Brazil, tips and curiosities
A pin to make life easier!
Brazil is a BIG country and very hard to talk about as one. It’s like it has loads of little places in one country. Even the language sounds different. The capital of Brazil is Brasília (which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Rio de Janeiro (over 6 million people) and São Paulo (over 11 million people) are the most populous places in the country. Portuguese is the official language.
I can’t tell you much about the whole country because, even though Angelo and I grew up in Brazil, we didn’t see much of it.
Farol da Barra – Salvador – Bahia
But I can give you a few tips about Brazil:
- Bring around an insect repellant, because of, you know, dengue, zika, yellow fever and all the common mosquito-borne diseases.
- Brazil’s North and Northeast is almost always hot. São Paulo is crazy, it has all the 4 seasons throughout the same day, so be prepared. Plus, it rains a lot. Rio is warmer than São Paulo. The South even has had a few snowy days in the past winters.
São Paulo, where we’re spending most of our time
- Come prepared for rice and beans.
- Bring whatever you can, from electronics to diapers because they’re a lot more expensive here – especially if you’re from the USA. Just don’t fret, because you can find everything in Brazil.
- Be ready to eat fruits and veggies, as they’re quite cheap – and do try some different ones!
- Public transport isn’t the best: it’s expensive and not very reliable. During rush hour, best to wait somewhere.
- Food is cheap, drinks are expensive, even soda or fruit juice. And water isn’t served for free.
- Cheese is marked as X in most burgers. X-burguer means cheeseburger.
- Always keep your belongings in sight, which means bags and cameras in front, in zippered bags. Keeping a hidden spot with some money and credit card is always a good idea. Inside the sock, bra, a neck pouch or something like that.
- Try not to display your really cool smartphone, flashy jewelry, or expensive shoes around. Be as discreet as possible.
- Take paper tissues (but this one is kind of universal) everywhere because we never know when the toilet will have paper….
- And by the way, DO NOT throw the toilet paper in the toilet. There’s always a basket nearby where you can place your used toilet paper, sanitary pads and all that.
- The internet isn’t very stable, but it’s almost everywhere.
Marginal Tietê, in São Paulo
- Avoid dark areas, walking alone (even more when dark) and always talk to the locals about the places where it’s safe to be in.
- Try to have credit cards with low limits, or even consider a prepaid one. Do not use it if they try to take the card away from you because credit card cloning is a big issue.
- Only withdraw money in safer zones (like shopping malls).
- If driving, be careful as lots of roads aren’t in good condition. Do not stop everywhere and just move if see people approaching you. Always be conscious of your surroundings.
- Talk to people, as Brazilians are known for their hospitality.
- Take your time, it’s a huge country with so much to see and do…
Feira, the Farmers Market in São Paulo
Have you ever been to Brazil? Did we miss anything? Leave us a comment!
Nossa, que horror!! Ninguém vai querer vir pro brasil depois desse post!! Só tem desgraça! Doenças, roubo, perigos, transporte que não funciona… kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Não é muito diferente do resto do mundo. É que a NZ e o Japão eram muito tranquilos nesses pontos.