ADDRESSES Trying to find an address can be confusing:
streets often have two names, numbers don't always follow a logical
sequence, and parts of the address are often abbreviated (Brasília
is a special case.) The street name and number will often have a
floor, apartment or room number tacked on: thus R. Afonso Pena
111-3° s.234 means third floor, room 234. "R" is short for Rua, "s"
for sala, and you may also come across andar (floor),
Ed. ( edifício, or building) or s/n ( sem
número, no number), very common in rural areas and small towns.
All addresses in Brazil also have an eight-digit postcode, or
CEP, often followed by two capital letters for the state;
leaving it out causes delay in delivery. So a full address might
read:
Rua do Sol 132-3° andar, s.12
65000-100 São Luís - MA
BARBERS For men, a visit to a barber is one of the
cheaper luxuries Brazil affords. Wherever it says "
Cabeleireiro " you can treat yourself to an old-fashioned,
non-automated haircut and shave, invariably with hot towel and
cut-throat razor, with Brylcreem and facial massage as optional
extras, for no more than a dollar or two.
CINEMA Most films shown in Brazilian cinemas are American
with subtitles. These all reach Brazil very soon after they're
released in the USA (and often before the UK) and entrance is very
cheap. Both Rio and São Paulo have a good art-house cinema network;
in Rio the Estação chain, with branches in Botafogo, Catete,
Flamengo and Copacabana, is especially good. If you understand
Portuguese, look out for movies by two great Brazilian directors,
the modernist Glauber Rocha, and the more conservative Nelson
Pereira dos Santos. Also try to see the definitive film of modern
Brazil, Central do Brasil (or Central Station; 1997),
directed by Walter Salles.
ELECTRICITY Electricity supplies vary - sometimes 110V
and sometimes 220V - so check before plugging anything in. It's a
fair bet that you'll blow the fuses anyway. Plugs have two round
pins.
LAUNDRY There are a few laundries in Brazil, and even the
humblest hotel has a lavadeira (better but not always as
cheap), who will wash and iron your clothes. Agree a price
beforehand, but don't be too hard - livelihoods are at stake.
Larger hotels have set prices for laundry services - usually
surprisingly expensive.
LEFT LUGGAGE Most bus stations will have a guarda
volume where you can leave bags. In cities it's usually a
locker system, open 24 hours - there's a booth where you buy a key,
and a token for every day that you want to leave things; you leave
the tokens inside the locker. In smaller places it will usually be
a lock-up room operated by a bus company, so check the opening
hours before you leave anything. They're safe enough to leave your
bags for short periods while you look for a hotel, but don't check
money or anything really valuable, especially if you are leaving
them for longer periods.
MUSEUMS Many museums in Brazil do not charge for
admission; when they do, entrance is almost always modest, $1-2
being typical. Brazil's few museums that have the international
connections, financial means and security occasionally host special
touring exhibitions from abroad, and in these cases entrance
charges are somewhat higher than normal. Admission prices are given
in the guide only when they are above $1.
PHOTOGRAPHY Only regular 35mm 100 ASA Kodacolor or
Fujicolour film is easily available in Brazil and even this is
likely to be poorly kept, expensive and past its "use by" date. If
you use anything else, bring it with you, or stock up in the first
main city centre you get to. In the Amazon and other forests, 400
ASA film and possibly a flash and tripod will be necessary as it
can be surprisingly dark. Small batteries are also hard to get hold
of and will be very expensive if you find them. A polarizing filter
is essential if you have an SLR camera. If possible try to keep the
film at a constant temperature before and after use, and process it
as soon as possible.
STUDENT CARDS An international student card, or an FIYTO
youth card is well worth carrying. It will get you occasional
reductions at museums and the like, but more importantly it serves
as an extremely useful ID for bus drivers and hotels, saving you
from having to keep your passport available at all times. Any
official-looking card with a picture and number on it will serve
almost as well.
TIME ZONES Brazil is large enough to have different time
zones. Most of the country is three hours behind GMT, but the
states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do
Sul are four hours behind - that includes the cities of Manaus,
Corumbá, Rio Branco, Porto Velho, Cuiabá and Campo Grande.
TIPPING Bills usually come with ten percent taxa de
serviço included, in which case you don't have to tip - ten
percent is about right if it is not included. Waiters and some
hotel employees depend on tips, so don't be too mean. You don't
have to tip taxi drivers (though they won't say no), but you are
expected to tip barbers, hairdressers, shoeshine kids,
self-appointed guides and porters. It's useful to keep change handy
for them and for beggars.
TOILETS Public toilets are not very common and often
disgusting. The words to look for are Banheiro or
Sanitário : where they're marked (less often than you might
hope) Cavalheiros means men, Senhoras or Damas
women. It's always a good idea to carry some toilet paper with
you.