Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 322

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange Most ATMs take foreign cards; try
Banco do Brasil or Bradesco. There's a centrally located
Citibank near Brasília Shopping. Cambios are located at the
airport and at Pátio Brasil Shopping, 1st Floor, Loja 202,
Asa Sul.
Car rental Airport branches include: Avis ( T 61 3365
2782); Hertz ( T 61 3365 4425); Interlocadora ( T 61 3365
3656); and Locadora ( T 61 3327 4792).
Crime You'll feel pretty safe walking the streets by day,
but at night the central area, with its strikingly lit Niemeyer
buildings, is mostly deserted, so take care. Remember,
there are few tra c lights outside the centre and crossing
main roads north to south requires either entering dodgy
tunnels or getting through gaps in tra c: take a taxi
instead. Lastly, take care in the rodoviária and when using
public transport at rush hour.
Embassies and consulates Australia, SES Quadra 801,
Conjunto K, Lote 7 T 61 3226 3111; Canada, SES, Av das
Naçıes, Quadra 803, Lote 16 T 61 3424 5400; Ireland, SHIS
QL 12, Conjunto 05, Casa 09, Lago Sul T 61 3248 8800;
South Africa, Av das Nações, Lote 6 T 61 3312 9500;
UK, Setor de Embaixadas Sul, Quadra 801, Conjunto K
T 61 3329 2300; US, Av das Nações Quadra 801, Lote 03
T 61 3312 7000.
Hospital Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, SMHS 101,
Bloco A T 61 3325 5050 (emergency 24hr).
Internet All shopping malls have internet cafés, which
change location rapidly.
Laundries No self-service laundries in town but there
are lavanderias in residential quadras , which wash clothes
for R$6/item. Try the ubiquitous 5 à Sec, at CLS 309 BL D,
s/n Loja 35.
Left Luggage The airport has lockers and baggage
storage open 24hr (R$14/day).
Post o ce SHS 2 Bloco B, Asa Sul (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm);
SDN CNB Bloco A, 2nd Loja 2010 (Mon-Fri 9.30am-10pm,
Sat 9am-9pm). Branches also at most shopping malls.

“Quibeirute” stuffed with cheese - alongside plenty of
cold beer, or if you're feeling adventurous the dangerous
“Green Devil” cocktail. Daily until 1am; 2am Thurs-Sat.
Cadê Tereza CLS 201 Bloco B, Loja 1 W cadeterezabar
.com.br; map pp.318-319. Get down to some serious
dancing at this popular joint for samba, zouk, MPB and
much more, alongside the usual choice of food and cerveja .
Daily 5pm-2am.
Café com Vinil SHCN 413, Bloco E, Lojas 3/5 W cafecom
vinil.com; map pp.318-319. Exactly what it says on the
can: 3000 LPs and a good few types of coffee will keep
vinyl junkies happy, while fancy food and fine wine
completes the sensory experience. Thurs-Sat from 6pm.
Calaf Edificio Empire Centre, Quadra 2, Bloco S, Sétor
Bancário Sul W calaf.com.br; map p.321. Busy after work
until late, this is the place in Brasília on Mon for samba-
rock, or samba Tues and Sat. Veja magazine named it the
best place in town to flirt. Mon-Sat 11.30am-3am.
Gate's Pub 403 Sul, Bloco B, Loja 34 W gatespub.com.br;
map pp.318-319. This dark London-esque pub has two
stages and is bigger inside than it seems, with live rock,
pop and blues most nights. Tues-Sun 10pm until late.
Play Club 904 (Asceb), 904 Sul W projetoplaybsb
.blogspot.com.br; map pp.318-319. Current top spot on
the Brasília club scene most Fri nights, with an eclectic
rock, electro and house soundtrack, gets going at midnight
til very late.
UK Music Hall CLS 411, Bloco B W ukmusichall.com.br;
map pp.318-319. Known locally as the “UK-Brasil Pub”,
this small-ish music venue spins a Brit-rock-leaning music
selection with some reggae, blues and soul thrown in for
good measure. Most importantly it serves a nice pint of
(very non-UK) Murphy's stout. Tues-Sat 8pm-late.

3

SHOPPING
Brasília Shopping Setor Comercial Norte, Quadra 05.
Centrally located mall with a food court, a short walk from
the TV Tower. Mon-Sat 10am-10pm.
Conic Opposite Conjunto, parallel and adjacent to the
rodoviária . This 24hr “alternative” rough-around-the-
edges shopping mall has joke T-shirts, comics and much
much more, including bars, though it's best avoided
late at night.
Conjunto Nacional Opposite Conic parallel and adjacent to
the rodoviária . Not as flashy as Brasília Shopping but more
upmarket than Conic. Open 24hr (Sun until midnight).
Feira de Artesanato The market at the base of the TV
Tower sells clothes and crafts, from hammocks to meticu-
lously pin-pricked dried leaves and capim dourado , attrac-
tive golden-grass jewellery. Stalls and food stands open
every day but busiest weekends 8am-6pm.
Pier 21 Setor de Clubes Esportivo Sul, Tr. 02, Conjunto 32.
Take a taxi to this lakeside mall which has cinemas and
upscale restaurants. Daily 11am-11pm.

The Pantanal
An open, seasonally flooded wetland
larger than Spain, extending deep into
the states of Mato Grosso and Mato
Grosso do Sul, THE PANTANAL has some
of the most diverse and abundant wildlife
in Brazil. The word Pantanal is derived
from the Brazilian word pantano
(meaning marsh) reflecting its general
appearance, but originally it was the
site of a giant, prehistoric, inland sea.
Today, with an area of 195,000 square