A few simple questions about Rio

[Boston Guy]

I'll be heading to Rio soon and have a few simple questions. If any of you veterans can help out, I'd be much obliged. :-) (Some of these questions may have been answered before, but I don't recall seeing those answers in scanning this section of M4M. I apologize if I'm repeating things from the past.)

 

1. The airport (GIG): How far is it from the city? What's the best way to get back and forth from town (I'll be at the Marriott)?

 

2. The neighborhood: In the area around the Marriott, are there any areas that would not be safe for a single person to venture into, either during the day or in the evening?

 

3. Paying for things: Are there ATM machines near the Marriott or in that neighborhood (preferably that take Cirrus cards)? Is Brazil mainly cash-oriented or will credit/debit cards work for most things?

 

4. Clothing? I understand that the weather in early October is likely to be high 60s at night and high 70s in the day. From what has been posted here before, it sounds like simple clothing -- jeans, casual pants, t-shirts, shorts, that kind of stuff -- is what's called for. I'll only be there for about six days this trip and don't expect to be doing anything formal. However, will I likely want to have more formal or dressier clothing for anything? Are restaurants casual in the evening?

 

5. I intend to spend at least one or two days simply seeing the "must see" tourist sites -- the kind of things that you don't want to come home and say "Gosh, I wish I'd gone to see that." If you were to make a short list of the things you recommend someone try to see on a first trip, what would be on that list?

 

6. Etiquette. I'm learning some Portuguese and expect to go down with a few hundred words and phrases under my belt -- enough to hopefully get around and be a little independent. But I've discovered in other countries that it's easy to make mistakes in etiquette just out of ignorance of the culture. Are there any things about Brazilian culture that an American should be aware of or careful about, even if just to avoid offending his hosts?

 

7. Camera safety. I'm taking a digital camera with me, one that I really don't want to lose. :-) In other countries, I've simply carried it with me wherever I went, in a bag or with the strap around my wrist. What I've read so far seems to indicate that this may be an invitation to being robbed/mugged. What's the scoop, especially from the point-of-view of a tourist who will probably be wandering around aimlessly, looking like a tourist, for at least the first couple of days?

 

8. Yellow fever. I read someplace that vaccinations for yellow fever were recommended for people going to Brazil. However, I wasn't asked for any kind of certificate when I applied for my visa. What's the scoop? (I'll be staying in Rio the whole time.)

 

Thanks guys -- I appreciate any help you can provide. Also, thanks to all of you who have been providing so much info here. I know that there are some who have criticized along the way but this reader definitely appreciates all of the information you've provided. So thanks again!

 

BG

[Guest 7Zach]

I stayed at both the Marriott and the Copa Palace. The first night, a Swiss tourist had his necklace torn from his neck at dusk at the corner of the block of the front of the hotel - maybe 200 feet. So act like you’re in New York in the dusk, nightime.

 

Cash machine is in the Blockbusters video store - go out front of Marriott, turn left, go down maybe 2 blocks and turn right one block. One of the funny things there - as far as I could gather, that’s where you go to get money.

 

Everywhere took credit cards (except places that you wouldn’t expect to - on the street, pizza, etc). Not always Amex, but just about, but visa everywhere.

 

Everything seemed casual, but I always wear a jacket to a nice restaurant, and the majority of others there did too. Not the steak places - how do I say this, in New York great restaurants that are casual, but there are some where you would wear a jacket and tie. Same in Rio; know before you go.

 

My favorite tourist thing was just going to different areas of the city and walking around, looking at the architecture. The gardens on the way to the racetrack were pretty, but didn’t get out to see them. BTW, cabs are cheap, but hey, so was everything else.

 

Etiquette, you mean as in don’t show the bottom of your shoe, or else you’re saying that the other person is the shit you step in. None that I know of, but ask Tri.

 

Camera, carry in shoulder bag, but act like you would anywhere else. Really not as bad as Italy in the 70s.

 

For a fact get vaccinated for Denge (although maybe it has died out with the winter, but I dont’ know that, but they sure had an outbreak at the end of their summer. I took yellow fever, tetanus booster and dinge - and to be safe, I took the malaria pills one week before leaving and however long you’re supposed to when I got back - they’re once a week.

 

The Marriott - you only go in and out through the front, but the whole area in the back at night is iffy, and outright uncomfortable late at night. But again, do as in New York. Don’t use the conference center at the hotel - about 10 times higher than the internet cafe on the street behind the hotel.

The city, as everyone has said, is pretty, the people are wonderful, and it’s just fun becoming immersed in a different culture. Hard to believe, the 7th largest economy in the world.

 

But read the other threads by SoCal and Tri - they and traveller are the experts.

 

As far as the language, I bought Berlitz, and learned enough to order off a menu, get a paper and use a cab. And I guess to use the boys, but I learned those words here on the board. But in a pinch, they seemed to understand "rapido" also.

[Boston Guy]

Thanks. :-)

 

BG

[trilingual]

Neither few nor simple! You really need to read through the various threads on this site (if you haven't already) because an awful lot of these questions have been discussed extensively. However, briefly:

 

1. The international airport is about 30 - 40 minutes from Copacabana, depending on traffic. When you leave customs, and after you've changed money, go to one of the taxi booths (Coopertramo or Transcopass) in the lobby and buy a voucher for a radio taxi to your hotel. This is more expensive than the regular yellow cabs, but it's safer and you won't have to worry about being driven the long way around, etc. Especially useful for first-timers. When you return to the airport, the hotel can get you a yellow cab; they'll get a driver they know. Fare will be roughly the same, but you pay what's on the meter.

 

2. Ironically, the Av. Atlântica, where the Marriott is located, is probably more dangerous than the rest of the neighborhood. It's lined with high-end apartments and hotels, so muggers have figured out that there's money there! Dress inconspicuously, wear no jewelry or expensive watches, and act like you know where you are and where you're going. You should be OK. Stay alert the same way you would in any big city. I know there's crime, but I've walked all around Copacabana at all hours of the day and night and never had a problem. Maybe it's just dumb luck, but I follow the above guidelines and it seems to have worked!

 

3. The ATMs in Blockbuster are Citibank's. At other banks, not all ATMs are connected to the international network, so you have to ask which one is linked. I've had good luck using the ATMs at HSBC branches. But there are others. The only restaurant I know that doesn't take cards is the "Trattoria" on Fernando Mendes, around the corner from Maxim's. The saunas take cards. So do supermarkets, etc.

 

4. Casual. Shirts with buttons and collars (as opposed to t-shirts) are considered dressy in Rio. Combined with a pair of slacks (instead of jeans) you'll be nicely dressed. There are very few places where you need a coat and tie, and you probably won't be going to them.

 

5. Go to the top of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado. Go downtown (only on a weekday) to explore the area around Cinelândia (the Theatro Municipal, Museum of Fine Arts, National Library), the old commercial center (with a stop for lunch or snacks at Confeitaria Colombo), and the "Cultural Corridor" from Praça XV to Av. Pres. Vargas along r. 1º de Março (the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil always has something interesting, as do the numerous other cultural centers along the street). There's much more, but you can get that from standard guidebooks, and you don't have much time, so you'll have to save those for next trip.

 

6. Customs are similar, although people run on Latin, not Anglo-Saxon time. If you make a date, they'll be late. Don't use the word "esquisito" to describe food or something else you think is exquisite. In Portuguese it means "weird, strange, bizarre." Instead, use "muito gostoso." Don't use the hand gesture with the thumb and index finger forming a circle to indicate "everything's OK." It's an obscene gesture in Brazil. Instead use the thumbs-up gesture. ALWAYS greet people with "bom dia," "boa tarde," etc. before any other conversation, including in shops and when you get into a cab. Otherwise you'll be considered a gigantic boor.

 

7. Camera safety: buy something at a supermarket or Lojas Americanas (my favorite "boutique" in Rio; it's like Woolworth's) and use the plastic shopping bag with a common local logo to carry your camera in when you're out on the street or riding buses.

 

8. You don't need yellow fever shots, malaria prophylaxis, or any other unusal medical procedures to visit Rio, SP, or other major cities. They're advisable if you're going to the Amazon, the Pantanal, or rural areas of the Northeast. I don't think there is a vaccine for dengue. Take good insect repellent and use it. Especially at dawn or dusk, try to wear long trousers and long sleeved shirts (plus the insect repellent) to reduce the risk of dengue, which is mosquito-borne. (Malaria is also mosquito-borne, so the same precautions apply in areas where there's a malaria risk.)

[+ Lucky]

Tri, have you ever considered writing a book on Brazil for gay travellers? You have so much information, and you express it so well. I'd buy the book!

[Guest Tomcal_]

I would never disagree with Tri, he is the Expert. But I have to say, i never felt anything but very safe on Atlantica Ave, around the Marriott or down the 6 blocks to Maxims' restaurant, I have walked this route nearly every night usually between midnight and 2:00 a.m. to got eat there after coming back from the suanas(or one of the other ourdoor dining restaurants located on Atlantica between the Marriott and Maxim's)This was on all three of my visits to Rio this past year. There are always many people out walking, many with their dogs, reminds me a lot of NYC, never have I been approached by anyone nor see anyone that remotely looked threatening. More often then not I was walking alone at this hour(see LAShowbiz's comments on the other thread to explain why }> ) But I take the same precautions as I do in NYC - where I am this weekend and walked back to the hotel at 3:00 this morning!!! I stay on streets where there are people, I never look down or avert looking at people, act Like you know where your going. My friends who have been with me on these trips agree. We always felt very safe, although the last 3 or 4 blocks walking to Rogers can make you feel a little insecure the first time, becasue it feels like a "rougher area, but it's not and I have walked it alone many times at midnight. As far as the Marriott goes, I thought it was and is a very safe area for tourists.

[Boston Guy]

>Neither few nor simple! You really need to read through the

>various threads on this site (if you haven't already)

>because an awful lot of these questions have been discussed

>extensively.

 

:-)

 

Sorry!! I have read, I think, virtually everything that has been posted here. However, I've been reading it as it appears and didn't think any of my questions had been previously answered. Nor had they been answered by the guidebook I bought or the material I've downloaded on Brazil and will take with me.

 

(OK, I admit the taxi answer was sort of answered by the online Rio sites, although none of them or the guidebooks answered the question in nearly as good or complete a way as you did and certainly none of them addressed their answer to a future visitor to the Marriott!)

 

I do appreciate the time you took to answer my questions. I think you've brought up a fair amount of new info here, which I suspect will be helpful to many of us. I particularly appreciate your commens on the airport taxis, sites to see in Rio, customs and disease prophylaxis.

 

So thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience so generously. If we're ever in Rio at the same time, I will happily buy you dinner.

 

>However, briefly:

>

 

I think, perhaps, that you and I share a common notion of the meaning of the word 'brief'. ;-)

 

BG

[Boston Guy]

TC:

 

Thanks for adding your experience. I, too, walk the streets of Manhattan and other cities late at night and I consider myself pretty streetwise (as well as a night-owl). I do think looking like you know where you are going and walking confidently can make a difference.

 

I used to regularly walk from the Village to the Upper West Side at 4:00 am, just because I liked the walk and the feel of the city at that kind of in-between time of night and never had a problem. Only once in New York did I find myself in what felt like a bad situation, a long time ago, when I was walking from Uncle Charley's to Limelight at 3:00 am. I got out of it by walking straight up the middle of Sixth Avenue, with cars whizzing around me. Not, probably, the recommended solution, but it worked.

 

BG