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.