Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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.
CALLING HOME FROM BRAZIL
Note that the initial zero is omitted from
the area code when dialling the UK, Ireland,
Australia and New Zealand from abroad.
US and Canada
00 + carrier selection
code + 1 + area code.
UK
00 + carrier selection code + 44
+ city code.
Republic of Ireland
00 + carrier selection
code + 353 + city code.
Australia
00 + carrier selection code + 61
+ city code.
New Zealand
00 + carrier selection code
+ 64 + city code.
South Africa
00 + carrier selection code
+ 27 + city code.
Tourist information
You'll find tourist information fairly easy to come by
once in Brazil, and there are some sources to be
tapped before you leave home. Brazil's embassies or
larger consulates (see p.47) also tend to have tourist
sections, where you can pick up brochure informa-
tion and advice.
Popular destinations such as Rio, Salvador, the
Northeast beach resorts, and towns throughout the
South have e
cient and helpful
tourist o
ces
, but
anywhere off the beaten track has nothing at all -
only Manaus, Belém and Porto Velho have o
ces in
the Amazon region, for example.
Most
state capitals
have tourist information
o
ces, which are announced by signs saying “
Infor-
mações Turísticas
”. Many of these provide free city
maps and booklets, but they are usually all in Portu-
guese. As a rule, only the airport tourist o
ces have
hotel-booking services
, and none of them is very
good on advising about budget accommodation.
Tourist o
ces are run by the different state and
municipal governments, so you have to learn a new
acronym every time you cross a state line. In Rio, for
example, you'll find TurisRio, which advises on the
state, and Riotur, which provides information on the
city. There's also
EMBRATUR
, the national tourist
organization, but it doesn't have direct dealings with
the general public apart from via its excellent
website,
W
www.visitbrasil.com.
followed by the seven-digit number. For local calls,
you simply dial the seven- or eight-digit number.
Assuming you have a choice, it doesn't matter
which company you use, as costs are very similar
(this goes for international calls too).
As different phone companies predominate in
different areas of the country, pay phones will
display which company code should be used from
that particular phone, or the hotel receptionist will
let you know the correct code to be used if calling
from your hotel. The commonest codes are 21
(Claro), 23 (Intelig Telecom), 31 (Oi), 15 (Telefónica/
Vivo) and 14 (Brasil Telecom). If you want to reverse
the charges for a local call, dial 9090 plus the
number. For long-distance collect calls, dial 90 then
the number with company code as above (90 +
carrier code + area code + number).
To reverse the charges on an international call,
dial Embratel at
T
0800 703 2121. The
country
code
for Brazil if calling from overseas is
T
+55.
USEFUL BRAZIL WEBSITES
Brazil Link
W
brazilink.org
Brazil Max
W
brazilmax.com
Cidade de São Paulo
W
cidadedesaopaulo.com
Expat in Brazil
W
expatbrazil.co.uk
Hidden Pousadas
W
hiddenpousadasbrazil.com
Portuguese Talk
W
portuguesetalk.com
Real Brazil
W
therealbrazil.com
Rio Guide
W
rioguiaoficial.com.br/en
Riotur
W
rio.rj.gov.br/riotur
Turismo de Minas Gerais
W
minasgerais.com.br
TurisRio
W
www.turisrio.rj.gov.br
Visit Brazil Travel Association UK
W
vbrata.org.uk
Time
Most of Brazil 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
Restaurant 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.
You don't have to tip taxi drivers (though they
Travellers with disabilities
Travelling in Brazil for
people with disabilities
is
likely to be di
cult if special facilities are required.
