Brazil..what a cool country!
Discussion
I've just had 4 days in Brazil with work. What a top place!
Apart from the horrible traffic and suicidal taxi drivers in Sao Paulo, it was a cracking experience.
The barbecue places with the green/red sided discs for the meat/no meat service was great once I had learnt to say no to getting a mountain of amazingly cooked meat on my plate.
The pay by weight method of buying meals was quite strange to a newbie like me but was a novel change.
The sun,women and great drinks were a welcome distraction from laboratory work and were consumed in good sized quantities!
A boring post I know but what the heck eh?
Apart from the horrible traffic and suicidal taxi drivers in Sao Paulo, it was a cracking experience.
The barbecue places with the green/red sided discs for the meat/no meat service was great once I had learnt to say no to getting a mountain of amazingly cooked meat on my plate.
The pay by weight method of buying meals was quite strange to a newbie like me but was a novel change.
The sun,women and great drinks were a welcome distraction from laboratory work and were consumed in good sized quantities!
A boring post I know but what the heck eh?
It was typed a bit late and quickly last night.
The barbecue system works by you having a two sided disc, one side red, one side green. There are waiters continuously prowling round with different cuts of meat. If the disc is green, they will stop and offer you some. If it is red....then sometimes they obey it and stay away.
The meats were cooked with a lot of salt and were delicious.
The pay by weight meal was bizarre where you just stack your plate up from a central buffet counter, then stick it on a weighing scale and a member of staff writes the weight on your bill thingy. Novel, but not sure on the reasoning for it TBH.
I never got to see the sea due to the work I was doing but the weather was spot on.
I loved the Brazilian coffee. It just blows away the freeze dried nonsense we have here.
I may write more on it depending on if I am boring people or not!
The barbecue system works by you having a two sided disc, one side red, one side green. There are waiters continuously prowling round with different cuts of meat. If the disc is green, they will stop and offer you some. If it is red....then sometimes they obey it and stay away.
The meats were cooked with a lot of salt and were delicious.
The pay by weight meal was bizarre where you just stack your plate up from a central buffet counter, then stick it on a weighing scale and a member of staff writes the weight on your bill thingy. Novel, but not sure on the reasoning for it TBH.
I never got to see the sea due to the work I was doing but the weather was spot on.
I loved the Brazilian coffee. It just blows away the freeze dried nonsense we have here.
I may write more on it depending on if I am boring people or not!
cobra kid said:
The barbecue system works by you having a two sided disc, one side red, one side green. There are waiters continuously prowling round with different cuts of meat. If the disc is green, they will stop and offer you some. If it is red....then sometimes they obey it and stay away.
cobra kid said:
The pay by weight meal was bizarre where you just stack your plate up from a central buffet counter, then stick it on a weighing scale and a member of staff writes the weight on your bill thingy. Novel, but not sure on the reasoning for it TBH.
Edited by Silver993tt on Friday 4th June 16:37
Luke. said:
Heading off to Brazil end of September - any recommendations much appreciated. 
difficult to give you any proper recommendations without knowing whereabouts you're going... I live in SP, here's some
generic advice (I am more than happy to help with specific recommendations if u let me know which part of Brazil you're going to):
1) think twice, three times, even four before driving here, no matter how experienced a motorist you are it can be a daunting task
2) learn a few basic phrases of portuguese if you can. This will help if you are going off the beaten track a little as many don't speak English... and as with everywhere, although brazilians are very friendly, you get a lot better service if you try and speak their language
3) if you plan to travel a lot within the country consider getting an all-inclusive air ticket (I can't exactly remember what they're called) that allows you to get internal flights for your stay at a set cost, Brazil is big
4) as youre already coming this might not be of much use but don't get too put off with horror stories. It is a lot better than it was and is getting better all the time.
It's a wonderful place and I'm sure you'll love it :-)
as I said, if you let me know what area/s of the country you're visiting I'll do my best to give you some good recommendations.
harry010 said:
Luke. said:
Heading off to Brazil end of September - any recommendations much appreciated.
difficult to give you any proper recommendations without knowing whereabouts you're going... I live in SP, here's some
generic advice (I am more than happy to help with specific recommendations if u let me know which part of Brazil you're going to):
1) think twice, three times, even four before driving here, no matter how experienced a motorist you are it can be a daunting task
2) learn a few basic phrases of portuguese if you can. This will help if you are going off the beaten track a little as many don't speak English... and as with everywhere, although brazilians are very friendly, you get a lot better service if you try and speak their language
3) if you plan to travel a lot within the country consider getting an all-inclusive air ticket (I can't exactly remember what they're called) that allows you to get internal flights for your stay at a set cost, Brazil is big
4) as youre already coming this might not be of much use but don't get too put off with horror stories. It is a lot better than it was and is getting better all the time.
It's a wonderful place and I'm sure you'll love it :-)
as I said, if you let me know what area/s of the country you're visiting I'll do my best to give you some good recommendations.
Rio
Paraty
Sao Paulo
Iguazu Falls
Buzios
Rio
The one place I'm not really sure about is Buzios. Any pointers would be invaluable.
Thank you.
Edited by Luke. on Friday 4th June 17:35
Luke. said:
harry010 said:
Luke. said:
Heading off to Brazil end of September - any recommendations much appreciated.
difficult to give you any proper recommendations without knowing whereabouts you're going... I live in SP, here's some
generic advice (I am more than happy to help with specific recommendations if u let me know which part of Brazil you're going to):
1) think twice, three times, even four before driving here, no matter how experienced a motorist you are it can be a daunting task
2) learn a few basic phrases of portuguese if you can. This will help if you are going off the beaten track a little as many don't speak English... and as with everywhere, although brazilians are very friendly, you get a lot better service if you try and speak their language
3) if you plan to travel a lot within the country consider getting an all-inclusive air ticket (I can't exactly remember what they're called) that allows you to get internal flights for your stay at a set cost, Brazil is big
4) as youre already coming this might not be of much use but don't get too put off with horror stories. It is a lot better than it was and is getting better all the time
It's a wonderful place and I'm sure you'll love it :-)
as I said, if you let me know what area/s of the country you're visiting I'll do my best to give you some good
recommendations.
looking a bit like this at the mo:
Rio
Paraty
Sao Paulo
Iguazu Falls
Buzios
Rio
The one place I'm not really sure about is Buzios. Any pointers would be invaluable.
Thank you.
[footnote]Edited by Luke. on Friday
4th June 17:35[/footnote]
Lizzie
Lizzie, that would be brilliant thank you.
So far, hotel wise, I've booked La Suite and La Maison in Rio, Hotel das Cataratas in Iguazu, Pousada do Ouro in Paraty and one in Buzios who's name escapes me. But apart from Hotel das Cataratas, they're all provisional bookings. Probably spending about 3 nights in each destination.
Thanks again.
Luke
So far, hotel wise, I've booked La Suite and La Maison in Rio, Hotel das Cataratas in Iguazu, Pousada do Ouro in Paraty and one in Buzios who's name escapes me. But apart from Hotel das Cataratas, they're all provisional bookings. Probably spending about 3 nights in each destination.
Thanks again.
Luke
Luke. said:
Lizzie, that would be brilliant thank you.
So far, hotel wise, I've booked La Suite and La Maison in Rio, Hotel das Cataratas in Iguazu, Pousada do Ouro in Paraty and one in Buzios who's name escapes me. But apart from Hotel das Cataratas, they're all provisional bookings. Probably spending about 3 nights in each destination.
Thanks again.
Luke
Hi I drove down from Rio to Paraty and stayed in the Pousada do Ouro, which was very Colonial and if you can imagine air con that rattled away all nighht long lovely little bar are and dead esay to walk everywhere, bit weird at first to be walking down the street and then looking down at the unmade road/street surface to see crabs appearing everywhere as the town is tidal in a lot of it but very picturesque and well worth a trip.So far, hotel wise, I've booked La Suite and La Maison in Rio, Hotel das Cataratas in Iguazu, Pousada do Ouro in Paraty and one in Buzios who's name escapes me. But apart from Hotel das Cataratas, they're all provisional bookings. Probably spending about 3 nights in each destination.
Thanks again.
Luke
Go down to where the boats are moored out on a causeway at the end/middle of town and get yourself a trip out to the islands for a swin/bbq & drinks trip.
We also stayed in the Hotel das Cataratas and had a great time, the falls are amazing and because of the humidity the beautiful butterflies just come and stick all over you if you hold your arms out and there is also anothere cute little furry animal running around your feet around the falls.
When you are standing waiting for the lift to get back up the top the noise is incredible as you can actually touch the thousands of tons of water as it it is pouring down right next to you.
You must get a trip while you are there and get a coach tour trip across the dam and look down the humungous spillways they are really mind boggling abd then at the ned of the trip you get to see a film on how the dam was built and all the animals that were rescued, it is very interesting.
As Harry said if you are not that confident then driving will not be for you, but I hiread a car and drove everywhere without any problems, just dont look like a tourist and don't wear any jewelery,if you do just wear a casio watch or similar no necklaces or rings.
Ok, Luke, here goes what we've come up with in my slightly noisy Friday evening apartment with beers and wine open. If it seems like a stream of conciousness please spare a thought for me holding several conversations in Portuguese whilst typing in English and trying to remain coherent at both!
Apologies in advance for the really long post, but we hope it's at least a little useful. I am more than happy to be of any further help, and would be happy to send you my contact details just in case you got into any difficulties whilst you're here.
SP- you mention no hotel. I haven’t stayed in a hotel here for years so would feel out of place recommending one I can give you a pointer about where to stay. SP is a HUGE city, and can be disorienting. I would suggest the Jardins, Higienopolis or where I live Morumbi as places to stay. All are upmarket areas and as safe as you will find in Sao Paulo.
As for things to do whilst you are here, there are a number of great museums to check out if that’s your bag (good to keep one up your sleeve as it has been known to rain here on occasion!! ;-) ) Ibirapuera Park is as important to us as Central Park is to New Yorkers and has some good museums in and around it, as well as just being a great place to get away from the traffic for a while.
I’m afraid that SP is the financial and business hub of the country and it isn’t the most engaging of places to visit unless, as I say, you like museums. However, the shopping is excellent and the street to head to is Rua Oscar Freire. A slightly morbid, but this is a car forum so I thought I’d mention it, tourist attraction is Mr Senna’s resting place at the Morumbi Cemetary. It sounds odd but, in the middle of a bustling city, it is a very quiet, reflective and peaceful place, and is strangely humbling. Here is a man who was, is, adored and idolized by his country (you will most likely at some point go along the Rua Ayrton Senna, as it’s one of Sao Paulo’s main trunk roads) and yet his grave marker is the same size and of the same stature as everyone elses; but don’t worry… should you go, you won’t be able to miss it for the flowers and Brazilian flag that seem permanently there.
Restaurants are many and varied here, and it really depends on what you want as you can virtually get anything at any time of day. A restaurant I like is Parigi (French/Italian not traditionally Brazilian), very good food, and somewhere where, if the mood takes you, you can dress up a little for dinner and no one will think you’re being odd! Paris 6 is another good place to eat, and is open 24 hours a day.
Nightlife in SP is also, as you can imagine, plentiful. I don’t know what you like but there are a couple of good places.. the Buddha Bar here is good, and also a club called Sonique is pretty funky... but there are plenty of jazz, blues, in fact anything you like on offer.
Public transport is on the up, and although I don’t use it.. I prefer to stew in my car, I hear good things about the bus network in the city. Much money has been poured into making it safer and cleaner.
Rio is an awesome place, and anyone who fails to have fun here just isn’t trying hard enough!
I have no worries with the places you have chosen as hotels, though I would suggest La Maison is the better of the 2 choices simply because of location... ( I hope I’m getting the right hotels here.. I think I am) as it is near Leblon (one of the best areas of Rio, where I have a holiday place… which come to think of it you could use if I’m not there.. I’ll check, I don’t plan to be atm)
Again as for things to do you shouldn’t be stuck. Plenty of beach to enjoy (Leblon and Ipanema really being the best, but I also like Barra beach) and even if it’s not laze on the beach weather then it’s a lovely place to just wander up and down and watch people go about their daily lives. Volleyball on Leblon beach is a favourite past time of mine when I get the chance, and a jog down the beach at dusk is a popular thing to do, and obviously a trip up to the Christ the Redeemer gives amazing views of the city... and we here are pretty sure that you can hang-glide from there or somewhere very near which sounds pretty cool.
Quadrucci is a great place to eat, with a lovely terrace at the front… and as for nightlife you must go to a samba school night. Samba is not just a one week thing for Carnaval, it is a way of life and year round. Most of the samba schools hold dance nights with beer and music at least once a week, and they are open to everyone to go along. I urge you to give this a go... Salgueiro on Rua Silva Teles is one of the best to go to as it’s close to the centre of town and therefore one of the safer ones to visit… however Mangueira also has a very good samba hall… (and in the interest of trying to cover all bases, please don’t be offended, Unidos da Tujica’s samba hall is very popular with the gay community)
Paraty is a lovely place to go, well worth a visit, but if you are going down there, and decide to drive (my main concern with driving centres around Sao Paulo… manic is not the word), then a stop in Angra dos Reis is recommended. It has, unfortunately, been ruined somewhat by commercialization and the fact that it is oil-rich, but still has some wonderful places and the beach on Ihla Grande is rather nice. It’s a place for Brazilian celebrity spotting, though honestly I’m not sure who I’m expecting you to recognise!
Buzios similarly has some lovely beaches, but is pretty good for watersports should the mood take you. I haven’t been there myself but apparently the nightlife is good (as it is everywhere in Brazil really) with a good mix of people. It has one main street, we can’t remember the name of it (sure it wouldn’t take that long to find on the net but it’s Friday evening and all that), which is the main strip of bars, clubs etc so easy to navigate.
Strangely, the falls is really the one place we can’t tell you ANYTHING about… since I’ve never been there, and none of the people I’m with have been either..I suppose it’s the Lake District for Brits, or the Kruger Park for South Africans, you never get around to seeing the places on your doorstep, though I see Neil has helped me out there.
One final word, more to be on the safe side, if you do decide to hire a car here, remember there is a ZERO tolerance on drink driving… I’m sure you wouldn’t anyway but one of those things I tell mates when they come over.
Apologies in advance for the really long post, but we hope it's at least a little useful. I am more than happy to be of any further help, and would be happy to send you my contact details just in case you got into any difficulties whilst you're here.
SP- you mention no hotel. I haven’t stayed in a hotel here for years so would feel out of place recommending one I can give you a pointer about where to stay. SP is a HUGE city, and can be disorienting. I would suggest the Jardins, Higienopolis or where I live Morumbi as places to stay. All are upmarket areas and as safe as you will find in Sao Paulo.
As for things to do whilst you are here, there are a number of great museums to check out if that’s your bag (good to keep one up your sleeve as it has been known to rain here on occasion!! ;-) ) Ibirapuera Park is as important to us as Central Park is to New Yorkers and has some good museums in and around it, as well as just being a great place to get away from the traffic for a while.
I’m afraid that SP is the financial and business hub of the country and it isn’t the most engaging of places to visit unless, as I say, you like museums. However, the shopping is excellent and the street to head to is Rua Oscar Freire. A slightly morbid, but this is a car forum so I thought I’d mention it, tourist attraction is Mr Senna’s resting place at the Morumbi Cemetary. It sounds odd but, in the middle of a bustling city, it is a very quiet, reflective and peaceful place, and is strangely humbling. Here is a man who was, is, adored and idolized by his country (you will most likely at some point go along the Rua Ayrton Senna, as it’s one of Sao Paulo’s main trunk roads) and yet his grave marker is the same size and of the same stature as everyone elses; but don’t worry… should you go, you won’t be able to miss it for the flowers and Brazilian flag that seem permanently there.
Restaurants are many and varied here, and it really depends on what you want as you can virtually get anything at any time of day. A restaurant I like is Parigi (French/Italian not traditionally Brazilian), very good food, and somewhere where, if the mood takes you, you can dress up a little for dinner and no one will think you’re being odd! Paris 6 is another good place to eat, and is open 24 hours a day.
Nightlife in SP is also, as you can imagine, plentiful. I don’t know what you like but there are a couple of good places.. the Buddha Bar here is good, and also a club called Sonique is pretty funky... but there are plenty of jazz, blues, in fact anything you like on offer.
Public transport is on the up, and although I don’t use it.. I prefer to stew in my car, I hear good things about the bus network in the city. Much money has been poured into making it safer and cleaner.
Rio is an awesome place, and anyone who fails to have fun here just isn’t trying hard enough!
I have no worries with the places you have chosen as hotels, though I would suggest La Maison is the better of the 2 choices simply because of location... ( I hope I’m getting the right hotels here.. I think I am) as it is near Leblon (one of the best areas of Rio, where I have a holiday place… which come to think of it you could use if I’m not there.. I’ll check, I don’t plan to be atm)
Again as for things to do you shouldn’t be stuck. Plenty of beach to enjoy (Leblon and Ipanema really being the best, but I also like Barra beach) and even if it’s not laze on the beach weather then it’s a lovely place to just wander up and down and watch people go about their daily lives. Volleyball on Leblon beach is a favourite past time of mine when I get the chance, and a jog down the beach at dusk is a popular thing to do, and obviously a trip up to the Christ the Redeemer gives amazing views of the city... and we here are pretty sure that you can hang-glide from there or somewhere very near which sounds pretty cool.
Quadrucci is a great place to eat, with a lovely terrace at the front… and as for nightlife you must go to a samba school night. Samba is not just a one week thing for Carnaval, it is a way of life and year round. Most of the samba schools hold dance nights with beer and music at least once a week, and they are open to everyone to go along. I urge you to give this a go... Salgueiro on Rua Silva Teles is one of the best to go to as it’s close to the centre of town and therefore one of the safer ones to visit… however Mangueira also has a very good samba hall… (and in the interest of trying to cover all bases, please don’t be offended, Unidos da Tujica’s samba hall is very popular with the gay community)
Paraty is a lovely place to go, well worth a visit, but if you are going down there, and decide to drive (my main concern with driving centres around Sao Paulo… manic is not the word), then a stop in Angra dos Reis is recommended. It has, unfortunately, been ruined somewhat by commercialization and the fact that it is oil-rich, but still has some wonderful places and the beach on Ihla Grande is rather nice. It’s a place for Brazilian celebrity spotting, though honestly I’m not sure who I’m expecting you to recognise!
Buzios similarly has some lovely beaches, but is pretty good for watersports should the mood take you. I haven’t been there myself but apparently the nightlife is good (as it is everywhere in Brazil really) with a good mix of people. It has one main street, we can’t remember the name of it (sure it wouldn’t take that long to find on the net but it’s Friday evening and all that), which is the main strip of bars, clubs etc so easy to navigate.
Strangely, the falls is really the one place we can’t tell you ANYTHING about… since I’ve never been there, and none of the people I’m with have been either..I suppose it’s the Lake District for Brits, or the Kruger Park for South Africans, you never get around to seeing the places on your doorstep, though I see Neil has helped me out there.
One final word, more to be on the safe side, if you do decide to hire a car here, remember there is a ZERO tolerance on drink driving… I’m sure you wouldn’t anyway but one of those things I tell mates when they come over.
Hi Lizzie,
What a great post. Thanks so much again for your advice. It's well appreciated and I'm sure it come in rather handy.
Just out of interest, as the web seems a little vague on the matter. What's the weather like late September/October. I've got a sense of the temperature but is it a muggy heat or dry?
Cheers
Luke
What a great post. Thanks so much again for your advice. It's well appreciated and I'm sure it come in rather handy.
Just out of interest, as the web seems a little vague on the matter. What's the weather like late September/October. I've got a sense of the temperature but is it a muggy heat or dry?
Cheers
Luke
I had forgotten about Angra Dos Reis which Harry has said is well worth a visit and the beaches wherever you go in Brazil are some of the most beautiful you will ever see so don't let that worry you as beach life is Brazil to a "T"
I agree with Harry about Rio and the Samba clubs, it's the same if you go to Buenas Aires whilst you are down that way you must go to Tango Club it's a must and the culture of that end of the world, Harry also said about hangliding near to the Statue of Christ the reedemer, there is a place where by they hanglide and also do a double up ie 2 people strapped together from up a bit higher than Christ on a nearby mountain side/hillside and they take you right down onto the beach.
There will be fresh coconuts everywhere ready delivered by the lorryload and by the evening they will all be gone and awaiting the next delivery and whilst you are down there this is where Caipirinhas originated so you must try the odd 1 or 6.
I love all of South America haven't been for a few years but will be back again, have fun
I agree with Harry about Rio and the Samba clubs, it's the same if you go to Buenas Aires whilst you are down that way you must go to Tango Club it's a must and the culture of that end of the world, Harry also said about hangliding near to the Statue of Christ the reedemer, there is a place where by they hanglide and also do a double up ie 2 people strapped together from up a bit higher than Christ on a nearby mountain side/hillside and they take you right down onto the beach.
There will be fresh coconuts everywhere ready delivered by the lorryload and by the evening they will all be gone and awaiting the next delivery and whilst you are down there this is where Caipirinhas originated so you must try the odd 1 or 6.
I love all of South America haven't been for a few years but will be back again, have fun
I travel all over the world for business and have been mugged twice - once in Rio in 1990 and 4 weeks ago in Sao Paulo, at gunpoint. It was in Jardins which is a good area and I was relieved of cash and an Omega Speedmaster in broad daylight on a busy street. This doesn't put me off nor should it put anyone else off Brazil but I will think carefully about how I present myself on my next visit and I shall wear a cheap watch....
L.F.
L.F.
lockhart flawse said:
I travel all over the world for business and have been mugged twice - once in Rio in 1990 and 4 weeks ago in Sao Paulo, at gunpoint. It was in Jardins which is a good area and I was relieved of cash and an Omega Speedmaster in broad daylight on a busy street. This
doesn't put me off nor should it put
anyone else off Brazil but I will think carefully about how I present myself on my next visit and I shall wear a cheap watch....
L.F.
I am sorry to hear that. I've lived in Sampa since 2006 and have never doesn't put me off nor should it put
anyone else off Brazil but I will think carefully about how I present myself on my next visit and I shall wear a cheap watch....
L.F.
had any major problems.
You make a good point about
watches etc, that it is easy to forget that you're wearing an expensive watch etc when you are busy working
etc. I wear whatever I want nowadays, but I live here and I want to wear what I want.
Luke, you asked about weather... Rio in Sept/Oct is one of the most pleasant times of year to visit, the humidity is much lower compared to the summer. As for SP, if it doesn't rain whilst you're here then you are one of the lucky few... Back in Dec/Jan it rained every day for well over a month!
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff