Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
on Rua Sete de Setembro in Boa Vista, all charging
commission. Shopping centres all have ATMs, banks and
money-changing facilities that stay open until 9pm Mon to
Sat. The Bradesco bank on Conde de Boa Vista has an ATM
that accepts most Visa cards.
Pharmacy Farmácia Pague Menos, Av Cons Aguiar 4635,
Boa Viagem, 24hr ( T 81 3301 4209).
Post o ce The main post o ce is the Correio building at Av
Guararapes 61 in Santo Antônio (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). There's
also a branch in the Bairro do Recife at Av Marquês de Olinda.
Olinda
OLINDA is, quite simply, one of the largest and most beautiful complexes of colonial
architecture in Brazil: a maze of cobbled streets, hills crowned with brilliant white
churches, pastel-coloured houses, Baroque fountains and graceful plazas. It's quite
different to Salvador's gorgeous but in-your-face Pelourinho (see p.211), with a
laidback, small-town feel, calm, languid streets laced with palm and mango trees and
just single- or two-storey buildings - wandering around even at night is pretty safe.
Founded in 1535, the old city is spread across several small hills looking back towards
Recife, but it belongs to a different world; it's here that many of the larger city's artists,
musicians and liberal professionals live, and there's a significant gay community. Olinda
is most renowned, though, for its Carnaval , famous throughout Brazil.
Though a city in its own right, Olinda is effectively a suburb of Recife these days: a high
proportion of the population commutes into the city, which means that transport links are
good, with buses leaving every few minutes. Olinda's old colonial centre is built slightly
back from the sea, but arching along the seafront and spreading inland behind the old
town is a modern Brazilian city of over 300,000 people - known as Novo Olinda , it's the
usual bland collection of suburbs and chaotic commercial streets, with little of interest.
4
Alto da Sé
A good spot to have a drink and plan your day is the Alto da Sé (the highest square in
town), not least because of the stunning view of Recife's skyscrapers shimmering in the
distance, framed in the foreground by the church towers, gardens and palm trees of
Olinda. There's always an arts and crafts market going on here during the day, peaking
in the late afternoon, as well as the permanent Mercado Artesanato da Sé .
CARNAVAL IN OLINDA
Olinda's Carnaval , with a massive 560 blocos , is generally considered to be one of the three
greatest in Brazil, along with those of Rio and Salvador. It overshadows the celebrations in
neighbouring Recife and attracts thousands of revellers from all over the Northeast. Like the
other two great Brazilian Carnavals, Olinda has a style and feel all its own: not quite as large
and potentially intimidating as in either Rio or Salvador, the fact that much of it takes place in
the winding streets and small squares of the old city makes it seem more manageable. The
music, with the local beats of frevo and maracatu predominating, the costumes, and the
enormous bonecos (papier-mâché figures of folk heroes, or savage caricatures of local and
national personalities), make this celebration unique.
The tourist o ce has lists of the hundreds of groups, together with routes and approximate
times, but there is always something going on in most places in the old city. The most famous
blocos , with mass followings, are Pitombeira and Elefantes; also try catching the daytime
performances of travestis , transvestite groups, which have the most imaginative costumes -
ask the tourist o ce to mark them out on the list for you.
Inevitably, with so many visitors flocking into the city, accommodation during Carnaval can
be a problem. You might as well forget about hotels in Olinda if you haven't booked a room
months in advance. It's easier to find a room in Recife, but, unless you dance the night away,
transport back in the small hours can be di cult; buses start running at around 5am, and
before then you have to rely on taxis, which means paying an exorbitant fare and running the
risk of drunken taxi drivers - dozens of people are killed on the road during Carnaval every
year, and it's best to avoid travelling by road in the small hours.
 
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