Basics - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 28

luggage, and take anything valuable with you when
you get off for a halt.

ADDRESSES
Trying to find an address in Brazil 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
(see p.413). The street name and number
will often have a floor ( andar ), apartment
or room ( sala; “ s ” for short) number tacked
on: thus R. Afonso Pena 111-3° s.234 means
third floor, room 234 at 111 Rua Alfonso
Pena. You may also come across 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

By car
Driving standards in Brazil hover between abysmal
and appalling. The country has one of the highest
death tolls from driving-related accidents in the
world, and on any journey you can see why, with
thundering trucks and drivers treating the road as if
it were a Grand Prix racetrack. Fortunately, inter-city
bus drivers are the exception to the rule: they are
usually very good, and their buses usually have
devices fitted that make it impossible for them to
exceed the speed limit. Electronic speed traps are
widely used everywhere, and if you get caught by
one in a rental car, the fine will simply be added to
your credit card. Since 2008, a zero-tolerance law
has made it strictly illegal to drive after consuming
any amount of alcohol , a response to the
enormous death toll caused by drunk drivers.
Offenders risk severe punishments if tests detect
any alcohol in their blood - expect at least a hefty
fine and the threat of imprisonment. away from them you'll be. Buses stop every two or

three hours at well-supplied postos (highway rest
stops with restaurants and toilets), but as prices at
these are relatively high it's not a bad idea to bring
along water and some food. Some bus companies
will supply meal vouchers for use at the postos on
long journeys.
There are luxury buses, too, called leitos , which
do overnight runs between the major cities - worth
taking once for the experience, with fully reclining
seats in curtained partitions, freshly ironed sheets
and an attendant plying insomniacs with coffee
and conversation. They cost about a third of the
price of an air ticket, and twice as much as a normal
long-distance bus; they're also less frequent and
need to be booked a few days in advance. No
matter what kind of bus, it's a good idea to have a
light sweater or blanket during night journeys, as
the air conditioning is often uncomfortably cold.
Going any distance, it's best to buy your ticket at
least a day in advance, from the rodoviária or, in some
cities, from travel agents. An exception is the Rio-São
Paulo route, where a shuttle service means you can
always turn up without a ticket and never have to
wait more than fifteen minutes. Numbered seats are
provided on all routes: if you want a window, ask for
janela . If the bus is going to cross a state line, you may
be asked for proof of ID when buying the ticket (your
passport is best). Buses have luggage compartments,
which are safe: you check pieces at the side of the bus
and get a ticket for them. Keep an eye on your hand

Rules of the road
Driving in Brazil is very different from northern
Europe and the US. Do not expect Brazilians to pay
much attention to lane markings, use indicators or
worry about cutting you off or overtaking you on
the inside. Make sure that you use your rear and
wing mirrors constantly when city driving. At night,
you should cautiously roll through red lights in city
centres or deserted-looking streets, to avoid assalt-
antes (muggers). And a crucial thing to know is that
flashing lights from an oncoming car mean “I'm
coming through - get out of the way” and NOT
“please go ahead”, as in the UK and US. It sounds
intimidating, and it is for the first couple of days, but
it is surprising how quickly you get used to it.
Road quality varies according to region: the
South and Southeast have a good paved network;
the Northeast has a good network on the coast but
is poor in the interior; and roads in Amazônia are by
far the worst, with even major highways closed for
weeks or months at a time as they are washed away
by the rains. Most cities are fairly well signposted, so
getting out of town shouldn't be too di cult; if city
tra c is daunting, try to arrange to collect your car
on a Sunday when tra c is light.
If at all possible, avoid driving at night because
potholes (even on main roads) and lombadas (speed
bumps) may not be obvious, and breaking down
after dark could be dangerous. Outside the big cities,