18 - Transport

There are frequent flights between Paris and Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo (6 times a week), Brazilia and Recife, Belem and Manaos.
Varig is a Brazilian company flying from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle to Rio at 10.20 pm every evening.
Some flights stop over in Rio (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) and others in Salvador (Thursdays). The flight lasts 11 hours.

Air France has five flights a week, three of which are direct to Rio and two stop over in Recife.

Other companies. Tap Air Portugal, Iberia, Aerolineas, Argentinas.

There are no charter flights.

Internal transport :

As Brazil is such a vast country, most of the travelling is done by plane.
Also the train services are limited, there are less rails (only 30,000 kms) than roads.
Roads and highways covers over 1.5 million kms.
Not many people have cars, only one person in ten.

The main airline companies :
VASP, Transbrasil and Varig. T
here is a travel pass system of 5 flight vouchers for 440 dollars.
Airport taxes vary between 50 and 60 FF.

There are plenty of taxis and they are divided into two types, the first is reserved for business men (Executivos). Watch out for public transport, it takes lots of detours before arriving at the final destination. The underground network is rather limited.

There is a lot of maritime transport. Brazil has 35 major ports and deals with a global tonnage of 40% of all the Latin American cargo.

9 -Time differences
The time difference with France is -3 hours in winter and -5 hours in summer.

20 - Telecommunications

Telephone :

The telephone system works well.
The telephone booths look like big ears and work with cards that you can buy in newspaper kiosks and post offices.

How to phone Brazil from Europe :
Dial 00 55 followed by the indicative of the town and the number of your correspondent
(11 for Sao Paulo, 21 for Rio)

How to phone France from Brazil :
Dial 00 33 followed by the number of your correspondent.

Radio/Newspapers :

It is difficult to find a French daily paper in the kiosks in Sao Paulo, the best place is on the Avenida Paulista where you will find them, but at a very high price.
Local newspapers :
The Brasil Herald
La Tolha de Sao Paulo
L’O Estado
The Globo

You can pick up French radio stations but the reception in the towns is bad.
Record Capital and Globo are the two biggest local companies running over 150 private radios.
You can also pick up France Inter and Radio France International.

There are several private television channels :
La Globo Bandeirantes,
TVS,
TV ABRIL,
TVE éducaçao (public channel)

21 - Airports

There are 10 international airports in Brazil.
The international airport of Garulhos is 40 kms out of the centre of Sao Paulo.

22 - Car rental

Avis have offices in nearly all the towns in Brazil.
The telephone number of the central reservation office is :
0800 55 8066 (toll free) for national reservations
and from San Paulo : 253 2088.
For international reservations :
0800 19 8456 (toll free) and from San Paulo : 4225 8456
A few towns :
Belo Horizonte : 55 31 491 1422
Brasilia : airport 55 61 365 2344
Curitiba : 55 41 278 8808, airport 55 41 381 1383
Florianopolis : 55 48 225 7777, airport 55 48 236 1426
Fortaleza : 55 85 261 6785, airport 55 85 477 1303
Londrina : 55 43 330 4030, airport 55 43 325 1051
Manaus : 55 92 234 4440, airport 55 92 652 1579
Maringa : airport 55 44 226 7755
Natal : 55 84 215 5644, airport 55 84 215 5696
Navegantes : airport 55 47 3421777
Porto Alegre : 55 51 342 0400, airport 55 51 372 4344
Recife : 55 81 462 5069, airport 55 81 464 4016
Rio de Janeiro : 55 21 542 5299, airport 55 21 398 5060
Salvador : 55 71 245 2000, airport 55 21 377 2276
Sao Luis : 55 98 244 2350, airport 55 98 217 6180
Sao Paulo : 55 11 6721 9466/55 11 3865 5000, airport 55 11 6445 4294
Vitoria : 55 27 200 3999, airport 55 27 327 2348

All Avis cars are completely equipped, have done less than 15,000 kms and have an average age of 3 months.
The vehicles are carefully prepared and checked between each rental using a procedure containing 7 obligatory control points.
The cars are rented with a full tank.
Renting from Avis automatically means that the car passengers, renter and/or driver are covered by a third party insurance as well as an insurance covering repatriation and the immobilization of the vehicule in case of an accident.

You can reserve a car :
- from your travel agent
- from the international reservation centre at 0 820 05 05 05
- or from any Avis agency
Avis has an interactive network worldwide, a client can reserve a car instantly from anywhere in the world.

We recommend that you pay your rental using your accredited Avis card or with another credit card accepted by Avis : American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners.
Through a simple free membership system, Avis gives identity and/or payment cards, which are a real help for a rapid and efficient service.

REASSURING : No on-line payment, you can pay Avis directly at the agency when you return the car
RAPID : Avis has the quickest car rental reservation service on the web
ECONOMICAL : The cheapest rates on the market are available on the Avis microsite
COMPLETE : You can rent a car anywhere in the world.
The Avis network : 5000 agencies in 172 countries, is now on-line!
EFFICIENT : Find your town (you don't have to fill in the country), enter the date and click on estimate
PRACTICAL : You only have to fill in 4 boxes and you will receive an e-mail confirming the reservation.
You can even rent a vehicle at the last minute just round the corner or ... on the other side of the worl You can even rent a vehicle at the last minute just round the corner or ... on the other side of the world.

23 - Hotels & restaurants

5 star hotels are relatively cheap and their service is way above that of a 3 or 4 star hotel.

SAO PAULO

Hotel Intercontinental
Manages the feat of being silent in spite of being situated only one road away from the Avenue Paulista in the heart of the city. The bathtubs in each room are equipped with jacuzzis.

Eldorado Higienopolis
Old fashioned charm in this ex-palace which has fallen a bit into disuse but which still remains the preferred meeting place for the television actors from Globo.

SALVADOR

Tropical de Bahia*****
292 rooms, in the centre of the town, it's main inconveniences are the noise and its distance from the sea.

Méridien Bahia*****
The biggest hotel in town, it is not in the centre, nor near the beaches. There are 426 rooms, a Jangada brasserie, an American style bar with good shows, a snack bar and a restaurant, a swimming pool, a sauna, a sports club, a tennis club, shops and a discotheque.

Sofitel Bahia*****
Considered to be the most pleasant hotel in town. The services are good quality : numerous sporting activities, art galleries, a pool, shops and hairdressers, a sauna, a games room, tennis court, volleyball court. It is 25 kms out of the centre and its only inconvenience is that there are not many rooms.

RIO

Rio Othon Palace*****
Situated in the centre of Copacabana it offers a view over the bay and on the Sugarloaf. There are 374 standard rooms on 23 floors and 110 luxury rooms, 19 suites and several VIP floors with VIP rooms. All the rooms have a view on the sea. There are several restaurants (Greek, Japanese and international), a piano bar, a ballroom for 450 people, 5 conference rooms, a reception area for VIPs, a pool, a sports club and a sauna.

Copacabana Palace*****
It belongs to the Orient Express Hotel chain and it dominates the beach. There are 223 rooms and suites (certain are being renovated) and various services : a restaurant, pool, sports room, meeting rooms, small salons and a theatre.

Mirador Rio Hotel****
Opened two years ago, this hotel is good value for money, in spite of being 400 meters from the beach near the Avenue Atlantica. There are 138 rooms on 12 floors, and a restaurant, bar, pool, sauna, three salons and a floor reserved for conferences.

Sheraton Rio*****
Situated at the end of the Leblon beach it is rather far from the main tourist centres. It has 617 rooms, restaurants, pizzerias, pool, tennis courts, sports club, sauna, etc.

FOZ DE IGUACU

Das Cataratas*****
It is nearly the only hotel installed in the natural park of Iguaça, near the waterfall. There are 200 rooms (only a few have a sea view), a restaurant, games room, pool, tennis court and shopping gallery.

24 - Your suitcase

From December to April take summer clothes, preferably in cotton or linen with one or two sweaters for the airconditioning and a raincoat.
For May to November take more woollens and a jacket for the evenings.
If you are going to Brazilia, Sao Paulo and the south coast take light clothing with something to protect you in the cool evenings and from the winter wind.
If you are going to Amazonia take cotton clothing which is easy to look after and covers you completely to avoid mosquito bites. You will probably also need a light jacket in this part of Brazil.

25 - Banks

Nine French banks are established in Rio de Janeiro.
The bank agencies are open from 10 am to 4 pm.
To withdraw money it is better to go the the bigger Banco do Brazil agencies.
They are the only ones, with the Banco National, able to do major operations.

Banco BNP Brasil S.A.
Rua Joaquim Floriano - 14° andar
04534-000-Sao Paulo (SP) - Brazil
Tel. : (55 11) 3048 90 00 - Fax (55 11) 3048 91 91
Telex : 31938 BNPR BR - Swift : BNPA BR SP
bnp@bnp.com.br
Swift : BNPA BR SP 

BNP Agency of Sao Paulo
Rua Joaquim Floriano - 14° andar
04534-000-Sao Paulo (SP)
Tel : (55 11) 820 6320 - Fax (55 11) 822 6493
bureau@bnp.com.br

26 - Schools & Schooling

There is no automatic equivalence between the French and the Brazilian diplomas.
To enter university a Brazilian student has to sit a very selective entrance exam, the vestibular.
It is prepared in private cramming courses known as cursinhos.
Public secondary schooling is not very good and people who can afford it send their children to private schools.
In fact nearly all the university students come from private schools.

There are three very good French schools, which cost from 12,000 to 34,000 FF per year.

BRASILIA.

Lycée François Mitterand,
Avenida W 4 Sul Quadra 907.BRASILIA DF.
Tel : 243 64 64
From pre-school to secondary (6th to 1st form).
The fees have to be paid in advance and paid month by month, they are for ten months and have to be paid in French francs.
French pupils have a 20% reduction.
The school year starts in September and ends at the end of June.

RIO DE JANEIRO

Lycée Molière,
Rua Pereira da Silva, 728 Laranjeiras Rio de Janeiro 22221-140
Tel : (55) 21 556 62 96 Fax : (55) 21 205 90 14 Internet : moliere@uninet.com.br
Homologous level of education :
kindergarten : from 3 years old
primary: from CP to CM2
secondary : from the 6th form to the 3rd form - high school : from 2nd form to Terminals L-ES-S
N° of students : 689 of which 419 are French
Annual school fees : 31 000 FF
School year : February to December
Languages taught : 1st languages English and Portugues, 2nd languages : German and Spanish

RECIFE

Rua dos Navegantes 910. Boa Viagem.51021 RECIFE PE.Tel : (081) 326 80 02.
From pre-school (from 2 years old), to secondary (6th to 3rd forms).
The inscription fees must be paid in Brazilian currency and amount to a month's schooling. All students get 3 hours lessons of Portuguese per week.

SAO PAULO

Lycée Pasteur, Rua Vergueiro.3799, Vila Mariana.04101 SAO PAULO SP.
Tel : 5494822 or 5494165.Fax : 5716076. Internet : lyceepasteur.sp@ibm.net
From pre-school up to preparation for the IEP entrance exam.
Families who have several children in the school can get a reduction in the fees.
Homologous level of education.
Half-board and school bus.
kindergarten : from 3 years old
primary : from CP to CM2
secondary : from the 6th form to the 3rd form - high school : from 2nd form to Terminals L-ES-S
N° of students : 1,003 of which 526 are French
Annual school fees : 34,700 FF
School year : from February to December
Languages taught : 1st language English and Portuguese, 2nd language : German and Spanish
other : Latin.

You can ask for a school grant (if you are French) to help you to finance your studies or those of your children, you have to fulfill certain conditions however :

- the candidate and his family must reside in the country where the school is situated
- it must be a French school
- the person asking and his family must be registered with the Embassy
- these grants are only available for primary and secondary schooling, they can cover the fees, half-board or boarding
- they are for families who have financial difficulties.

27 - Guides

Collection Un marché : Brazil
A general view of the Brazilian economy, of the market approach, trading and practical advice. CFCE.41003 - 1994 - 199 pages, 120 frs.

Brazil : List of companies and products. Kompass. 76684 - 2 volumes - Annual - 1835 frs.

Conditions of access to Brazil. Note PEE (the Trade Commission) Brasilia. E34236/94X - 1994 - 55 pages, 345 frs.

Foreign investment in Brazil. Note PEE Rio Brasilia. E37738/94X - 1994 - 21 pages, 345 frs.

(all these documents are in French)

28 - Observations

The standard of living :

75% of households have running water, 88% have electricity and 73% have mains drainage.
Child mortality is four times higher than the average in industrialized countries, 56 for 1000.
Literacy is progressing, the rate is 84% nowadays.

The basic local diet is black beans and rice.
A European in Brazil can continue to eat as he is accustomed, but the quality of the food is usually not so good and it is very expensive.
Some things like French cheeses cannot be found.

Price of a restaurant : 160 to 320 FF
Price of a good quality hotel : 1 300 à 1 800 FF
Taxi airport -town centre (Sao Paulo) : 300 FF
Cinema seat : 55 FF

A bachelor needs 8,000 to 12,000 FF a month to live and a couple with two children will spend from
12,000 to 20,000 FF a month.

Salaries vary enormously from one region to another and are much higher in the Sao Paulo region.
On average a manager earns over 30,000 FF,a senior engineer about 10,500 FF,a commercial salesman about
6,000 FF and a bilingual secretary about 7,000 FF.

It is not difficult to find accomodation whether it is a flat or a house, but the prices are constantly going up. For instance a simple 3 room flat in San Paulo costs 8,000 - 10,000 FF a month, in the best districts you have to count about 4,000$ a month for 200 m2 with 3 bedrooms.
Watch out for the extra charges like caretaker, cleaning, water, garage etc which are extremely high.

It is difficult to get a French car repaired in Brazil because there are no French cars sold there.
There are however the same models as sold in France for Volkwagen, Fiat, Ford and Chevrolet.

Only private clubs offer sporting facilities (academias), the alternative is to jog in the parks in the main towns.

If you are an art lover there is a very dynamic cultural life in Brazil. Most of the bigger towns have their museums, their cultural centres and their temporary exhibitions.
In Sao Paulo, for instance, apart from the International Biennial of Plastic Arts there is also 90 theatres and 120 cinemas.

Practical recommendations :

If you live in Brazil don't make long term projects, in Brazil life is lived day by day, and you have to learn to be free the way the Brazilians are.

Don't be offended if you are called by your first name (with your university title to show respect), in Brazil it is normal to be quickly on first name basis.

It is advisable to be discreet about your wealth, don't flash it around, there is a certain amount of criminality and people are obsessed with security.

Don't forget to keep 36 dollars for the airport tax for your return flight.

The name Brazil comes from Pau Brasil, which is a red wood.

Brazil is a tourist heaven, you can find everything in this magnificent country : nature, carnival, exoticism in its art and culture.
With 800 kms of beaches, rivers, waterfalls and forests Brazil presents us with a colourful picture of paradise.
But under its tropical skies, splendid riches are mixed with the deepest poverty.
In Rio the sea is cold and dangerous, it is safer to swim in the hotel pool.
However in Sao Paulo the nearest coast line has wonderful beaches and at only 2 hours out of town you can find secluded ones.
Among its many cultural rites, you will discover Brazilian dances, particularly the Capoeira in Salvador (Bahia) and over a dozen folklore dances.
Also music, theatre and carnival where spring is welcomed to the sound of sambas, bossa-nova and cariocas.

The Carnival of Rio :

It started off as a little "stupid and naughty" game, called l'entrudo, imported by the Portuguese, where the aim was to throw a mixture of flour, vinegar and wine on passers by.
In the 19th century the game became a festival with streamers and confetti, and music with the legendary drums of Zé Pereira.
The Carnival as we know it today, only took its true dimension when the first samba schools opened up in 1929 in the Estacio district.
Over the years it has continued to grow, becoming a myth.

Day and night, for 72 hours, the main street overflows with a continual stream of masks and costumes, competing with each other in extravagance and creative genius.
Each 'tribe' has its batucada, its samba group. In the evenings everyone goes to the balls, only leaving at dawn.
Until Ash Wednesday, the last day of the carnival, the town lives at the rythme of this extraordinary festival where all the superstitions in the world have been mixed.

February is mid-summer, and temperatures vary between 30 and 35°, sometimes going up to 40°, but the sea breeze makes the heat bearable.

Not to be missed in Rio : a visit to Santa Teresa, an old Portuguese colony district, with its wheezy yellow trams.
A walk along the legendary overcrowded beach of Copacabana, the meeting place of every Carioca (as the inhabitants of Rio are known).

In Brazil you can

- go up the Sugar Loaf in the cable car and look out over the panorama of the beaches of Copacabana and Flamenco
- take a trip to Buzios, 130 kms north of Rio, it will take you several days to visit all of its 80 beaches
- cross the forest of Tijuca by train, it is the biggest urban tropical forest in the world, passing via the Taunay waterfall and finishing at the summit of Corcotado overlooking the bay of Guanabara
- if you are a football fan go to a match, if possible in the Macarana which is the biggest football stadium in the world (170,000 seats)
- go on a cruise on the Amazon
- take a dugout canoe ride on the Rio Negro
- visit a gold mine
- hunt or fish
- go on a photo safari in the forest and discover the monkeys, pumas, toucans, pink flamingoes, jaguars and lots of other animals.
The Amazonian fauna and the flora is really unforgettable.

SHOPPING

You can admire or buy precious and semi-precious stones : aquamarines, saphires or emeralds
Silverware, leather and fossilized wood and other artisan work is also available.
Records : "Patrulha do samba", Oasis
"Harmonia do samba", Abril
"Swing tropical" Daniela Mercury

SHOWS

You can't leave Brazil without having gone to a carnival show evening in a samba school or spent an evening at the opera in Rio.

GASTRONOMY

Brazilian cooking is very spicy. You will find a lot of tropical fruit, fish, lobsters, shrimps ...
- Mineira is a dish made of beans and rice, cabbage and thin slices of beef
- Muqueca de Peixe is a speciality made of garlic, onions, tomatoes and coriander over fish and shrimps. The end of the cooking is done in coconut milk.
- the Brazilian national dish, Feyoada, is made of beans with the feet, tail and ears of salted pork, sausages and smoked pork brisket, beef, garlic, onions and olive oil and it is eaten with boiled rice.
- Churrasco is an assortment of grilled meat
- Sarapatel is a mutton and pork stew with tomatoes, peppers and onions.

DRINKS
- Brazil makes its own rum, called Ccchaça
- A guarana is a sparkling drink of Amazonian fruit juice
- a maté or matche is an infusion of maté herbs, a drink of Indian origin