Brazil

Important are festivals such as Twelfth Day, Carnival, Good Friday, Easter, All Souls' Day and Christmas. There are a number of national celebrations such as:
April 21st National holiday, Tiradentes
September 7th Independence Day
October 12th Our Lady of Aparecida
November 15th Day of the Proclamation of the Republic.

Every region has its own festivities as well, for instance the name day of the patron saint of the town. Shops and government buildings close on these days. Throughout the year there is always a celebration somewhere. Sooner or later you are certain to stumble across a wildly dancing and celebrating crowd. For the dates for the Carnival parade in Rio look at http:www.Ipanema.com/carnival/dates.htm. It is not only party time in Rio; the whole country celebrates carnival exuberantly.

Brazil is such a big country that there is no such thing as Brazilian music. There are many influences from different cultures in the country. The Afro-Brazilian culture is the most popular when it comes to music; there is salon music with Iberian influences and more Western types of music. All these styles have influenced each other, but percussion is the most typical. Music plays a large role in the lives of Brazilians. Wherever you go, you will find people singing, making music and dancing. The most popular rhythm is the samba.The most popular artists currently are Zeca Pagodinho, Ana Carolina & Ivete Sangalo.

Europeans behave differently from Brazilians in many ways. In fact the differences are so big you that could write a book about them. The following hints should help you avoid the biggest misunderstandings.

Transport
In the cities you can take a taxi or local bus. The latter is the cheapest. In taxis, be sure the driver turns on the meter. Taxi drivers use an official conversion table, which they will show you, if you don’t understand or are wary.

Begging
In large cities you will undoubtedly be approached by beggars. They will ask you for money, soap or pens, sometimes sweets. Some beggars will mention the amount they expect from you. By giving them money you will not solve their problems. It is more likely that they will become dependent on this kind of income. In the larger cities there will be mothers with children begging. Sometimes they lay in the streets and are not a pretty sight. Often these children have been ‘borrowed’; one method is having two or three babies in the entrance to a building. A number of beggars are very proficient in using grease paint: wounds and scars are washed off in the evening. Shoestring holds to the rule of never giving money to children, at most offer them, fruit or something else to eat. If children bring in a lot of money in this way, their parents won’t send them to school anymore. Giving money to old people and invalids is fine. The reality behind every beggar can be very different. One or two actually beg for food, but most of them are forced to pay for some space in a house through this activity. There are an increasing amount of drug and alcohol addicts in the cities. It is best to give your money to a renowned charitable institution.

In general
Always remember that you are a guest in a country where other conventions are observed. They are not deviant you are, the one that is different.

Meals: Brazilian cuisine is one of the best in South America. Breakfast is usually quite elaborate, with coffee, rolls, cake and occasionally, pie. This is accompanied with fresh fruit and juice (“Suco”). People have a hot meal twice a day; lunch is the most important meal. A basic meal in Brazil consists of arroz (white rice), feijão (black beans) and farofa (cassava farina). With these, meat (carne), chicken (galinha) or fish (peixe) is usually served.
Brazil has many regional cuisines, not unusual for such an immensely large country. Every region has various specialities, such as juicy steaks in Foz de Iguaçu and rice or cassava with fish in the Amazon. In Bahia the food is a mishmash of African, Portuguese and Indian influences, with fragrant ingredients such as palm oil, fish and coconut milk. Vegetarian food is just developing. Most cities have restaurants serving a vegetarian meal, which will be healthy, but not always tasty. In many places you can have a fill your plate buffet. For vegetarians this is a good solution as there are many salads and separate dishes available.

Drinking water: Tap water is not drinkable everywhere. Buy bottles of purified water, available almost everywhere, still water (sem gás) or sparkling (com gás).

Drinks: In Brazil alcohol comes in the form of beer (such as “Chopp” or “Antártica”) or cachaça, hard liquor made of sugarcane. There are good and bad brands on the market. Caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink, is made from cachaça. You can buy soft drinks everywhere and they are cheaper than mineral water. A well-known soft drink here is guaraná, made from the berries of a plant from the Amazon district. It tastes as if you have just swallowed a whole lipstick. Fruit juices are heavenly here. The region and the season determine the variety on offer. The Amazon area has particularly unusual fruits. “Vitaminas”, a milkshake with fresh fruit juice is popular. If you don’t want sugar and ice cubes in your juice, ask for sem açúcar e gelo or naturel.

Coffee and tea: Brazilians take their coffee strong, hot and sweet. They call it cafezinho and serve in small cups, without milk but with lots of sugar. If you don’t like sugar, you could search for a place where they serve espresso. Café com leite is coffee with hot milk which, is mainly taken with breakfast. Tea (chá) is drunk a lot less in this country. Real tea lovers are advised to take along packets from home then order hot water and brew your own.

Brazil is the biggest country of Latin America with a surface area of over 8 1/2 million square kilometres. With the exception of Ecuador and Chile all other South American countries share a border with Brazil. Geographically, the country can be divided into four parts. You will find magnificent beaches along almost the entire 7500 km coastal strip. Behind this strip, in the southern half of the country lays the great central tableland, the Planalto Brasileiro, with a height of between 500 to 1000 metres. On the plateau are several smaller mountain chains, some reaching a height of 3000 metres. In the northern, largest part of Brazil, the immense Amazon lowlands stretch as far as Peru. In the South East, the Paraná-Paranaqua lowlands include Pantanal.
The area around the world’s longest river, the Amazon, contains the world’s largest rain forest. From the Peruvian border the river flows a further 3100 kms through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. 10% of all plant and animal species in the world live here. This vast jungle is the habitat of many kinds of monkeys, parrots, songbirds, snakes, tapirs and the mountain lion. The rain forest is responsible for 20% of the world’s oxygen supply.
The Pantanal, Brazil’s best kept secret, is south of the Amazon in the centre of the continent. The world’s largest ‘wetlands’, the Pantanal is home to the largest concentration of fauna in South America. When the water level starts to go down in March, the area becomes a playground for ornithologists, with over 200 kinds of birds. There are many birds of prey and water birds, as well as caymen, capybaras and many kinds of fish, including the bloodthirsty piranha.
The Foz do Iguaçu, where Brazil meets Argentina and Paraguay, is perhaps the most sensational spectacle in the country. These mighty waterfalls are listed as natural wonders of the world and are superior to Niagara Falls and the Victoria Falls in both size and grandeur.

Most of the 175 million Brazilians live along the Atlantic coast. The Amazonian Lowlands are sparsely inhabited. Nevertheless Brazil is one of the most urbanized countries in the world. Of the 10 largest cities in the world, two are in Brazil: São Paulo (over 17 million) and Rio de Janeiro (more than 10 million). There is constant migration from the country to the urban areas. The continuing expansion of the run-down areas on the cities’ outskirts is one of the great problems of contemporary Brazil. The country has a young population: half are under the age of twenty, 27% is even under ten years old. There are 12 million children without parents or a home, the so-called abandonados. They mainly scavenge and hide in the big cities. Many of the children are hounded by death squads, who murder them on the pretext that ‘all of them will turn into criminals anyway, so why not get rid of them now?’ The fate of these children is another of the great problems in Brazil.
Before Europeans arrived in Brazil, there were between 3 and 5 million Indians, mostly living in tribes in the Amazon area. They led a (semi) nomadic existence as hunter-gatherers. Their present number is between 200,000 and 300,000. They live only in very isolated parts of the Amazon area although some have managed to retain their time-honoured cultures. European colonisation was slow, and in the first half of the 19th Century it was mainly the Portuguese. Then other nationalities began to arrive. Also more than 3 million African slaves were brought to the country to work on the coffee plantations and in the mines. About 53% of the present population are of European descent, 11% of African descent, over 35% of mixed blood and the remainder are of Indian or Asian descent. Thus the Brazilian population is highly varied and strikingly tolerant. Racial tension or manifestations are uncommon. In general Brazilians are really friendly and obliging, and above all, have a fantastic ‘joie de vivre’.

Brazilians are predominantly Catholics, but there are several Indian animistic and African religions that continue to survive, such as the ritual of Candomblé. Candomblé is one of the most orthodox sects, which came from Africa along with the Yoruba, the Nago and the Jeje tribes. The Afro-Brazilian rituals are performed in a kind of Temple (terreiro in Yoruba language). Not all ceremonies are open to the public. Each member of the sect has its own orixá (god), that watches over him from birth. A priest or priestess makes known which god it is by throwing a handful of shells. Each god has its’ own personality and special history. Gods compete among themselves for power and leadership. The orixá are divided into male and female, but some can change gender. An example is Logunedé, the son of two male gods, Ogun and Oxoss. Another is Oxumaré, who is male for six months of the year and female during the other six months. Homosexuality is, not surprisingly, simply accepted. During the rituals the gods are offered food, and drink and cigarettes. Every god desires extra offerings. For example: to please Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea, an offering of perfume, white and blue flowers, rice and fried fish must be made. Each deity also has to be honoured at a special time and place.
The god Xangô can be honoured on the rocks, Oxósse in the woods or a park. Some Candomblé rituals, such as the Jogo dos Búzios are held to predict fortunes and the future and to recount previous relationships with the gods. Even politicians take part in this ritual, particularly to predict the outcome of elections.
There are many other cults in the country. Catholicism is still the official religion, but interest appears to be waning.
Churches close down or become dilapidated, because there are no funds or priests to restore them. Most Brazilians only attend church during funerals, marriages and christening parties.

Climate: Brazil has various types of climates because it is such an enormous country. Consequently it is difficult to say which period is best for travelling. In general, the Brazilian winter is from June to September and summer from December to March. In summer the temperatures across the country can rise to over 30° centigrade, but even in winter it is summery warm by British standards. All year round you can expect (often short) rain showers everywhere. The more southerly you travel, the bigger the differences in temperature between summer and winter. The Amazon area has a hot and humid climate. Here the best time to travel is during the dry season (June-October). It is always warm, with temperatures between 25 and 30°C. The coastal zone in the northeast has a pleasantly warm climate the whole year round. From April to June it is possible to have downpours. In the southern coastal states it rains in the summer (December – March). In Rio de Janeiro: temperatures during Brazilian winters are around 25°C, in the summer, 27°C. The swampy Pantanal is dry from April – September. It is less humid then and there are fewer mosquitoes. The Pantanal is very green at this time and the flowering season is in August. Temperatures are around 30°C the whole year. In Foz do Iguaçu: temperatures in the Brazilian winter are around 22°C, and in the summer around 30°C.

Best time to travel: Brazil is good to travel through all the year round. December to February is the high season for tourists; during these months the Brazilians also have their holidays. In the tourist areas prices increase markedly in this period.

Take it easy on your first day in Brazil. Recover from the flight and get used to the different climate, culture and country. Let it slowly work its magic on you. The more you can relax the more pleasure you will get out of Brazil.

Brazil does not have the same voltage everywhere. In Rio de Janeiro the electric mains supply is 100 or 120 volts almost everywhere. Many other cities also have 220 volts. Always check before you put your plug in the socket. An adapter is the solution, although power failures do happen.

If you pay sufficient attention to hygiene and skin care during your time in South America, you should not encounter any health problems. Below is some information that we hope will improve your trip.

Food and drink: It can be extremely hot in these countries and if you do not drink enough, you run the risk of becoming dehydrated. This risk increases at high altitudes. As a rule tap water is not fit for consumption. Mineral water is sold almost everywhere. If you order a drink ask them not to put ice cubes in it: they are often made of tap water and could contain germs. In small cafés it is better not to eat salads or fruit which has been peeled beforehand. Favour busy restaurants. The more people that eat here, the faster the circulation rate of prepared ingredients. Wash your hands carefully before you eat and keep your fingernails short.

Sunshine and heat: Sunburn is a frequent cause of health problems. Sunburn and heat strokes are easier caught than you may think. You should therefore avoid the sun during the hottest hours of the day, always wear a hat (or carry an umbrella) and good sunglasses when you are walking or cycling, and use the recommended factor of suntan lotion when sunbathing. At high temperatures the body’s need for water increases very rapidly, as does its need for salt. Take it easy during the hottest hours of the day. Treat small scratches, wounds and insect bites before they become infected.

Diarrhoea: Next to sunburn, the most common health problem is diarrhoea. Travellers are often hit by it after they have been away for only a few days. In most cases it is innocuous and caused by the change of diet, the heat or harmless bacteria, against which the body will soon develop its defences. The main risk is dehydration, especially in children. It occurs when the body loses more fluid, salt and sugars than it receives. The result is a feeling of listlessness and weakness. It can be prevented by drinking a solution of water and ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution). It is sold in bags at the pharmacies and contains all the minerals and sugars that are evacuated with diarrhoea. You can also take noncarbonated soft drinks or heavily salted soup. For many people, Coca Cola has a constipating effect in the first stages of diarrhoea. When diarrhoea is accompanied by high fever and/or bloody defecation it is sensible to consult a physician. When diarrhoea lasts for more than a few days without these symptoms or when you have to travel, you may take Imodium (or Diacure) a couple of times. It is an opium-based preparation that prevents bowel movement for a number of hours.

Insect Bites: In Brazil it is impossible to completely avoid contact with insects, but there are a number of precautions that you can take to reduce the inconvenience. In many hotels you can request mosquito nets or electric anti-mosquito devices for your room. The ‘mosquito-coil’, a spiral-shaped stick of incense, is also effective and can repel mosquitoes for up to eight hours. These can be placed, upon request, under your table if you visit a restaurant. Finally, it helps to wear long trousers, long sleeves and high collars/turtle necks in the evening. There are many brands of insect repellent that have an effect, but don’t expect miracles.

First-Aid Kit: A good first-aid kit could consist of: plasters, bandages, cotton wool, scissors, a thermometer, iodine, painkillers, malaria tablets, Oral Rehydration Solution bags, Imodium, sun cream, earplugs, tweezers, insect repellent and an anti-itch cream or lotion. If you regularly require prescription medicine, bring with you an exact description of the medicine in English (no brand names, just the essential ingredients, composition and dosage), bring twice the dosage necessary for the duration of the holiday and store in two separate places, so you have a back-up supply.

Vaccinations: Below is the recommendation by the Health Authorities when this edition went to press. This information may change. Your personal needs depend on earlier vaccinations, possible sensitivity for certain medicines, pregnancy, age etc. ALWAYS contact your General Practitioner or the Practice Nurse for advice. To obtain the most recent general information you can call The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) Tel: +44 (0) 845 155 5000 ext 5943 and visit their website http://www.nathnac.org/travel and http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/ . We cannot provide any further information by telephone. The complete overview for this journey is: DTP, hepatitis A, Typhoid and anti-malarial tablets. Take your precautions on time; some inoculations need time to achieve the desired effect.

Further advice to make you journey more pleasant: Allow your body and mind the time to steadily adjust to the new time-zone and location. Avoid tension, don’t overdo it. In any event take it easy on the first day. Getting up early is a good habit to get into; in warm weather countries the morning temperature is usually the most agreeable. People in these countries usually get up early. If you adapt yourself to their rhythm you will get the most out of their country.

Ensure that those at home know in which country you are and how long you are planning to stay away. You may fix a date when you will contact them again. Making telephone calls from Brazil can sometimes be a problem. Provide the people that will pick you up from the airport with your flight times and numbers. Shoestring will not provide flight and/or travel information, hotel names and telephone numbers to third parties. Any information on delays may be retrieved at the airport information number.

Contact person
In case of an emergency it is important for us to have details of someone we can contact on your behalf. You have entered a name on the booking form. It is possible that this person is unavailable or on holiday during your trip. If so, enter a second person so that we are sure to be able to get in touch with somebody.

Brazilians go onto the streets as well dressed as they can afford. They expect the same of foreigners. Take comfortable cotton clothes and some items for more formal occasions. On the way to a beach such as Copacabana or Ipanema a Brazilian wears as little as possible. Girls and women wear a bikini over the minikini and a colourful shawl around the hips, which is used as a towel later and sandals on their feet. No one goes topless. The gentlemen stick to swimming trunks with a pair of shorts over them. Valuables such as watches and money are left at home. Beachwear here is certainly not typical for the rest of the country. Brazil is a tropical country, so take thin clothing. For the evenings a high-necked T-shirt with long sleeves or a thin cotton turtleneck sweater as protection against mosquitoes.In the Southern hemisphere’s winter months, nights can be chilly and in Curitiba and Sao Paulo even get cold. We advise you to bring some warm clothes as well. It is better to take too little than too much. If there is anything missing you can purchase it for a song. When the sun is high in the sky it is wise to wear headgear or use an umbrella, and even wiser to stay in the shade during those hours. A raincoat is practical if you travel during the rainy season. A pair of worn-in walking shoes and a pair of slippers is all your feet will need. Additional important things are: sunglasses, suntan lotion, insect repellent, toiletries, towel, first-aid kit, head covering, photo or film equipment and sufficient film, extra batteries, pocket torch, pocket-knife (don’t put this in your hand luggage!), piece of rope/clothesline, alarm clock (which you can wind up or one which runs on batteries), writing materials, books, valid passport, enough cash (euros/dollars), copies of your passport and travel insurance, airplane tickets, travel insurance card including the emergency number; diary with important addresses, travel book. Also, perhaps: toilet paper, tampons, small reading lamp, universal plug and adapter. You can consider taking a mosquito net but hanging it up can be awkward in most hotels. Preferably you will pack all this in an overnight bag or rucksack, not a hard suitcase, because the latter is difficult to transport. A small backpack or shoulder bag is useful for daily hand luggage. Secure your banknotes and other small valuables in a thin money belt, which you can wear underneath your clothes. Try not to pack too much; taking more than 12 kilograms of luggage is not necessary as a rule.

The amount of spending money suggested, is the minimum required to pay for your meals, drinks, optional excursions, entrance fees, local airport taxes and tips. The amount you actually need of course depends on your own spending pattern; therefore souvenirs are not included. We suggest an amount of € 300-350 per person per week.

Brazil is an exceptionally photogenic country. You can take photographs of almost everything in Brazil, so be sure to take enough films and or memory. Not all Brazilians want to have their picture taken. Offer people the chance to refuse and respect this. Rolls of film are obtainable everywhere in Brazil, but if you want goof quality it is best to take along enough film from home. If you use a zoom lens, be sure to take 400 ASA rolls along. Rolls for slides are hard to come by. Don’t forget spare batteries and recharging equipment. It is best to have films developed and printed in Europe.

Please note that it is not wise to display an expensive camera, carry it around in a plastic carrier bag, preferably with Brazilian lettering.

Brazil has a bad reputation when it comes to robbery. If you are assaulted, try not to resist. Report the crime at a police station to authenticate your insurance claim. Not every traveller is robbed. On the contrary, most visitors never come to any harm at all. You will find that you will feel very much at ease in Brazil, with its friendly population. But you do have to be extra watchful in the big cities (especially Rio de Janeiro) and it is better to take a few precautions. Make copies of important travel documents such as your passport, airline tickets, insurance, numbers of traveller’s cheques, (store these away from the originals) and take extra passport photos for possible formalities. Money and important papers can best not be carried in a handbag. Wear them on your body, for instance in pockets on the inside of your clothing or in a money belt beneath your clothes, and make use of safe-deposit boxes as often as possible in hotels. Put the money you need for small payments in your wallet so it is easily accessible. Pickpockets are especially active on cross-town buses, at busy stops, markets and on the beach. Don’t wear expensive jewellery or watches. Stow away your money before walking out of a bank and don’t flaunt your money. Be careful on busy streets: speed limits, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights do not appear to have the effect we are used to.

Brazil spreads over four time zones. The eastern segment of the mainland, including Salvador, Rio and Brasilia, follows GMT-3.

Expensive hotels and restaurants often charge 10 per cent for service, middle level restaurants do not. A tip is always welcome; many are dependent on it, because the wages are not enough to get by on. This doesn’t only apply to restaurant staff, but includes cleaners, shoeshine boys, valets and people who sell their wares on the beaches. A tip in a hotel or restaurant that you visit more frequently has another function. The staff will often become considerably more attentive. The tour guide will expect a tip at the end as well if he or she has done the job well. Shoestring pays the tour guides a salary that is comparable to that of other adventure travel organizations, which is low. Our guideline is € 1 to 2 per traveller per day.