilians to work their way from poor to wealthy - and many successful initiatives provide supplementary education. But a large proportion of this class lives in what Europeans would consider extreme poverty. Half of Brazil works two full-time jobs, a part-time one AND studies (and still finds energy to party!) A significant sector of the population, however, has nothing - no food, no home - thus they're unable to take advantage of those opportunities.

The rich-poor divide is a long-standing problem in Brazil, most glaringly evident in quantities of street urchins - but also in the very sick people begging for food and even whole families sleeping in doorways.

* Safety

Robbery is common - obviously. It shouldn't concern visitors overmuch. Those who steal are probably starving; all they need is food money. Don't wear real jewellery. Carry about £5 of money in your pocket, to give if you are threatened. Keep the rest of your cash well-hidden (I pin it inside my knickers!) Use plastic for larger purchases.

* Urchins

Brazilians are kind to street children: you should be, too. Keep a firm hold of your valuables, but let them practise their English with you. Buy the stuff they need to sell - often, it's kindest to buy their peanuts or whatever, then "change your mind" and give them back. If the kid has any nous, he'll pocket the few pence you paid and his employer will be none the wiser! Children begging for food have manners: Brazilians consider it disgusting to touch food with one's hands, so you must carefully wrap any food you wish to give away. In restaurants, the staff will put any food you don't want in a foil box that you can donate to the hungry outside.

* Rainforests

The Amazon forest is easy to visit. After a dispute with my editor, I undertook a 3-week exploration wearing high-heeled shoes - to prove it can be done. OK, they were jellies - lots of water up there - but definitely not sturdy walking boots! It's the most memorable of my many trips. The Amazon is so beautiful, I found myself standing with tears in my eyes at least once a day. Go there if you can. Take organised jungle tours: eco-tourism is well established, and well managed - a sizeable chunk of the region has been dedicated to it, and you can explore the 'real' Amazon without damaging untouched areas.

Amazonian water levels rise more than 30ft in the wet season, usually April-October. Decide whether you want to go at high water - all travel by boat; tree-top lodges for overnight; lots of monkeys; damp - or in the dry season, when you will get from A to B by boat then walk, stay in river-bank lodges and see more plant life.

Deforestation is a thorny issue. When flying over the rainforest, it's heartbreaking to see the reddish-brown scars where green has been cut away - but I must say the pastures that have been planted on previously-forested land, for cattle rearing, are utterly beautiful. My view is that, until the world decides to pay Brazil for maintaining the forest - which covers nearly half the country - the world has no right to tell Brazil what to do with it.

Brazil boasts two other spectacular types of forest: semi-tropical, which runs along the Southern parts of the coastline - a riot of flowers at any time of the year - and cloud forest. You find cloud forest in many places with high ground; in the hills above Rio, for example, and even in the desert. It is my favourite kind of woodland. Bathed in moisture most of the time, these forests are green all the way from the ground to the high canopy. Creepers wind everywhere; little brooks tumble amongst massive roots; birds & butterflies fill the air.

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I've tried to cover those aspects of tourism to Brazil, which most interest people who haven't yet been there. I hope I've managed to cast a little more light on them and, even better, excite your curiosity to know more.

What follows are some basic visitor practicalities.

1. Money

Confusingly, the currency changes every few years. At present it's the Real. While the Brazilian economy is far more stable than it was in my day, you will still get better exchange rates on the parallel market - at small high-street exchanges; don't exchange with some stranger on the beach! Shop around a little. For best value, buy a small amount of currency before your visit - and plenty of US dollars. Dollars are still the preferred currency; many stores give discount for cash dollar payment.


2. Shopping

Don't be afraid to buy at roadside stalls, in street markets and from wandering merchants. Bargaining is expected - politely, this is a well-mannered society - even in ordinary shops. Try to get 20% off the price. Make an exception when buying small stuff from kids; the children are starving, yet some visitors still try to shave a few cents off their purchases. Don't bargain in restaurants or bars.

Prices are lower than in the UK. Shop for: fashion, shoes, bags, jewellery and wonderful carvings from exotic woods.


3. Food

Brazilian cuisine is an appetizing fusion of European and African - many dishes are similar to Caribbean ones. Carnivores will love the churrasco restaurants, barbecues where meat is brought to you on a sword. It's not easy to find a vegetarian restaurant: you can get cheap, freshly-cooked vegetable dishes at street stalls. Freshly-squeezed juices (sucos), both fruit and veg, are sold absolutely everywhere.


4. Tourist information

Scanty at best. Brazilian culture has some kind of mental block with maps. The ones you get for free are useless. Good maps are published by Quatro Rodas in Brazil, plus the official tourist offices sell decent sightseeing maps - if you can find one open.

Get a good guidebook before you go: the best one is by Footprint Guides (I used to work for them, but this recommendation is unbiased!)


5. Transport

As you'd expect in such an immense country, there are efficient air and road connections. Weirdly, internal flights are cheaper if you buy them from outside the country - agents sell a voucher pack for a specified number of flights. On intercity routes, the planes are comfortable and you can often find a row of seats to yourself :)

For budget travellers, and those who like to see the country, there are bus services from everywhere to anywhere. Despite the discomfort of long bus journeys, this was my preferred method. I have so many extraordinary memories from road trips, which couldn't have been experienced any other way.


6. Legal & Health

You need about 5 vaccinations prior to visiting Brazil. You should take malaria pills.

Tap water's OK in restaurants and private homes - they use domestic filters - but, still, is only safe for things like salad washing. You can buy bottled water everywhere, including from street kids (check the cap seal). It's very cheap.

Your visa application can be done on the plane. It will be issued on arrival. Don't lose it! The visa was valid for 6 months last time I checked - you can have it renewed at a police station.

Brazil is one of those countries that depend on ID cards. As we don't yet have them in the UK, it's a great idea to copy the back pages of your passport, fold them over to make a card, and laminate it.


7. Language

Brazil speaks Portuguese. As with American English, pronunciations and spelling are somewhat simplified.

You will NOT find that "everybody speaks English" - your experience of Brazil will become richer in direct proportion to the amount of Portuguese you learn!

Here are some basics, for courtesy.

* Rs are either rolled or pronounced like H. For example, Rio is pronounced "Hee-oo".
* O is generally pronounced as "oo".
* Diphthong sounds, like -ão, have a sort of disappearing "-ng" sound at the end. Say "Pow" through your nose, and you've just pronounced "pão" - bread!
* S is often pronounced "sh".
* L is often pronounced like W. Saldades is "Sow-dah-jees".

Please = Por favor | "Poorh Favoorh"
Thank you (if you're male/female) = Obrigado/a | "Obrrigah-doo/-da"
Sorry! = Perdão! | "Perh-downg"
Yes = Sim | "Seem"
No = Não | "Nowng"
Do you speak English? = Fala inglês? | "Falla ingl-ez?"
I don't speak Portugese = Não falo português | "Nowng faloo porh-tu-gez"
Do you go to ... ? = Vai para ... | "Vie parra ... ?"
Have you got ... ? = Têm ... | "Taym ... ?"
Go away (polite) = Deixe-me em paz | "Day-shemee em pies"
I'm English = Estou inglês/a | "Esh-toe ingl-ez/a"
Hi! = Oi! | "Oy!"
Good morning = Bom dia | "Bom jee-ya"
Good afternoon = Boa tarde | "Boo-a tah-jee"
Good night = Boa noite | "Boo-a noychee"
OK = Tudo bem | "Too-doo baym"
Bye! = Tchau! | "Chow!"

Getting your 'kiddie box' at the restaurant:
The rest to take away, please = Favor, embale o resto para levar | "Favoorh, embally oo heshtoo parra levah-rh"

Finally: Boa viagem - Have a good trip!

(Review partially published on helium.com under my own name)

Summary: Wish I were there now!