Word of advice

Rio is ready, so let's make sure you are ready for Rio too!

Rio has crime, usually common sense is enough, but just a couple of warnings to make sure you are prepared:

DO NOT WALK ON THE BEACH AND PARKS AT NIGHT.

LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS, ANY JEWELRY, EVEN YOUR WATCH IN YOUR HOTEL.

DO NOT CARRY YOUR CAMERA IN YOUR NECK, KEEP IT IN A BAG WITH YOU. THE BEST MEMORIES OF RIO WILL NOT BE REGISTERED IN PHOTOS BUT IN YOUR EXPERIENCE.

DO NOT BRING YOUR PASSPORT WITH YOU, MAKE A COPY AND CARRY THAT WITH YOU.

IF YOU ARE IN ANY TYPE OF TROUBLE, DO NOT REACT, DO NOT REACT, DO NOT REACT. GIVE AWAY SOME MONEY AND THEY WILL GO AWAY.

Rio is a wonderful city, but it does have poverty and crime, do not underestimate it.

ANY TROUBLE?

DEAT – DELEGACIA ESPECIAL DE APOIO AO TURISMO
SPECIAL POLICE UNIT FOR TOURISM SUPPORT
COMMISSARIAT DE POLICE TOURISTIQUE
POLIZEI-SPEZIALEINHEIT TOURISMUS

Av.Afrânio de Melo Franco, 159 - Leblon
Tel. (21) 2332-2924 e (21) 2332-2885/2889
e-mail: deat@pcerj.rj.gov.br

Public Transportation

Rio has a really good subway system. I recommend to always take the subway instead of buses and taxis. Traffic jams are painful in Rio, it is better to be in a crowded and clean metro than stuck in a crowded and dirty bus... trust me on that one!

You purchase the metro card at the metro stations. You can add as many Reais (Brazilian currency) as you want to the card, minimum R$10 reais to start the card and minimum R$5 for aditional trips. You pay by trip, not by distance. Each trip is $2,80. You can also buy individual trips every time, but queues can be long. One doesn't need to show the card after entering the station. It is a bit confusing when going through the gate since some of them don´t take the pre-paid card (cartão pré-pago).

You enter the bus from the front door and exit from the back. Everyone pays to the driver and each trip costs R$2,20. Try to bring change, but driver will give you change if you need. Some buses might have a person in charge of collecting the fare, but they are changing the system now and most of the buses have drivers doing the collection.

Buses are known by their number, not by direction. So, you better find out the number of the line. Just the location won't help. BUS DRIVERS ARE CRAZY, they drive really fast and will only stop at the bus stop if you pull the cord (press the button) or if you waive at the bus stop.

Only take yellow taxis or the ones with taxi written on it! and if your hotel can arrange a taxi, it will be a little more expensive, but probably nicer and safer. I am not a fan of the taxi drivers in Rio... They drive like maniacs and can be dishonest.


ARRIVAL AT THE CONVENTION CENTER by metro - Estacio Metro Station

Take the right side of the metro exit and look for the sign written Centro de Convenções. The building is in between a modern blue building and a yellow old building.

WOMEN´S ONLY: One of the cars in the subway is for women only from 6am to 9am and 5pm to 8pm. It is marked with pink colors and written Carro das Mulheres.

Weather and Dress code

Rio is a beach town, so people are quite relaxed. It is a little bit like California, but warmer... even in the winter. I am in Rio right now and had 90F (32C) yesterday, but a cold front arrived and it is now in the low 70s F (low 20s C) and overcast. I expect the same trend during the first two weeks of August.

Anyway, I recommend that you wear two layers, but no need for a thick jacket or even a thick sweater, even during the evening temperatures are rarely below 60F (15 C). But if you are planning to go to São Paulo or south, I recommend a jacket. Temperatures can get below 50F (10C) there.

Some of you have asked me about how to dress for dinners etc. Although Brazilians are informal, they do tend to dress up for dinners and night events. During the day many people wear shorts, but rarely at night, specially this time of the year, since they think it is cold :-)

Voltage and plugs

Rio is 110 V (other cities may be 220, check it out) and outlet shapes are weird... either Flat blade plug or Two round pins. So, computer's 3 pins one will NOT work in Brazil, but if you have something that will make it two flat blade, then it should be fine in most of the places, after using a bit of brute force :0) The flats are really flat and the American flats are uneven... Some older houses will have only round ones, then you will need an adapter. Google is great, here is an image of the plugs: http://www.deltatranslator.com/two-prong.jpg

Arriving in Rio

I am counting down the days now! so, here is the post about arrival in Rio.

After you pass customs with your luggage, but still inside the customs' area, you will notice some stands with some people waiving and offering you taxis. Those are legal taxis and very comfortable ones. You pre-pay it there, which is a positive thing since most drivers will not speak any language but Portuguese and might even be nasty and take you for a longer ride than you need. The average price for Copacabana-Ipanema area is around US$40, but you need to say where you are going to the agent before closing the deal. These special taxis (radio taxis) can be white with some color stripes, or blue, or red. Reliable ones are Transcoopass, Cootramo, and Coopertramo.

If you decide to deal with the drivers in Portuguese and get a hopefully cheaper rate, you can go outside and look for yellow cabs queued at the entrance (only the ones in the queue should be trusted). They have meters and drivers don't expect tips (at least not from Brazilians), but you can always make the change easily.
Another option is to take the Bus! not a bad option, if your luggage is not not too heavy and you know the address of your hotel and have a map to follow. The driver of the frescão (means super cool because of chilly AC temperatures during the summer) bus by Real company, will try to help you, but it is not his responsibility to find your hotel, and he will only recommend a stop that is near the hotel.

By the way, you will need Brazilian currency to pay for transportation. Business cannot be conducted in dollars or any other currency than Brazilian, it is illegal to use other currencies.

BE CAREFUL WHEN USING ATM'S, ALWAYS HIDE YOUR PIN CODE WHEN TYPING IT. MINE WAS CLONED AND MY ACCOUNT WAS IN THE RED AFTER A FEW DAYS. They had a camera somewhere checking what I was typing and made a copy of my card with some kind of device that I didn't see. These are professionals, don't understimate them. Most of the time, only Bradesco ATM's will work for US credit cards, not sure about europeans.

I recommend you bring cash and do a small exchange at the airport's official cambio offices for your first day. US$100 will be enough to pay taxi, get you 3 meals and still do some shopping. Rates in Copacabana and Ipanema Cambio houses will be better, probably 15% better, but that changes quite often. They are located in the main avenues, Avenida Nossa Senhora in Copacabana and Rua Visconde de Piraja in Ipanema. Look for Casa de Cambio.

Brazilian Fruits

Every time I think of things I miss from Brazil, I get a sweet taste in my mouth and a parade of tropical fruits in my mind... Fruits are a very important part of our diet and we always associate them to vitamins and cure of illness. If you feel weak, you should have some guaraná and-or açaí. If your metabolism is too slow, eat some papaya, or if it is too fast, eat some guava. If you have a cold, time for lime and cajú! and always have freshly squeezed orange juice! anyway, I found a webpage that has all that, but it is in Portuguese. However, no need to panic, enter the url in the babelfish page and you will have it translated (click on each fruit to see the translation, the names will not be translated, but descriptions are). I have checked the translation and it is good enough.

I recommend you do some homework and practice your fruit knowledge before going to Brazil. Someone mentioned to me the other day, how stomach sick his wife was in Brazil all the time. I was surprised since I never really heard that before, except for some occasional ones, which I am also famous for... Anyway, I asked him what type of food they were eating and he said that she loved Brazilian fruits, in particular papayas. That she ate several papayas a day.... Anyway, I recommend you read about Papayas (Mamão) before you eat several of them per day:

The papaya, rich in vitamin, B, C, match, carboidratos, calcium, iron and potassium, is laxative, calmante, diurético, assists in the digestion of foods and absorption of nutrients for the organism, attenuates the inflammations, the swells and the burnings, alliviates pains ..... (taken from http://www.frutasnobrasil.com/mamao.html Babel translation).

Let's have a fruit juice in Rio in one of the Juice Houses (casa de suco), you can have a different juice every day. Photo was taken from Copacabana Tropical Sucos Guide - great page in English about the Juice Houses in Rio.


Here is a list of fruits

Plum; Cambucá; Fig; Guaraná; Lemon; Quince; Pitanga; Avocado; Almond; Khaki; Raspberry; Jabuticaba; Mace; Watermelon; Rome; Pineapple; Blackberry; Chestnut; Fruit of the Conde; Jenipapo; Papaya; Cantaloups; Sapotí; Abiu; Arrack; Cherry; Guava; Kiwi; Sleeve; Strawberry; Tamarindo; Acerola; Banana; Coconut; Graviola; Orange; Mangaba; Pear; Tangerina; Açaí; Cashew; Damson plum; Grumixama; Rasp; Maracujá; Peach and Grape.

Happy in Rio

By now you probably have googled Rio de Janeiro and found out lots of stuff. I did too and I found this great: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/henrikstrodl/round_the_world/1180742280/tpod.html (Mugged, drunk, sick, but happy in Rio!).

Laptop/camera worries

If you are like me, you will bring your laptop to Rio. I currently have a MacBook and I do backups regularly. So, if something bad happens to it, I will just relax and get a new one. I am not particularly attached to computers or cameras and always like upgrading them.

But many people have more expensive ones and would react differently. If you are one of those, I do recommend that you get an insurance for you laptop (and camera). I did some search online and found a couple of options. I recommend that you do the same. I got a quote from Safeware.com for $99 covering 3 Months (minimum) of $3,500 (deductible is $200). It is a World Wide Coverage for Theft, Accidental Damage, Drops, Falls, Collisions, Liquid Spills, etc.

***** NEW***** I can't find the 3 months coverage anymore. They only one available is for 1 year and costs $200 (depends on how expensive your laptop is). 07/04******

I guess that would have been useful when that piece of metal fell on top of my hard disk last time I was in my sister’s apartment… It was total loss of my Dell. But at that time, I had an extended warranty of my laptop that actually covered accidents. You could check yours and see if you can get that too.

I also found out that one can get a floater or endorsement to homeowners or renters policy. If you have one of those, it is worth asking if you can do that for your electronics/jewelry and get them covered anywhere in the world. Based on what I read online, it shouldn't be more than $100/year.

And, please, don't forget to back it up before leaving home. Many people had laptop trouble in Prague and I remember one of them complaining that his talk was in the lost laptop and couldn't give a talk... Well, bring your talk in a memory card, or email it to yourself, just in case.

Where are you staying?

Many people are asking me for advice where to stay in Rio. You basically have two choices, go for the Blumar Events suggestions or search on the web for a better rate based on less or more stars.

I think the best two hotels that Blumar Events is offering are Miramar and Rio Othon Palace. They are good hotels, in excellent location, close to the metro, and with fantastic Copacabana views. The rates are in the Blumar page http://www.blumar.com.br/wwweventos/evt/evt2.cfm?evtcod=5601j6464a5e7c841&lang=2

Blumar is also offering a three star in downtown, Guanabara Palace, which is a good hotel, but located in the business district, i.e. not nice at night. The fourth hotel, Leme Othon, is a four star too, but I personally don’t like Leme (northeast of Copacabana). Nothing wrong with the place, but I like the other edge of Copacabana better (southwest).

If you want to shop around, I recommend you make reservations with Ipanema.com (left corner of the menu, click on Request now – Hotels and Flats in Rio). You will be able to see the hotels pictures, description and location there. Ipanema.com offers excellent service and reply very quickly confirming reservations.

But the common question is, where are you staying? This is probably the second time in my life that I will stay in a hotel in Rio. I usually crash with my sister, but during the meeting I will stay in a 3 star hotel in Copacabana. It is a 3 star, with a 5 star location, listed on Ipanema.com. I will not post the name here, but if you email me, I will let you know. But so you know, elevator is famous for not working well and does not have wireless!

I also recommend that you use http://www.tripadvisor.com/ for people's opinion. I just found a 3 star in Copacabana that everyone seems to love (Martinique Copa Hotel), it has wireless, and is listed on Ipanema.com. I will not stay there, I have already closed the deal with the other hotel.

Check also my first post about location and more tips on hotels.

**** COPACABANA IS A BIT NOISY, NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THAT ****

Good time for tickets!

I have booked my trip to Rio and got excellent air fare! I recommend you try to book as soon as possible. Airlines are trying to get people to fly, so if you know that you are attending, this is a good time to buy.

I have also booked my hotel and paid my registration. So now it is time to start planning the fun part. I will start posting about where to go and what to do when you are in Rio and where to travel in Brazil if you are taking some time off.

If you have 2 to 4 days to travel, I recommend you stay in the state of Rio and travel to the beaches towns located 2 to 3 hours from Rio. I have three favorite spots, Buzios, Ilha Grande and Paraty.

Buzios is about 180 km East of Rio. I usually take the bus Viação 1001 at Rio Bus Station and two hours later arrive in paradise. But there are also tours (vans) from the hotels in Rio. Sometimes tours are a bit more expensive, but more convenient and worth the extra money. I have been going to the Buzios and Cabo Frio area since I was a kid. Cabo Frio is the largest city in the Costa do Sol (Sun´s Coast), so it is a bit hectic, but charming and beautiful. Buzios is even more charming and beaches are fantastic. Water is not warm in this area of Brazil. So, don´t expect warm Caribbean waters, but beaches are as paradiasic, or even more exotic if you consider the mixing of cultures. You can read about Buzios and book hotels, etc, here (click). The beach above is Azeda, one of my favorites.

*******NEW******

Blumar Events is offering a few packages to visit areas around Rio and even the Amazon. I highly recommend that you check them here www.blumar.com.br/astronomia2009 click on the left Pre & Post Tours.

Portuguese lessons

If you start now, your Portuguese will be really good by August. Don't expect to hear English or to find someone who speaks English easily in Brazil. I recommend that you bring a phrase book and also start practicing here, if you go to youtube you will find the other lessons. Here is the first lesson

If you haven't made up your mind yet or if you just feel like looking at Rio, check this video prepared by the City of Rio de Janeiro. I feel "saudade"... 

Abstract deadline revised and FAQ

The new deadline to submit abstracts is March 31st.

FAQ (IAU and Brazil):

- You don't need to register (or pay) in order to send an abstract.

- Deadline for the early registration is May 1st, but you can pay even when you get there (more expensive, of course).

- If you are not a member of the IAU, you need an invitation from the Chair of the Symposium or JD that you will be attending, or from your National Committee. Just email them and say that you are not a member and need an invitation. This is not an invitation to give a talk, just an invitation to be at the IAU.

- The deadline for International Travel Grants is over.

- If you already paid for your registration with your credit card and got a friendly email saying something about a delay in processing your credit card, no worries! I got the same message and then my name showed up in the list of registered participants. They are experiencing some technical issues and as soon as I hear more information I will let you know too.

- We are starting to organize student housing. Email me if you are presenting work at the IAU and would like to chat with Brazilian students and even stay with them. duilia at yahoo . com and write IAU student housing in the subject. If I don´t reply in 2 days, leave a comment here.

- Yes, caipirinhas are wonderful but dangerous :-) Here is a recipe (click) if you want to start practicing in advance.

- Paraty is one of my favorites weekend trips from Rio. Maria-Brazil.org has a nice text about it.

Brazilian music - Gentileza (Kindness - by Marisa Monte)

I will start posting my favorite Brazilian music. I hope you will enjoy it. Here is Marisa Monte singing Gentileza. This song is about a street poet called Gentileza (Kindness) who died a few years ago. For more than 40 years he wrote poems in the concrete walls of Rio de Janeiro. He was an intriguing person who smiled to everyone and gave flowers to strangers. Love was the main theme of his poems. A few years ago Rio citizens started preserving the poems written under the bridge close to the bus station after some government official had sent someone to cover them with gray paint. You will probably see his poems when you pass there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKnVAZHehV0&feature=related

Look for NEW

Many people have emailed me regarding the IAU travel grant. I have some new information on that and updated the blog, look for ****NEW****. Whenever I update previous posts I will write NEW on it. I think it is better to have current information than to have old posts and new posts. I have also updated the accommodation post where I give tips about 2 stars hotels, again look for **NEW**

DEADLINES REVISED

I just got an email from the IAU with the revised deadlines **** ANOTHER EMAIL WAS RECEIVED TODAY 03/13)****

Application for IAU GA Grants closes 1 March
End on-line submission of abstracts (revised date) ***** NEW: DEADLINE MARCH 31ST *******
Notification of IAU GA Grants 1 April
SOC programme review and completion (revised date) 1 May
Notification of abstract acceptance (revised date) 1 May
End early on-line registration (revised date) 1 May
Start regular on-line registration (revised date) 2 May
Accepted abstracts may be revised 15 May - 15 June
Media accreditation on-line registration 24 July
End regular on-line registration 24 July
Start on-site registration 3 August

Carnaval!

Quanto riso, quanta alegria!! Hoje é carnaval!!
Many smiles,  much happiness!! Today is carnival!!

This is an old carnival song (Máscara Negra) that I really like. Since carnival starts this weekend and goes until Wednesday, I thought I should add something here in the blog warning that business will slow down a lot for a few days. If you send emails to Brazil in the next few days, you might not get a quick answer until the 25th.

At some point I will post about Brazilian music and culture. For now I leave you with a great singer performing a sambinha (samba music we sing in bars) click on Maria Rita sings Conversa de Botequim .

Registration - not that simple...

I have been to 4 General Assemblies before, so I know how it works. It is not that simple to register, if you haven't done it yourself. Since I have a couple of students going to the IAU, I am gonna list here the steps to take to make life easier.

- Register for the meeting (includes paying fee) http://www.astronomy2009.com.br/registration.html
Registration FORM https://www.jz.com.br/congressos/2009/astronomia/en/registration.htm
To apply for the student fee, the applicant must be under 35 years of age and a personalized letter, signed by the head of his/her university or institutional department, must be sent by email (registration@jz.com.br) to the congress secretariat - JZ Congressos. The registration will be processed only after this document has been received.

- Send an abstract - http://iau2009.on.br/abstracts/welcome.action It will require to register username and password. Load your abstract under ABSTRACT SERVER (can't link it here directly, it is towards the end of the page, where it talks about grants).
**** NEW****
You don't need to register when you send an abstract. The deadlines are very different. Abstract deadline is March 15 and registration is May 1st. You can even send an abstract and decide later if you are going.
*************

- Apply for IAU financial aid (only for travels, not for registration fee) - http://www.astronomy2009.com.br/iaugrants.html
FORM http://www.iau.org/grants_prizes/iau_grants/ga_events/ga_application_form/

***** NEW ******
I have asked the IAU and have been told: "The IAU calls them Travel Grants, but beneficiaries are supposed to use them to cover part of their total cost to participate in the GA. Beneficiaries will receive the grants in cash on the spot in Rio, and it will just cover a part of their total costs." So, you can use the IAU grant to cover accommodation, tickets, meals, etc. The IAU will not request receipts.
*****************

- Apply for AAS (American Astronomical Society) financial aid (only for air tickets with american carriers) - http://aas.org/grants/itg.php
and download the ITG Program Application Form - fill in and send via FAX or mail, together with a letter from your supervisor.

- If you are not an IAU member, you need to contact the chair of the Symposium or JD that you are attending or your National Committee and ask for a letter of invitation. Many people get confused here and don't understand this. It is just an invitation to attend the IAU as a non-member, it is not an invitation to give a talk or a poster. Pretty much every astronomer and student who asks gets invited. If you are not a member, this should be your first step!

- Check if you need a visa to enter Brazil - do it in advance.

I don't know if it is my version of firefox, but not all links open when I click directly from the astronomy2009.com.br. But if I type the http address, links work.

Brazil, my Brazilian Brazil - Food

As I promised before, let's talk about Brazilian food. Our cuisine is unique and completely different from the rest of Latin America, so don't expect to get Mexican food in Brazil. Brazilian food is also very different in different locations in Brazil. Rio has strong Portuguese influence and somehow that got mixed with African traditions, European and even Lebanese food.

Many Brazilian restaurants sell by the kilo! one can choose from a buffet of varieties (from salad to barbecue) and pay the total weight (the ones who eat a lot don't usually like this system, so find out the price before). Prices vary a lot but usually 100gr/2.00 reais. Kilo restaurants are great to just try a little bit of everything.

If you feel like meat, try churrascaria rodízio (barbecue steakhouse, one price per person, all you can eat). I recommend Mario's in Copacabana and Porcão in Ipanema. They are a bit expensive (~US$30-40/person), but you will appreciate every cent! The hotel can give you directions to both, they are well-known. Mario's is a little more formal. My favorite is Porcão (big pig). By the way, they also have great salads, vegetables, fish/sushi in the salad bar which are fantastic! Don't eat breakfast if you are going to a churrascaria for lunch and don't plan on having dinner either.

The Brazilian national dish is called feijoada (shown in the photo), a stew made of pork meat and black beans, it is served with white rice (most of the dishes come with that), farofa, greens and orange. Farofa is something hard for me to explain, it is probably my favorite side dish. It is dry manioc flour with oil and seasoning, delicious!! Saturday is Feijoada day in Rio. Many restaurants will offer that in the menu only on Saturdays and sometimes on Wednesdays.

If you like spicy food, look for comida bahiana (typical from the state of Bahia). Some of their dishes are: moqueca (fish stew), bobó de camarão (shrimp stew), vatapá.

Brazilian food is not usually spicy, unless you are in the Northeast, but there will always be pepper sauce to be added if you like. Ask for "pimenta, por favor."

If you are vegetarian or vegan you will have to do a little research before you go out for dinner, but salads are always good in Rio. Just make sure you tell them that you don't want boiled eggs (sem ovo cozido), no ham (sem presunto), no cheese (sem queijo), no mayonese (sem maionese) all over the salad. Most of the time, trust me, beans will have bacon added to it when cooking. You can double check, but they might think your question is a bit weird... why wouldn't you want bacon (toucinho) in your beans?? Ipanema.com has a good page with recommended restaurants. http://www.ipanema.com/restrnts/salads.htm I love the Natural in Ipanema, I hope you will too.

Brazilians are foodie and love to snack, here are some things to try:

Drink = caipirinha - cachaça (white rum), lime and sugar. Careful, it is good, but it is strong. Brazilians usually have one before dinner and switch to beer. If you have more than 2 caipirinhas quickly, you will be noticed :-)

soft-drink = guaraná (like ginger ale, made of an amazon fruit)

Don't miss all the fresh juices (sucos)/fruits/ice-cream = maracuja (passion fruit), manga (mango), abacaxi (pineapple), goiaba (guava), caju (fruit of the cashew nut)

You will get addicted to bread/snack = pão de queijo (made of cheese and manioc flour, served warm)

Our snacks (aperitivo/entrada) are delicious, often I only eat them and skip lunch: aipim/mandioca frito (fried manioc = fried yucca root), bolinho de bacalhau (codfish fried snack- it is like a crab cake but better), coxinha (snack made of chicken), pastel de queijo/carne/palmito (fried dough filled with either cheese/meat/heart of palms)

If you feel like a coffee and a little snack, go to Casa do Pão de Queijo, there are many of them all over the place and have a coffee with pão de queijo, you will like it!

There are many juice houses in Copacabana/Ipanema/Leblon. Just enter one of them and choose any fruit you never heard of and try a juice. You can also ask the attendant to suggest a juice. They will enjoy that and will be very friendly if you try your Portuguese ("Pode sugerir um suco gostoso?" Can you suggest a tasty juice?). You can ask to see the fruit first, posso ver a fruta? Of course, you will be able to have the real açaí juice and will get addicted.

If you are going out with friends and family, I recommend that you either ask or look around to see the sizes of the portions which tend to be large. It is unusual to have one plate per person in a table of 4. We usually share a few entries (e.g. 3 for 4 people) and have rice, beans, fries, manioc and salad as side dishes.

Tipping

Usually 10% will be included in your bill in most restaurants. It should be written in your bill, otherwise you are supposed to give around 10% for tip. But I have never been to any place where the 10% was not included. Anyway, feel free to round it and give a little extra if you like the food and service, but don't over-do it. Ask when you get the check: por favor, os dez porcentos estao incluidos? The kilo restaurants will probably not include since the waiter will only bring you a drink. You can give like 3-5 reais if you want, but don't have to tip. By the way, you always have to ask for the check (a conta, por favor), or they will not bring it.

Going to IAU - Where to stay

If you are going to the IAU in Rio (August 03-14) and would like some tips from an astronomer who knows Rio, you are in the right place. I grew up in Rio and I consider Rio my hometown. Rio is absolutely beautiful and charming. I am looking forward seeing you there. Here are some links that will make your life a little easier.

I recommend to stay close to a subway (metrô) station in Copacabana. The Convention Center is located close to a subway station 25 minutes from Copacabana (Station Estácio). Wiki on Rio metrô http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro_Metro
I recommend the area of Copacabana close to Cantagalo station (marked with A below). There is another station, Siqueira Campos, (marked wit blue M below), but it is a bit busy. Cardeal Arcoverde station is closer to the entrance of Copacabana, it should be fine too, but metro starts to get crowded there.

Try to stay in hotels at the Atlantica Avenue. N.S. de Copacabana Avenue is very busy and loud. Hotels in side streets should be fine.

The IAU official page for hotels is http://www.astronomy2009.com.br/accommodation.html

You can also find hotels and lots of fun and useful texts in the http://ipanema.com.

Why shouldn´t you stay in Ipanema? well, you can, but it will take a long time to get to the convention center, there is no subway in Ipanema, but there are buses, if you feel adventurous. But you should take the bus from Ipanema that takes you to the subway station in Copacabana, and not the bus to the area of the convention center, unless you don't mind 1 hour in a crowded bus. It will take 15 minutes by bus from Ipanema to Copacabana metro. Taxis to the convention center can be pricy, but taxis to the subway should be reasonable. I just don't like the taxi drivers of Rio, they can be really nice and total jerks. I avoid them, if I can.

******* NEW ********
If you don't want to spend too much money with hotel and can handle 2 stars hotels, you can stay in the Flamengo-Gloria-Catete area (in between Copacabana and downtown) which is also by the subway system. Ipanema.com has a selection of hotels there http://www.ipanema.com/rio/hotels/e/hotfla.htm
Hotel Paysandu is well located and the cheapest room is around US$50. But I recommend you shop around on the internet for 2 stars. The Catete area has at least one that I have read about Hotel Imperial which is reasonable (***NEW***around $70, not as reasonable anymore) and well located. This area is historic and quite charming, but noisy. I would NOT recommend staying in Santa Teresa area. It is not easy access and at night can be a little rough to get there...
*********************
Why shouldn´t you rent a car in Rio? well, you can, but it will be stressful. Only behind the wheels Cariocas (people from Rio) may turn too competitive.

Is Rio dangerous? I don´t think so. It is a big city, it has crime and poverty. If you use common sense and don´t display your rolex watch, your diamond rings, laptops and super cameras in your neck, you will be fine. By the way, watches are a major attraction for street kids in Rio. If you don´t want to donate yours, leave it in your hotel. I also recommend leaving your passport in your hotel safe and bring a photocopy in your bag, just in case. But I do that even when I go to Europe.

It is winter in Rio, but ... I promise it won't get cold!!! A really cold day in Rio will reach 15C (60 F), it is like California but humid. But in a sunny day, it will reach high 20sC (80sF). Winter is the dry season, so it should be pleasant. But do remember that in the tropics the weather is not as predictable as elsewhere.

Currency converter - today the conversion rate from Reais to Dollars is 1 US$=2.32 Reais, but that changes all the time. I suggest to double check here (click). I recommend bringing dollars and do not always count on ATM machines to work. Only a couple of banks have the Plus and Cirrus agreement, most of the ATMS are for local banks. I also recommend to be careful when using your credit card and that you call your credit card/bank before you go to make sure your credit card has fraud protection and to tell them that you will be in Brazil. It is common that they will ask for a pin number for your credit card when you purchase something. Even restaurants will bring the machine to your table and you will need to type your pin number. Copacabana has many cambio houses, if you bring dollars, you can easily exchange them to reais and get a better rate than ATM machines do.

*****NEW ***** The dollar exchange rate is getting lower and lower. As of today, 05/24, it is only 2.02 Reais ******

BY THE WAY, CANADA, CHINA, RUSSIA, USA and other CITIZENS NEED TOURIST VISAS TO GO TO BRAZIL. TRY TO ARRANGE THAT AT LEAST 45 DAYS IN ADVANCE.

***** NEW*****

Check here

Information on Visas from the IAU

List of Brazilian Consular offices in the USA

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In my next posts I will write about what to do and eat in Rio. I might start writing about other places to visit in Brazil too. Stay tuned and do email if you have a question - duilia at yahoo.com


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