Owner: Brazil Travel Blog URL:www.braziltravelblog.com Join Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:55:07 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: A blog written from São Paulo for anyone with their minds set on a trip to Brazil. Site statistics:Click here
My maps! 2007-04-06 15:03:29 Google surprised us with GoogleEarth and GoogleMaps and does it again with the launch of My Maps!, an extension to the functionality of GoogleMaps that allows annotations on the satellite images and the maps provided by Google. It’s easy to understand: you can now annotate Google maps with text and multimedia resources such as photographs or videos.
There were solutions to locate photos on GoogleMaps and GoogleEarth (Panoramio) or to draw on top of the maps (QuikMaps) but up until now nothing integrated so many functionalities together. My feeling is that the potential of My Maps! is gigantic.
I’ve just carried out two experiments that give an idea of the potential of MyMaps!
At the post for Caburé, I had described a trip:
a great trip from Caburé leaves up the Preguiças river; jump out of the boat where the Pequenos Lençóis start, and meet your boatman further up the river a couple of hours later at Vassouras. You will have entirely for yourselves one of the most spec
Fare check update 2007-04-05 13:17:33 I’ve just completed the monthly update of the Fare check page of this blog, where you will find a small sample of routes and prices of flights with the two most important airlines in Brazil. This month I’ve added to the list the flight Río - Foz do Iguaçu. More routes available on request.
Dengue alert: Ubatuba 2007-04-04 12:10:47 It’s on the news: there’s a virulent outbreak of dengue fever in Ubatuba - as well as in other less visited points of the coast of São Paulo, such as Itanhaém. A few minutes ago, a specialist on dengue gave her advice: do not travel to the area. If you really have to, be very careful and remember that the only prevention against dengue is avoiding being bitten by the mosquito that carries the disease. Dengue
fever is the topic of an entry on this blog.
This year’s dengue epidemic is particularly virulent. Only last week 37,000 new cases of dengue fever were registered by the authorities - most of them in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Brazil in pictures: sands of Jericoacoara 2007-04-03 12:37:22
The sands of Jericoacoara are magical. Windswept, the sands form mesmerizing patterns that extend as far as the eye can see.
Read more:Brazil
Air traffic controllers speak out 2007-03-30 22:31:53 Just as well I wrote that final sentence on my previous post. Today, a group of Brazilian air traffic
controllers have made public a manifest - by necessity, anonymous, as their military status doesn’t allow them to participate in industrial disputes - announcing a hunger strike and demanding immediate action from the goverment to put an end to the crisis. The solution unavoidably involves a transfer to civilian control of air traffic control operations in Brazil (a movement Lula is reluctanct to make, unlike his Argentinian counterpart). The manifest includes two worrying sentences, in capital letters:
“WE DO NOT TRUST OUR EQUIPMENTS. WE DO NOT TRUST OUR SUPERIORS”
Read more:speak
, Air traffic
There’s chaos in the air 2007-03-30 13:31:34 This entry was ready for publication when it landed on my desk a recent issue of VEJA magazine with an extensive report on the crisis of civil aviation in Brazil. I thought it would be interesting to add some of the information contained on the report to this entry. A bit of background before a series of funny - if not ridiculous- stories of the crisis in Brazil.
Although the crisis had been brewing for years, its outbreak has a date and a time: the tragic collision a GOL boeing against a jet plane over the Amazon six months ago. Incidentally, six months after the crash, the investigation on the causes of the tragedy hasn’t finished yet, to the dispair of the families of those who died. It would seem air traffic control - run by the Air Force - played an important role on the accident. But one of the investigations is being carried out by the Air Force itself. Many question the impartial nature of the investigation. The investigators have the data recorders, they know why, when,
desktop calendar: April 2007-03-29 12:39:09 April’s calendar is now available for download at this blog’s desktop calendars section. This month, a snapshot taken in the beach of Santo André, north of Porto Seguro, state of Bahia.
Read more:April
GOL buys Varig 2007-03-29 02:06:33 The sky seems to be the limit for Brazilian airline GOL. The latest giant step on its continuous expansion is the announcement of the purchase of (the healthy part of) Varig. The move still needs to be approved by the Brazilian government, and for the time being what we know is that both companies will continue to operate separatedly.
I don’t know whether this is good or bad news. GOL and TAM hold now 85% of the market of civil aviation in Brazil. GOL is far less of a low-cost than most people think. Yes, they have amazing off-season promotions (so do TAM), but their average fares are quite similar to those of TAM (as you can see on this blog’s fare check section). While at the same time providing low-cost service. The good news is that it seems there is now a future for Varig - and an end to the endless injection of public money into an ailing company.
Destination: São Luís 2007-03-28 13:06:43
The capital of the state of Maranhão, built on an island two degrees south of the equator, does not feature among the top Brazilian destinations, in spite of its declaration by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The city is a unique example of Portuguese colonial architecture on the equator region.
WE LIKE THE MOST: the architecture, the friendliness of its people
WE LIKE THE LEAST: the outrageous abandonment and degradation of the historical heritage; the ubiquitous presence of one of the most powerful families in Brazil
HOW TO GET THERE: São Luís is far away from the rest of the capitals. The easiest way of getting to São Luís is by plane, or alternatively by road from Fortaleza.
CAREFUL WITH: the stifling heat all year round; some streets in the historic centre of the city
FAVOURITE PLACES: the Projeto Reviver, the Pousada Colonial
PIECE OF ADVICE:
the second fortnight in June is the ideal time to visit São Luís, as it is then when the festas juninas (one of the most wonde Read more:Destination
Brazil in pictures: football in Trancoso 2007-03-27 12:11:54
Come the end of the day, and the Quadrado, the central square of Trancoso, that remained deserted during the day, becomes a meeting point for the young of the place, who gather to play their daily football/soccer game.
Read more:Brazil
Brazil in pictures: sunrise 2007-04-10 22:29:16
Sometimes being woken up at 5.30 am has its rewards - specially when there’s a spectacular sunrise out there.
Read more:Brazil
Review: Camarões restaurant, Natal 2007-04-10 20:04:34 Camarões restaurant
is the star of Natal. As it name indicates, the strength of the establishment are prawns/shrimps: huge, meaty, succulent. They are sourced from the restaurant’s own prawn farm, and are prepared in different ways. The restaurant is frequented by locals. Friday and Saturday night are critical days, long queues form at the door. You always have the chance to enjoy a delicious caipirinha while you wait.
We visited the restaurant a couple of years ago, and prices were quite reasonable (around R$35 for a dish of prawns for two).
Review: Tabua de Carne restaurant, Natal 2007-04-10 19:52:55 The restaurant
Tábua de Carne is a classic of the Northeast cooking scene. With branches in João Pessoa and Campina Grande, its main base is in Natal, on the way to the Ponta Negra (there is also a smaller restaurant closer to the center of Natal).
Its plates are a homage to meat, served in gargantuant quantities that will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites (locals take the left-overs back home in special boxes provided by the restaurant). The restaurant satisfies both in quantity and in quality. We recommend a local specialty, the Carne de Sol à moda da casa. A dish is enough for three. Unbeatable value for money.
Reviews: food 2007-04-10 19:45:03 Today the blog incorporates a new section on food. Under this category I will be reviewing bars and restaurants. The first instalment follows.
7 new wonders of the world 2007-04-10 12:33:03
While searching for some practical info, I enter the Corcovado website and come across a dreadful text that asks for the vote for Christ and Brazil in the election for the Seven New Wonders of the World. You’ve certainly heard of the vote. From day one, I couldn’t help being baffled by the total lack of critical spirit with which the initiative was embraced by the media. This is the initiative of an individual who is extracting a healthy profit from it, for God’s sake!
The final stage of the election coincides now in Brazil with an explosion of superficial religiousness weeks before the pope visits the country. And now we are told artistic merit doesn’t count, we have to vote for the Corcovado because it represents Christ and because it is Brazilian.
Hard to believe how an initiative like this brings out the worst in a society. I’m not even discussing the merit of the election (although, I have to say, it is quite ludicrous to put the Corcovado on the sam
Brazil in pictures: Porto Seguro 2007-04-09 13:03:57
On my last visit to PortoSeguro
, the monument to the Portuguese discoverers had just been inaugurated. When I took the pictures the monument was not even a week old, it was all nice and clean. There are two groups of sculptures. The first one recreates the first mass held on Brazil
ian land by the Portuguese conquerors. The second one shows the native Indians, surrounded by wild animals, contemplating the Portuguese. The monuments is in Coroa Vermelha, a few miles north of Porto Seguro.
Brazil in pictures: beach-commerce 2007-04-12 15:00:48
The neverending commercial activity that takes place at Brazil
ian beaches is a good indicator of the size of the black market economy in the country.
In Arraial d’Ajuda, where I took the pictures used in the montage above, the sellers are calm and good-humoured. They know the meaning of the word no. In other parts of Brazil, sellers are much more aggresive and intimidating.
Read more:commerce
From Rio/São Paulo to Iguazu 2007-04-11 12:41:46 How do I get from Rio or São Paulo
to Iguazu?
You can either fly or take the bus.
The main airlines (TAM and Gol) fly to Iguazu both from Congonhas and Guarulhos in São Paulo, and from Galeão and Santos Dumond in Rio. The cheapest fare I could find today, with GOL, is R$219 from São Paulo (one way, taxes included) and R$259 from Rio (one way, taxes included).
The bus trip takes 16 hours from São Paulo and 24 hours from Rio. Each way costs from R$186. A company going to Foz do Iguaçu is Expresso Kaiowa. Prices and timetables can be checked online.
[Don’t forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]
Amazing coincidence 2007-04-11 02:29:45 More than 15 hours after publishing my entry on the 7 new wonders of the world, the excellent Brazilian journalist Ricardo Freire has just published a very similar entry here. I would like to put on record that my post came first.
I am, under no circumnstances, suggesting Ricardo found inspiration on my text. Among other things, because I doubt he is aware of the existence of either this blog or his Spanish counterpart De viaje a Brasil; because he is an independent journalist beyond the slightest doubt; and because I seem to recall this is not the first time he writes about the subject. Great minds think alike! - though I say so myself!
Read more:Amazing
Review: Sabor do Mar restaurant, Paraty 2007-04-10 22:36:03 Sabor do Mar restaurant
, in Paraty, is not a veteran, having opened its doors only recently. However, in a short period of time it has established itself as one of the best options for food in town.
Sabor do Mar specializes on fish and seafood, and it excels in both departments. Within the restaurant itself there is a fish market from where the client can choose the fish he wants to eat.
The à la carte menu is not cheap, as you would expect from a seafood restaurant. But the set meal is excellent, for R$30 two people can eat fish and seafood.
The restaurant is a few hundred feet from the tourist office, within the historic part of the Paraty.
Read more:Sabor
Link: Quatro Rodas guide 2007-04-10 22:33:41 A good part of the content of the Quatro Rodas
guide can be accessed online. Type the name of your destination on the encontre uma cidade box to obtain information.
Links: Backpacking Brazil 2007-04-13 12:24:50 It doesn’t trouble me the slightest bit to publicize the existence of a website that covers a similar ground to the Brazil
Travel Blog.
I am talking about Backpacking
Brazil, an excellent resource for all things Brazilian, the work of Gavin Raper, a well-travelled Aussie. Gavin’s endeavour is not a blog, though.
In this age of the copy-and-paste style of blogging there are information pages on Brazil aplenty. Pages with original, reliable and independent information, and with an acute awareness of what is likely to be of interest of visitors are much rarer to find. Gavin’s Backpacking Brazil is one of them. Go find out!
Share This
Brazil in pictures: imperial palm trees 2007-04-16 16:04:22
A walk among the majestic imperial palm trees is in itself a good enough reason for a visit to the Botanic Gardens in Rio (or in São Paulo).
Share This
Read more:Brazil
False friends: puxar 2007-04-16 14:35:57 The sign at the door reads puxar. You go and push, don’t you? Wrong. In this context, the Portuguese verb puxar means to pull. Careful not to bang your head against the door!
Share This
From Montevideo to Porto Alegre and São Paulo by bus 2007-04-18 12:22:50 How do I go from Montevideo to Porto
Alegre and São Paulo
by bus?
There are two companies linking Montevideo to the south of Brazil. You can check timetables and fares on their websites. The companies are TTL and EGA.
[Don’t forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]
Share This
Read more:Porto Alegre
Prices of things in Brazil 2007-04-17 12:38:55 This blog presents today a new page: Prices
. There you will find a shortish list of prices of basic items of interest to the tourist. Most of the prices refer to the city of São Paulo, where I live. In a country as large as Brazil
it is absolutely impossible to make general statements.
With the help of the readers of this blog and of its counterpart blog in Spanish, I hope to expand the list to the point where I can turn it into a PDF file available for download at the blog. If you’d like to make any contributions, leave a comment either here or at the Prices page.
Share This
Read more:things
Reviews: Porto Preguiças Resort, Barreirinhas 2007-04-20 12:41:23
NAME: porto Preguiças Resort
WHERE: Barreirinhas, Maranhão
WEBSITE: www.portopreguicas.com.br
IN ENGLISH: no
PRICES ON THE WEBSITE: no
LOCATION: on an isolated field, 1 km away from Barreirinhas. Both the bus coming from São Luís and all the local tourist operators go to the resort.
THE BUILDING: set in the middle of a carnaúba wood, on the right margin of the river Preguiças
THE ROOMS: spacious rooms (58m2) with a hammock at the door. King-size beds and a huge bathroom. Absolute silence at night, only broken by frogs and crickets. All the rooms have tv, telephone, minibar, ceiling fan and air conditioning.
PRICES IN JUNE 2005: R$295 per room per night.
BREAKFAST: included in the price. Spectacular and delicious buffet. Very pleasing dining room next to the swimming pool.
MEALS: excellent food at reasonable prices - quite important as Barreirinhas is a bit too far.
FRONT DESK: good. All our requests were attended to. The recepcionists booked the trips we wanted to make with lo Read more:Porto
From Buenos Aires to São Paulo / Rio by bus 2007-04-19 12:22:21 How do I go from Buenos Aires to São Paulo
/ Rio by bus?
We had already seen how to get from Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre by bus.
Buenos Aires to São Paulo - and Rio - takes a different route. There are at least two companies running that trip. One is Crucero del Norte, travelling to Brazil through Posadas in the north of Argentina. Pluma Internacional also travels to São Paulo, although its webpage is really poor in terms of information.
[Don’t forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]
Share This
Brazil in pictures: cattle in Bonito 2007-04-23 12:33:54
Along the roads in Bonito
, in the southernmost part of the Pantanal, cattle
travel in search of new pastures. Now is the right season to move, as the level of the rivers is low enough to travel.
I took this picture with my first digital camera, a 1.2 megapixels Sony camera.
Share This
Read more:Brazil
Change of name to the Devil’s Throat 2007-04-27 12:28:21 Another piece of news coming from Iguazu. I’ve just read in La Voz de las Cataratas (in Spanish) that a group of self-appointed religious leaders from Foz de Iguazú want to change the name to the Devil
’s Throat, the most impressive of all the falls at Iguazú. Among the arguments for the change (if you can call that an argument) the news item quotes that “if this is the Devil’s Throat then the Devil itself is there, and a marvel created by God can’t have that name.”
The news would give rise to much hilarity if it wasn’t for the fact that it fits in a context of unstoppable advance of religious fundamentalism worldwide, from Washington to Teheran, going through Brazil. In the case of Iguazu, it seems behind the iniative there is a group of evangelical priests - the local Catholic church would have distanced itself from the initiative.
As for the authorship of the falls, it would be a good idea to make it clear that they are the result of eros Read more:Change
Recommend Site To A Friend
