Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Branch of Banco do Brasil
Center
A post box
Right
Telephone booth
Banking and Communications
!
Currency
day. For safety reasons,
ATMs stop functioning
after 10pm. Always try to
use them during the day.
before the area or
country code, which
drops the zero. You can
use any provider, but it is
cheapest to use the code
displayed in the call box.
The Brazilian currency,
the
real
(R$, plural
reais
),
is divided into 100
centavos
. The largest
note is R$100. Small
shops struggle to change
R$100, R$50, and R$20
notes, making R$10 and
R$5 the most commonly
used notes. R$1 notes
are being phased out in
favor of coins.
@
Credit Cards
%
Cash
Bring notes in various
denominations so that
you have
reais
on arrival.
Euros and US dollars are
the most widely accept-
ed foreign currencies for
exchange in Rio, and US
dollars are also accepted
by large hotels. Major
banks change money, but
the exchange rates are
often poor. Use
casa de
câmbio
(exchange
offices) when you can.
*
Internet Cafés
There are plenty
of Internet cafés in Rio,
especially in Botafogo,
Copacabana, Ipanema,
and Leblon. Most hotels
have Internet access, and
some even offer wireless
broadband in rooms.
American Express,
Visa, and Diners Club are
accepted at most places,
with Visa being the most
widely accepted of all.
Other credit cards are
little known in Brazil.
Credit cards can be used
to withdraw money from
ATMs throughout Rio.
They should not be taken
to the beach, where
petty theft is common.
(
Television
Brazil's TV Globo is
one of the largest televi-
sion producers in the
world and is famous for
its soaps. The plot of the
evening soap is a popular
Carioca conversation
piece. Most hotels in Rio
only show Brazilian tele-
vision. Some of the more
expensive hotels offer
satellite TV, which has
European channels, CNN,
and BBC World News.
^
Cell Phones
Cell phone services
in Brazil are antiquated.
Many international net-
works do not have
arrangements with
national services. Visitors
can buy a SIM card on
arrival, although regis-
tration is complex. Dial-
ing charges can be high
and users pay extraordi-
narily expensive rates
when receiving calls
from outside Rio state.
£
Traveler's Checks
Traveler's checks are
next to useless in Brazil,
where surcharges and
taxes for their usage are
prohibitively high in the
few banks that accept
them. It is more con-
venient to use a credit
card for major expenses,
such as hotel bills.
)
Post Offices
Correios
(post offices)
are widespread and can
be identified by a yellow
and blue sign. Postcards
are cheap but the system
of pricing for letters and
parcels sent to Europe or
the USA is complex and
prices vary greatly from
office to office and clerk
to clerk. Express deliver-
ies are known as SEDEX.
Most post offices operate
from 9am to 5pm Monday
to Friday, from 10am to
1pm on Saturdays, and
are closed on Sundays.
&
Public Telephones
Public telephones,
known as
orelhôes
(big
ears) because of their
unusual shape, are
common in Rio. They
accept
cartões tele-
fônicos
(phone cards),
available at newsstands
and post offices, but no
coins. For long-distance
calls, dial the three- or
four-digit code of a
presta-
dora
(service provider)
$
ATMs
Automatic Teller
Machines, or
caixas
electronicas,
found
throughout Rio, are the
easiest way to get cash.
Withdrawals are limited
to between R$600 and
R$1,000 per transaction
and two transactions per
105
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