Brazil

This page was written to answer questions I get from friends who want to visit or know a bit about Brazil.

Brazil

Brazil is best known for its music (Samba, Bossa Nova ), its coffe (not as well marketed as the Colombian), its orange juice (which is the base of most "from concentrate"), the beaches ( Ipanema and Copacabana being the most famous), and its world superlatives: soccer (the best), Carnival (the biggest), Amazon rain forest (the largest).

A Brazilian would say that the country is a lot more than that. But, because it is large and diverse, it is difficult for the foreign visitor to escape some level of stereotyping when consolidating all the impressions from visiting it.

Geography

Brazil is larger in territory than the 50 continental states and has more regional differences than the US. So, do not expect to get to know the country in a short visit. If all you have is 10 days of vacation, you will have to pick a couple of places to sample.

Being in the South hemisphere, the seasons are inverted compared to the US (summer is in December, winter is in July). That matters in the South/Southeast (the tropic of Capricorn crosses Sao Paulo city). In the North/Northeast (the Equator crosses the Amazon), it is summer all year.

The land is mostly flat with elevations rarely exceeding 2500 ft. There is no regular snow or extreme temperatures (temperatures are between 0-36C or 32-90F most of the time anywhere). No volcanic activity, earthquakes, tornados or hurricanes.

Language and Culture

Differently from the rest of Latin America, Brazil speaks Portuguese.  You won't find a lot of English speaking people on the streets, but people will make an effort to communicate through gestures and other means if you need help. Knowing some Spanish may help, since it is fairly close to Portuguese.

Most of the about 200 million people is Roman Catholic, but there is a lot of other influences (especially African) mixed up. Brazilians are usually described as "fun people". They are warm and friendly. There are US American influences mixed in the mostly European cultural background.

They dress casually, but fashionably.  They like soccer and car racing, they discuss the solution for all the world problems around a bar table, drinking beer. In general, they are perceived as happy and optimistic people.

If you are going there in business, you will most likely be in Sao Paulo. The business culture is as close to the US as it can be. In business, dress code is a bit more formal than in California (suit and tie for sales and business meetings is typical), but not by much (you will be fine with a jacket and not tie). Other than language, general customs, greetings, business etiquette will pose no big challenge even to the inexperienced. When in doubt, dress, act and behave as you normally would and you will be fine.

History and Politics

The country was colonized by Portuguese. African slaves were brought during colonial times. In the early 1900's, more immigrants (mostly Germans, Italians, Portuguese and Japanese) came to work in the cities and agricultural fields.

After the Independence from Portugal in the 18th Century, Brazil became a Republic in 1889. During the 60's and early 70's, the power was held by military dictatorship. During the 80's, Brazil transitioned to a democracy. The transitions happened without major civil conflicts and wars.

As of 2006, the president is Luis Inacio da Silva ("Lula"), an ex-metal worker and union leader. The political system is a presidential democratic republic with direct popular elections for president every 4 years. There is a congress and a senate, both elected directly by popular vote.

Economy and Money

With a diversified industry, Brazil still exports a lot of basic materials and agricultural products. While Brazil is far from being a developed country, it is big and important in the world economy. Brazil represents about half of the Latin America economy and, depending on how you measure, it is somewhere between the 8th and the 12th economy in the planet. The problem is that this wealth is not equally distributed and the are social contrasts and problems have continental dimension.

The currency is the Real (R$), which is worth about US$0.45 (US$1 = R$2.2) as of early 2006. Prices in Brazil are low for the US American, especially when it comes to products with high labor content (food at restaurants, taxi rides, etc). For example, as of 2006 you can eat lunch for for about $3.

Credit cards are accepted in most stores in large cities. In smaller cities or if you want to sample food at the small corner store, it is better to have some cash.

Regional differences and Weather

The South (RS, SC, PR states) has strong European (German, Italian) influences and is home to the famous Iguacu Falls. Weather is tempered (cold in the winter, but no snow). The cities are well organized and the quality of life is reasonably high.

The Southeast (SP, RJ, ES, MG states) concentrates most of the industry and economy. São Paulo city (20 million people in the metropolitan area, Italian and Japanese influences) and Rio de Janeiro are two large cities, with all the problems that come with it (violence, traffic, pollution, etc). Weather is hot and humid the summer (up to 35C or 90F or so, similar to the US South), cooler but not cold during winter (never below freezing, also humid). Spring and Fall days can be colder or warmer between those two extremes. The seasons are not as well defined as in the US. 

The Northeast is economically poorer but culturally rich and the pace of life is more relaxed. There are more African and Portuguese cultural influences. Most of the population concentrate along the large cities on the Atlantic coast. Weather is hot and dry (similar to Californian summer year around).

Most of the mid-West and North is very empty and covered by the Pantanal wetlands and the Amazon rain forest. The population density and development levels are low. Weather is always hot and humid.

Food and Drink

There is no single Brazilian cuisine. Food is a mix of various European and African influences and the proportions of the mix change according to the region.

The closest to the standard everyday meal is composed by rice (seasoned with garlic, salt, onions and sautéed before cooking) and  beans soup (black or pinto beans, sausage), a green salad (lettuce, tomato, palm hearts, seasoned with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper) and some beef (thin steak pan fried).

The typical dishes varies according to the region. They eat a lot of beef in the "gaucho" South ("Brazilian steakhouses" or "Churrascarias" are now present in several places in the US), Pizza and Italian food in Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo has the highest variety of quality international cuisine), fish and cassava flour as you go North.

The national typical dish is the "Feijoada", which was the dish cooked by the slaves in colonial time. Black beans are slowly cooked with pork meat and served with sides of rice, sautéed collard greens, cassava flour.

If you are a visitor guided by a local, you will probably be taken to a Churrascaria on your first night and to a pizza place on the second night. If you stay for the weekend, they will take you for Feijoada on Saturday. For the most part, Brazilian food will not look, taste or feel too exotic. Food and water in the cities are safe and, on the contrary, ingredients will be fresher, cleaner and higher quality compared to what you would find in the US.

To the average American or Asian taste, Brazilian food will taste saltier and less spicy than normal (usually, specially in the South, food is seasoned with garlic/onion/salt/pepper and no other spices).

Brazilians don't drink much wine. Beer is consumed in very large quantities and is invariable a very light Pilsner (not very different from US major brand beers). Other beer varieties (porters, ales, etc) are not common. You will find freshly made fruit juices everywhere. If you are in the Northeast, you will find dozens of fruits you probably have never heard of.

Getting Around:

Car rentals and gas are expensive (more so than in the US). In the cities you have plenty of public transportation to go anywhere and taxi rides are inexpensive. If you decide to drive, be aware that driving is very aggressive and, in the big cities, very chaotic. Traffic rules are the same as in the US. Sao Paulo is extremely congested and crossing the city during the rush hour can take several hours.

Don't plan to drive cross country as the distances are great. Internal travel by air is relatively expensive too, so plan your visit carefully. Even a relatively short drive between Sao Paulo and Rio takes between 5-6 hours.

When walking in the cities, be travel smart. Avoid dressing like a tourist (Tevas, Hawaiian shirts, shorts), don't behave like a clueless tourist with a video camera hanging from the neck. Be alert, don't carry too much money. Leave the passport in the hotel safe and... relax, you are in vacation.

As for tourist destination, the most popular are:

• Rio de Janeiro. Well known for its beaches (who has never heard of the Girl from Ipanema or Copacabana Beach?) and the Carnival (the 5-day festival right before Lens). The landmarks are the beaches themselves, the "Corcovado" (a boulder with the open-armed Christ on the top), the "Sugar Loaf" (another rock boulder). The city has a lot of charm, but it is difficult for the the tourist to explore independently (crime, violence). Best bet is to get a tour or have a local friend/guide.

• Foz do Iguacu. That is the name of the city (named after the Iguacu river). I have not been there, but they say the waterfalls are by far more impressive than Niagara Falls

• Salvador. A city full of history and cultural traditions. It is the second most popular tourist destination. The major attractions, besides beaches and the history, is also the Carnival (much less of a spectator sport than in Rio, you actually get to participate in it). Being a large city, it is also somewhat scary to the unseasoned visitor.

• São Paulo. The second largest city in the planet. It is a very modern and cosmopolitan city, with excellent food, culture, and nightlife, but most people goes there for business, not for pleasure.

• The Northeast. North of Salvador, along the coast, the other state capitals are less crowded.  If you are looking for the best beaches and relaxation, this is where you want to spend most of the time after a quick look at Rio. I personally like Natal and Fortaleza.

• The Amazon Rain Forest. It has been damaged mostly by first-world economic interests and by our incompetence in promoting the economic integration of the region and the local people (part of them native indians), but it is still there. Contrary to what most people think, it is not the lung of the planet, but it still concentrates an incredible variety of fauna and flora.

• The Pantanal wetlands. The area covered by Mato Grosso state. Very rich in fauna and flora and relatively unknown outside Brazil.

• Buenos Aires, the capital of Brazil. Not really. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia, an uninteresting city (unless you are an architect) in the state of Goias in the central area of Brazil. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, which is not a Brazilian province, but an independent country. Argentineans think they are the best, but they are not (specially in soccer). Brazilians are.

I've been to Brazil:

Parana/Santa Catarina: The European South
Sao Paulo: Was born there. A cosmopolitan metropolis
Rio de Janeiro: The beautiful and violent Rio
Bahia: The land of the Carnival
Pernambuco/Sergipe: Good memories
Rio Grande do Norte: The best beaches
Ceara: Nice beaches
Mato Grosso: The Pantanal
Brasilia, Porto Alegre: Just quick stops, don't really know much

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