Brazil Blog

Brazil Talk!

Rio de Janeiro Cruise Ship Terminal

Filed under: Ask Us - January 17th, 2006

Your Question

We are arriving in Rio by air and leaving on a cruise ship. Where are the cruise ships (Radission Seven Seas) docked and what is the easiest way to get from the international airport to the ship terminal? Is there a more detailed map available on line?

Our Reply

In Rio de Janeiro the cruise ships dock at the Pier Mauá, just across from Praça Mauá (within walking distance from downtown). If you’re arriving by air then you’ll likely be landing at Antônio Carlos Jobim Airport, which is about 18km (11 miles) north of downtown. The best way to get from this airport to the cruise ship terminal is by radio taxi (prepay).

As for a map, I unfortunately couldn’t find anything on-line for you and we (Cities in Brazil) are currently working on maps but they are not near detailed enough yet. Instead I’ll give you the latitude and longitude of the Pier Mauá, to use this plug it into Google Earth (free download) and you’ll “see” exactly where you’ll need to be.

S22 53′39.10″ W43 10′46.08″
(Note: with Google Earth, you may need to retype the quotes, ie ‘ & “)

Horse Racing and Maracana Stadium

Filed under: Ask Us - January 12th, 2006

Your Question

I am coming to Rio October 25th to Nov 8th this year. I would like to see some football matches at the local teams. What teams play in Rio. I will be staying at Plaza Copacabana hotel . Is it far to local stadiums and how much are tickets. I would also like to go horse racing . Is this in season in October/November.

Our Reply

From October 25th to November 8th you will be able to watch soccer matches of the Brazilian Championship Tournament – which is very well known throughout Brazil due to the excellent quality of soccer exhibition. If you want to enjoy good soccer I would recommend either a game where Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco or Botafogo will be playing. These are the 4 most popular teams in Rio de Janeiro. In order to see something really different, you should watch a match at Maracana Stadium. If you are staying at Plaza Copacabana Hotel, you are approximatelly 11 kilometers from the stadium. Tickets prices range from 10 to 30 reals, depending on which location of the stadium you would like to be.

As for horse racing, in Rio de Janeiro you will find Hipodromo da Gavea; popularly known as The Jockey Club. It is located between two other tourist attractions, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake and the Botanical Gardens. Hipodromo da Gavea holds Brazil’s most important horse-racing event. As for now, I could not find any information regarding races for october-november, but here is the time schedule when horse-races are held at Jockey Club: Monday nights starting at 6:30pm, friday evennings starting at 4:30pm, and saturdays and sundays starting at 2:00pm. You can either write me back closer to the date you are coming down to Brazil and I can try to find some new information or you can go to Jockey Club to check the news about horse riding in Rio de Janeiro.

Cost of Food in Rio de Janeiro

Filed under: Ask Us - January 9th, 2006

Your Question

A friend and I are going to reo soon and would like to know how it costs to eat there, ie the cheapest places, ie a rough guide. Also what kind of things to be aware of safety wise?

Our Reply

There are many places to eat in Rio. It usually depends on what kind of food you are looking for. Along the beaches you will find many little concession stands that sell pastels with cheese, meat, shrimp, or palmito inside. These are quite cheap, you will be able to buy one for approximately 2 reals. These are cooked in oil, and aren’t exactly the healthiest thing to eat if you plan on staying a while in Rio, but if you are looking for cheap food, this is probably the cheapest.

If you are staying in a hotel with a fridge and stove, it is cheaper to buy food from the supermarket and make your own sandwiches, etc. There are also places that you can go to eat that charge by the kilo. These places aren’t necessarily cheaper, but this way you can eat the food you want.

Another option which I like a lot is a churrascaria. At churrascaria´s you pay anywhere from $15-$20 reals, and it is a non stop buffet of meat, and salad bars. Churrascaria means BBQ here in Brazil. You will have a table and waiters will come around with meat and you simply say yes if you want some of that particular kind of meat, or no and wait until then next waiter comes by with a different kind of meat.

A day at the beach

Filed under: Lisa in Brazil - January 9th, 2006

I will tell you a bit about my experience at the beach. I will start from the time you get up. For me, I am definitely not an early riser. This means I am usually up around 9:30 or 10:00, and heading off to the beach around 11:00. By this time, most of the beaches are quite crowded, but there is always a spot to put my umbrella and towel.

All the beaches will most likely have bathrooms, life guards, restaurants, vendors or all kinds, and perhaps banana boat or sail boat rides.

I really enjoy how the beaches have vendors. I feel as though I don’t even need to get up most of the time. There are people selling pop, water, beer, BBQ cheese, churros, shrimp on a stick, beef on a stick, peanuts, hot dogs, ice cream, popsicles, etc.

If you are at the beach alone, be careful when leaving your things unattended. Its easy for people to steal if they think you aren’t watching your things. I personally have never had a problem, but I have always made sure I had someone watching my stuff.

At most beaches you will be able to rent a surf board, or body board. Some beaches even offer lessons. If you are looking for some exercise while at the beach, I would recommend this. Some other options are kayaking, volleyball, fresco-ball, soccer, and fishing.

Hopefully to all you reading this you will soon have your own stories to share with me!

Beaches in Ubatuba

Filed under: Lisa in Brazil - January 9th, 2006

Recently I spent a week at the beach. It was a great experience. The name of this small beach town is Ubatuba. It is about 3.5 hours from Sao Paulo. During the summer months the population of this town grows by 10 times.

There are many beaches along the coastline in Ubatuba. The main difference between the beaches will be the size of the beach, the size of the waves, as well as the residential or non residential area it is located.

You will find some very small beaches, usually having smaller waves that are more appropriate for families with children, or those looking to relax and swim in waters without getting plowed over by waves.

You will also find extremely long beaches that have larger waves, more appropriate for surfing and /or body boarding.

The other difference between beaches is the neighborhood in which they are located. Some beaches will be along the main road with lots of parking and restaurants along the boardwalk. These beaches are extremely busy and full of people. Other beaches are located in residential areas in which you have to park further away. These beaches usually have less people and are a bit more relaxing.

It’s also possible to find empty beaches, but you will have to drive a little ways out of the city and perhaps blaze a bit of a trail.

Ships from Brazil to Africa

Filed under: Ask Us - January 7th, 2006

Your Question

Hello! I was thinking of visiting your lovely city and I’m very excited
about doing so. I’m meeting a friend there who I was planning to stay with
for a while, and as a thank-you for letting me stay there, I was going to
surprise him by taking him to Cape Town, South Africa (somewhere he’s always
wanted to go) after my stay in Brazil. The problem is though that he has an
extreme fear of flying, so taking a six or so hour along trip would be
unthinkable for him. So what I was wondering is if there is a ship or boat
that sails to Africa, or if there was some other way we could get there?

Our Reply

I have been doing some research and I found a site that you might be interested in if you are considering traveling by freighter from Brazil to Africa. The only problem is that it is quite expensive. There are however other options, such as a cruise ship that you may want to look into, but that would also be quite expensive I would think.

I’m sorry that I don’t have more information that I can give you to answer your question more thoroughly; hopefully this link will answer some of the doubts you have.

Freighter Directory

Marimarituba

Filed under: Ask Us - January 7th, 2006

Your Question

For a couple of weeks during the Brazilian winter I will be going to the island of Marimarituba. Can you give me a bit of info on the island?

Our Reply

The island of Marimarituba (mah-de-mah-de-TU-ba) is located along the Amazon River and takes approximately 4 hours to get there by boat if leaving from Santarem, Brazil. The island consists of 4 small villages named Vila Amazonias, Bom Jesus, Marimarituba Costa, and Guajara.

As in all of Brazil, the language spoken is Portuguese. There will most likely be few if any who speak English due to the size of the villages, and the lack of technology. You may want to bring a pocket translator, or a pocket translator book.

Since you will be going in the Brazilian winter, don’t be fooled in thinking that it will be cold. Since you are so close to the equator, you will most likely never feel cold, especially if you are used to winters with snow, or cooler temperatures. I would estimate that the temperature will never fall below 15 degrees Celsius in Marimarituba. Be prepared for tropical rain as well.

Seeing as how the village is in the Amazon State, I would suggest going to the clinic and asking what sort of shots you may need to get, for example: typhoid fever, yellow fever, malaria, etc. There will be many bugs, so I suggest bringing some bug sprays, as well as a mosquito net to put over your bed when sleeping.

The village of Marimarituba will most likely be quite poor seeing as how it is quite a distance to larger more advanced cities. I would be very cautious with my cameras, and things of value. Most of the time, people are not out to steal from you, but it is always good to be cautious.

You may also want to bring little gifts for some of the children you will meet while there. I am not sure how long you are staying, but a favorite for young Brazilian children is always a soccer ball. They could play all day if they could.

Well, I hope this helps you, and if you have any more questions, or if there is more you would like to know don’t hesitate to write again.

River of January

Filed under: Ask Us - January 6th, 2006

Your Question

Could you tell me what the name of the city of Re de Janeiro means?

Our Reply

Literally translated “Rio de Janeiro” means “River of January.” This magnificent city came by this name when on January 1st 1502 the Portuguese captain Andre Goncalves and his crew discovered Guanabara Bay; believing this bay was a mouth of a great river they named the area “River of January.”