TOURIST
INFORMATION Palmas has no
tourist information office. General information is
available at your hotel. If you want information about the
region around Palmas, you could talk to CATUR (Centro de
Atendimento ao Turista). They have an office at the
Cesamar Park and can arrange a guide for you. Or ask for
the
Amatur (Agencia do Meio Ambiente e Turismo).
If you want more than that, then visit the government
departments called 'Secretarias' in Palmas center, e.g.
Turismo, Communicação, Seplan or Cultura. At these
places you will receive various leaflets, dvd´s and
CDroms. Try also to find IBGE, where you can buy maps.
Some travel agencies in Palmas can help you with organised
trips. See below.
On
your first visit to Palmas, you’ll be amazed at how small
the city really is. The center is where most hotels,
restaurants, banks and shops are located. All within easy
walking distance of each other. The busstation
is 10 minutes away
and
the
airport
is
20 minutes away
from the center.
Most information for visitors is available at the hotels. Whenever you get
lost, you can count on the
Brazilian hospitality.
Many
people will stop what they are doing, to give you
directions,
or
offer you the hospitality of their homes.
TELEPHONE
Area code in Tocantins
is 63.
Local internet providers are rare. You can contact UOL, Terra or
Oi. Fixed lines are in the hands of Oi, and
they are performing badly. GVT, provider of internet via radio
and cable,
is not covering Palmas completely.
Your mobile phone will not work everywhere in Tocantins, as some areas are very
remote.
You can buy Oi, Vivo, Tim or Claro sim cards at the shopping center. You will immediately
receive your new number. Also when you choose for prepaid.
Using public phone:
read more.
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Voltage in Palmas is 220V, frequency cycle is 60Hz, with typical Brazilian two-pin sockets. Power
may
vary, but could be better when the Lajeado power plant is at full steam. Most hotels use
´stabilizadores´ to keep computers running smoothly.
Recommended website about
electricity, plug adapters, voltage converters, etc:
http://users.pandora.be/
POST
The Brazilian word for post is
correios. Visit their website about how to send post.
Opening hours
Shops between 08:00 and 18:00, from Monday to Friday. Saturday until 13:00. Shopping
centers are opened every day until 22:00.
BANKS
The cash machines in Palmas are modern, and it will be no problem to use your cards in
the various banks. All banks are located at the avenida JK, and some
also on Av. Teotonio. Cash
machines can also be found on the second floor of Palmas
Shopping. Banks
are open from 11am to 4pm (and 10am to 3pm during summer time) Monday to Friday. Closed on Saturday. Most accepted credit card is VISA and MasterCard.
TIME
ZONE
The time in those parts of Brazil that are most visited by tourists, is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-3).
UTC-5
Acre, Amazonas (west)
UTC-4
Amazonas
(east), Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Para (west),
Rondonia, Roraima
UTC-3
Alagoas, Amapa, Bahia, Ceará, Distrito Federal, Espírito Santo, Goias, Maranhão,
Minas Gerais, Pará (east), Paraiba, Paraná, Pernambuco (west), Piauí, Rio de Janeiro,
Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
UTC-2
Pernambuco (east)
SUMMER
TIME
Brazil sets its daylight saving period by decree every year. http://pcdsh01.on.br/DecHV.html.
During the period of Daylight Saving Time (October - February), Brazil's clocks go forward one hour in most of the Brazilian southeast.
Currently applies to: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Distrito Federal.
So Tocantins time is always
GMT-3.
WEATHER
/WHEN TO GO ?
Although there is no period to avoid Tocantins for climate
reasons, keep in mind that Tocantins is greener, and therefore
more beautiful, in the period from October to May.
The temperatures in Palmas are extremely regular all year round. Temperatures vary from 30ºC
to 38ºC.
At 08:00 in the morning the sun is already hot. The nights are warm as well and will
not get much under 25ºC.
You will need a ventilator and/or airconditioning.
The months with the highest Feels Like Temperature are Sept-Oct
and Feb-March. These are the months that the sun is coming right
over. Cement walls and floors and tiled roofs start to radiate
when exposed to the sun beams.
There is little wind to help you cool off during the dry season,
although you will notice a breeze on the lake. At 17:00 a little
breeze from the east is a daily welcome guest. During July and
August hot and dry winds and whirlwinds bring dust every day.
Humidity can be above
80% in the rainy season, and below 30% in the dry season.
The grass fires in the dry season can pollute the air.
From November to March is the wet season: that means it is still hot, but it rains
almost
every day in the late afternoon. There is no reason to avoid
Tocantins in this period, on the contrary, but if you like to go
offroad, you should take care.
The soil does not absorb heavy rain very well and unpaved roads
can become less accessible for small cars. Some areas like Ilha
de Bananal will not be accessible by car.
The
dry season is from May to September. That means no rain. The river Araguaia will be
low and many sand beaches are being turned into weekend party villages with family huts
for rent. The Tocantins river is getting more and more regulated by hydro power plants and the
river keeps the same level all year round. Nonetheless you will find party beaches
everywhere, especially during July holidays.
Mid December to mid January and July are the Brazilian holiday months.
Click
here for the Hotel Review and a complete list of hotels.
RESTAURANTS IN PALMAS
Palmas does not yet have a big variety of restaurants, but
the amount of restaurants is increasing rapidly.
And to
Brazilian standards some are
quite good. But in Tocantins, as in the other parts of
Brazil, we should keep in mind
that people go to a restaurant at night to meet friends or
to have a break with the family.
Tocantins, like any other state in Brazil, is not the place to
find exquisite and sophisticated food. This said, when you
travel in the state of Tocantins, you will get simple
food, but it is fresh, healthy, abundant and good.
Brazilians take a simple breakfast, extensive lunch,
and have a snack for dinner. But on occasions they go out
for a dinner. So most restaurants offer a lunch, only a
few offer dinner.
In Palmas many people go home for lunch,
between 12:00 and 14:00. Those who go to a restaurant for lunch, choose for one of
the many airconditioned canteens.
Almost all lunch restaurants are of
the self service type: buffet and grill. And you pay per
kilo.
Well known
lunch canteens are:
Portal do Sul,
Nelson's Churrascaria,
Dom Virgilio,
Muralha Chinesa, and
Fogão a lenha.
Lunch restaurants that have a more pleasant ambiance are
Brasileirinho and Gabriella.
The best lunches are served by two hotels in the center: Victoria Hotel (buffet) and
Hotel Pousada dos Girassois (à la carte).
These indoor restaurants are air-conditioned.
For dinner you have a
limited choice of restaurants with a terrace:
For fish lovers we recommend Tabu.
Recently opened is the classy Mambuca, a very nice bar and
restaurant, although they have the habit to arrange bands
that play terribly.
The three famous pizzerias are all located at JK
West: Paço de pão,
Oasis and Don Vergilio (buffet for lunch and pizza for
dinner). A good alternative is Fratelli, at 104 SUL. Brazilians eat pizza for dinner. These pizzas are
not Italian style, but American and have lots of cheese. At Oasis you can order a
pizza the way you like. Typical for Palmas are
the Espetos (skewers). Each bar, petrol station and each
street corner seems to have an ambulant espeto bar. And
these espetos go well with
the -just as typical- Skol beer. Often mentioned to be the best
skewer restaurant of town is Odessa,
near
hotel Italia. They offer delicious side dishes. On
Saturdays they serve Feijoada for lunch. Owner of this restaurant has been chef for
12 years in Europe and regularly cooks exquisite dishes
for groups on request.
For a pasta you could try Boa Massa, if you are not too
demanding. Expect to pay dearly.
Remarks:
. Many restaurants are closed on
Sundays and Mondays. On Sunday evening it is crowded at the few
restaurants that are opened.
.
Indoor smoking is not allowed in Brazil. . There seems to be no regularity
whether the bar or restaurant offers live music and/or has a
radio or tv turned on. But wherever you go, there will be music.
If you ask, they will turn the volume down a little.
In
the air-conditioned Palmas Shopping you find a variety of
snack bars, and it is the ideal location for a quick lunch.
At the Avenida JKEast you find many fast food lunch
restaurants, and you better avoid them.
JK West
is the place to have a pizza.
A good place for a quiet dinner, good food and Brasilian wine:
hotel Pousada dos Girassois, located westside of the Palace
square. No terrace.
On the Avenida Teutonio you find several popular
restaurants: Tabu (dinner with terrace), Nelson Churrascaria
(lunch), Fogão a lenha, and Muralha Chinesa (lunch)
A typical messy street is
Avenida Palmas Brasil (between Quadra 604 and 704).
It is 1km of sertões type of bars and restaurants. Extremely popular is the grilled-chicken-bar
called Frango Assado.
If you like kibe, then we recommend to go to Salim Shop.
Quadra 204
has two bar-restaurants that are aimed at the upper class of the
area. Mercato and Nagay. The upper class will also visit Bistro
Adelaide, well hided at Quadra 110. Typical
dish
The
indians in the region planted maize, mandioca, peanuts, abobora
and sweet potatoes. And they used to hunt and fish. A tipical dish
of the Xerente, Apinaye and Kraho indians is called Paparuto, a
mix of mandioca with meat, folded in banana leaves, bonded with
Buriti ropes and put in the earth with hot stones for a whole
night to cook. A banquet for weddings, nominations and season
parties. You will not find this meal anymore: a lack of game to
catch, and the original types of maize do no longer exist.
But
we can enjoy a whole lot of typical dishes of Tocantins:
Picadinho
or Pinicado (carne do sol cut to pieces, with cassava or
pumpkin)
Mocotó
(caldo de chambari)
Chambari
(osso buco)
Arroz
com pequi
Galinha
caipira
Pirão
de bacaba
Peixe
com leite de babaçu
Galinhada
Buchada
(stomach)
Sarapatéu
(stomach cut to very small pieces)
Pamonha
Panelada
(cow entrails)
Paçoca
(carne do sol -pound in mortar-, farinha, onions)
Farinha
de carne seca
Vegetables:
Chuchu, Abóbora, Chicória, Maxixe
Beans:
Feijao Trepa-Pau (small brown beans, delicious !), Fava
Fish
from rivers: Pirarucu, Tambaqui, Surubim, Tucunaré, Pacu,
Curimatá. Served grilled, 'na palha' (in banana leaves) or
´na telha´ (on a tile).
Sweets:
Doce de Caju / Mangaba / Buriti
Tip
for further reading:
www.brazilmax.com
(Eat smart in Brazil)
Please feel free to mail us your personal favourite
restaurants of Tocantins if you have been there recently.
BARS AND
ICECREAM PARLOURS
Palmas has about 50 quadras
(blocks) and in every block you can have your cold beer at one or two terrace
bars.
The best bars of Palmas:
Vila de Palma. This is a large bar at the
avenida Teutonio. You may have to pay an entrance fee, but in return you can
enjoy live music in a nice ambiance which is mainly in open air.
Mambuca. A bar with a nice panorama, near the cultural center.
Choose to sit on the terrace or in the large airconditioned room.
A very popular bar is at the Graciosa beach. Visit also the other beaches: Praia
do Prata and Praia dos Arnos.
For a coffee and pie we recommend Galeria Cafe, opposite home center
Alvorada.
Icecream parlours there are plenty. Most
of them closed at night. We cannot recommend any, as no place has exceptional great icecream
and/or has a nice ambiance to enjoy your refreshment.
TRANSPORT IN PALMAS
Citizens of Palmas,
called 'Palmenses', take the
motobike, car or the bus to cross the city. As temperatures are
high and busrides can be really hot, we suggest to take a taxi at the moment you arrive.
CAR RENTAL (Autolocadora):
The following companies have an office at the Palmas airport, in
the main hall: Hertz;Av. Teotônio Segurado, ACSU SE 10 Conj. 01 Lote 06 - Centro; Tel 215-1900
/ 978-1900 Localiza; ACSO 02, CJ. 02, LT 41 - Setor Comercial; Tel 215-1707 / 978-2361,
fax: 215-1707 Unidas; ACSO 01, Cj. 02, Lt 31; Tel 215-1710 / 978-3710
AIRPORT
Name: Aeroporto Brigadeiro Lysias Rodrigues ( Brigadeiro Lysias
Rodrigues airport )
Official website:
www.infraero.gov.br
IATA code: PMW
Terminals: 1
Airlines: Gol, TAM
Destinations: Brasilia, São Paulo Congonhas, Goiania, Rio de
Janeiro-Galeão
Services: ATM, post, public telephones, Wi-Fi access, bars, tourist
info desk, artesanato shop, bookshop.
Tel: +55 (0) (63) 3219-3700
Address: Jardim Aureny III ,CEP: 77000-000
Distance: 20km from Palmas center
Airport rent a car: see above
Airport taxi: Aeropalmas Táxi Aéreo 2161026 ; Cota Táxi Aéreo
2163208
TAM ACSO 2 - Conj 2 - Lote 43 - CEP 77163010
Tel 2157722
TAXI
Rádio Táxi Araguaia
2143044
Rádio Táxi Palmas
2161261
Rádio Táxi Lotaxi
2151023
BUS STATION (Rodoviária)
The bus station is at the highway to Taquaralto, 10km south of the
centre.
Rodoviária de Palmas
Tel: 2175688
EMERGENCY IN PALMAS
Dial 190 for police, 193 to report a fire, 194 for assistance with car accidents,
and 192 to summon an ambulance.
PASSPORT / VISA
REQUIREMENTS
Brazil has a "reciprocal visa policy," which means that it requires visas of
citizens from countries that require visas of Brazilians. Americans, Canadians,
Australians, and New Zealand citizens all need visas (UK citizens do not) which can be
obtained by applying at Brazilian embassies and consulates. Visas are valid up to 90 days
before your arrival, then another 90 once you have arrived. If your visa expires
while you are there, you can renew it for another 90 days.
These requirements are subject
to change. Check with the embassy or consulate in your home country before you depart.
Australian and New Zealand citizens:
A passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry and an onward ticket are
required. If traveling on business, a business visa is required.
Canadian citizens:
A passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry and an onward ticket are
required. If traveling on business, a business visa is required.
EU citizens:
A passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry and an onward ticket are
required. Citizens of France are also required to obtain a tourist visa. Visitors
traveling on business must obtain a business visa. Japanese citizens: A passport valid for
at least six months from the date of entry, a return ticket, and a visa (usually good for
stays of up to 90 days) are required.
U.S. citizens:
A passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry and an onward ticket are
required. If traveling on business, a business visa is required. U.S. citizens may be
granted tourist and business visas good for stays as long as five years.
Others: Nationals of countries not listed should check with the nearest Brazilian
consulate in their home country. Visa and passport requirements vary.
Note: Those visitors who do not possess an onward ticket must have sufficient proof of
means to purchase a return ticket to their country of origin and a reason why they do not
have a return ticket. Also note that minors traveling alone or with only one parent or
guardian must have special authorization from a Brazilian consulate.
PHONE CODE
Brazil's international telephone access code is 55. The city code for Palmas is
0633, for
Rio de Janeiro is 021, for São Paulo 011, for Brasília 061, for Belém 091, for Recife
081, and for Salvador 071. Omit the 0 when calling from outside the country.
To place an international direct-dial call from Brazil, dial 00 plus the appropriate
country code.
For information on placing an international call from Brazil, dial 000333, or, to get the
international operator, dial 107 and ask for the telefonista internacional. To reach the
operator within the country, dial 100; to get local information, dial 102.
OPENING HOURS
Basic hours for most stores and businesses are from 9am to 6pm, with an extended lunch
hour from around noon to 2pm. On Saturday 9am–1 pm, and closed on Sunday.
In cities and larger towns, many shops—especially shopping malls—stay open past
6 PM in the evenings and are also open on Sunday.
Banks don't open until 10am, stay open all day, but usually stop changing money at either
2pm or 3pm; except for those at major airports, they're closed at weekends and on public
holidays. Museums and monuments more or less follow office hours but many are closed on
Monday.
Although plane and bus timetables are kept to whenever possible, in the less developed
parts of the country - most notably Amazonia but also the interior of the Northeast -
delays often happen. Brazilians are very Latin in their attitude to time, and if ever
there was a country where patience will stand you in good stead it's Brazil. Turn up at
the arranged time, but don't be surprised at all if you're kept waiting. Waiting times are
especially long if you have to deal with any part of the state
bureaucracy, like extending a visa. There is no way out of this; just take a good book.
HOLIDAYS There are plenty of local and state holidays, but on the following national
holidays just about everything in the country
will be closed:
New Year's Day (1 January),
Epiphany (6 January),
Carnaval (February or March; dates vary),
Easter and Good Friday (March or April; dates vary),
Tiradentes Day (21 April),
Labour Day (1 May),
Ascension Day (May; date varies),
Corpus Christi (June; date varies),
Independence Day (7 September),
Nossa Senhora Aparecida Day (12 October),
Dia dos Finados (the Day of the Dead) (2 November),
Proclamation of the Republic Day (15 November), and
Christmas Day (25 December).
WEATHER
Temperatures are moderate in Brazil year-round, though some areas experience more seasonal
variation than others. Along the coast near Rio de Janeiro, summers (December to February)
are extremely hot, humid, and wet, while winters (June to August) are comfortably cooler,
averaging temperatures in the 20s C (upper 60s and 70s F). In the northeast, temperatures
are similar to those of Rio, but a tropical breeze keeps the humidity down. Further south,
winter temperatures can
dip into the lower teens C (50s F), and some areas even see a bit of snow. In the valley
of the Amazon, temperatures remain steady all year (between 27° and 32° C/81° and 90°
F), though humidity is high and rainfall heavy.
MONEY
The Brazilian currency, the Real, fluctuates widely.
The real (R$) is the basic monetary unit, having replaced the former cruzeiro real in July
of 1994.
The real is divided into 100 centavos; centavo coins are available in denominations of 1,
5, 10,
25, and 50; real notes are available in denominations of R$ 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100. For
current international exchange rates, see the Currency Converter.
Traveler's checks usually can be exchanged at hotels, banks, and tourist agencies in most
major cities and towns, but it's a good idea to keep a ready supply of cash on hand just
in case. Credit cards are accepted by larger hotels, restaurants, and shops, but not all
merchants accept them; if you plan to use a credit card, ask first.
Small change is in short supply in Brazil; be sure to ask for lots of small bills when you
change money. If you are about to make a purchase with a large bill, ask first if the
seller has change.
TIPPING
It is customary to tip 10 percent for most services. 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, so don't be
too mean. Taxi drivers don't expect tips, but many people round up the fare as a tip.You
are expected to tip barbers, hairdressers, shoeshine kids, self-appointed guides and
porters. Parking assistants (who expect 25 to 50 centavos), gas station attendants, and
restaurant servers all regularly receive tips. It's useful to keep change handy for them
and for beggars.
TAXES
All consumer taxes (nonrefundable) are included in the prices of goods and services.
MEASUREMENTS
The metric system is standard throughout the country.
DRIVING
Road conditions vary considerably, from excellent to primitive. Although potholes and
rough roads are common throughout some parts of the country, Brazilian drivers are the
greater hazard. They regularly ignore traffic laws and break the speed limits—all of
which are unenforced by the police. Be prepared.
A driver's license from your home country as well as an international driver's license are
necessary for driving in Brazil. Traffic proceeds on the right. Parking in cities is very
difficult. See Transportation for more details.
TOURIST OFFICES
In Brazil, facilities vary greatly. Popular destinations like Rio, Salvador and towns
throughout the South have efficient and helpful tourist offices, but anywhere off the
beaten track has nothing at all.
All state capitals have tourist information offices, which are open during office hours,
announced by signs saying "Informações Turísticas". Most provide free city
maps and booklets, but they are usually all in Portuguese, although you occasionally see
atrociously mangled English. As a rule, only the airport tourist offices have hotel
booking services, and none of them are very good on advising about budget accommodation.
There are EMBRATUR offices in a few of the major centres, but the local tourist offices
are usually more helpful; these 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 national (EMBRATUR), state (Turisrio) and city (Riotur) offices.
ADDRESSES
Trying to find an address 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). The street name and number will often have a floor,
apartment or room number tacked on: thus R. Afonso Pena 111-3° s.234 means third floor,
room 234. "R" is short for Rua, "s" for sala, and you may also come
across andar (floor), 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 postage. So a full address might read: Rua do Sol 132-3 andar, s.12
65000-100 São Luís - MA.
BARBERS
For men, a visit to a barber is one of the cheaper luxuries Brazil affords. Wherever it
says "Cabeleireiro" you can treat yourself to an old-fashioned, non-automated
haircut and shave, invariably with hot towel and cut-throat razor, with Brylcreem and
facial massage as optional extras, for no more than a dollar or two.
CINEMA
Most films shown in Brazilian cinemas are American with subtitles. These all reach Brazil
very soon after they're released in the US (and often before the UK) and entrance is very
cheap. Both Rio and São Paulo have a good art-house cinema network; in Rio the Estação
chain, with branches in Botafogo, Catete, Flamengo and Copacabana, is especially good. If
you understand Portuguese, look out for movies by two great Brazilian directors, the
modernist Glauber Rocha, and the more conservative Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
GAY BRAZIL
Gay life in Brazil still thrives in the large cities, despite a long shadow cast by the
AIDS problem. The scene benefits from a relaxed tolerance in attitudes towards sexuality.
Gay life is highly visible: female impersonation and transvestism scale heights unseen in
Britain or the United States. Attitudes do vary from region to region: rural areas and
small towns, especially in Minas Gerais and the South, are deeply conservative; the
medium-sized and larger cities are not. The two most popular gay destinations are Rio and
Salvador. Pointers to gay life for specific places are given herein. A refreshing point to
bear in mind is that in Brazil the divide between gay and straight nightlife is very
blurred: in the overlap you will find many places popular with both gays and straights.
There is as yet no national gay organization in Brazil.
LAUNDRY
There are hardly any laundries in Brazil, but even the humblest hotel has a lavadeira who
will wash and iron your clothes. Agree a price beforehand, but don't be too hard -
livelihoods are at stake. Larger hotels have set prices for laundry services - usually
surprisingly expensive. LEFT LUGGAGE
Most bus stations will have a guarda volume where you can leave bags. In cities it's
usually a locker system, open 24 hours - there's a booth where you buy a key, and a token
for every day that you want to leave things; you leave the tokens inside the locker. In
smaller places it will usually be a lock-up room operated by a bus company, so check the
opening hours before you leave anything. They're safe enough to leave your bags for short
periods while you look for a hotel, but don't check money or anything really valuable,
especially if you are leaving them for longer periods.
MUSEUMS
Many museums in Brazil do not charge for admission; when they do, entrance is almost
always modest, $1-2 being typical, and as such, is unlikely to deter tourists. Brazil's
few museums that have the international connections, financial means and security
occasionally host special touring exhibitions from abroad and in these cases, entrance
charges are somewhat higher than normal. PHOTOGRAPHY
Only regular 35mm 100 ASA Kodacolor film is easily available in Brazil and even this is
likely to be poorly kept, expensive and past its "use by" date. If you use
anything else, bring it with you. In the Amazon and other forests, 400 ASA film and
possibly a flash and tripod will be necessary as it can be surprisingly dark. Small
batteries are also hard to get hold of and will be very expensive if you find them. A
polarizing filter is essential if you have an SLR camera. If possible try to keep the film
at a constant temperature before and after use, and process it as soon as possible.
STUDENT CARDS
An international student card, or a FIYTO youth card is well worth carrying. It will get
you occasional reductions at museums and the like, but more importantly it serves as an
extremely useful ID for bus drivers and hotels, saving you from having to keep your
passport available at all times. Any official-looking card with a picture and number on it
will serve almost as well.
TOILETS
Public toilets are not very common and often disgusting. The words to look for are
Banheiro or Sanitário: where they're marked (less often than you might hope) Cavalheiros
means men, Senhoras or Damas women. It's always a good idea to carry some toilet paper
with you.
MAPS
Detailed maps are surprisingly hard to get hold of outside Brazil, and are rarely very
good: there are plenty of maps of South America, but the only widely available one that is
specifically of Brazil is the Bartholomew Brazil & Bolivia (1:5,000,000) which is not
very easy to read. Much better are the six regional maps in the Mapa Rodoviário Touring
series (1:2,500,000), which clearly mark all the major routes, although these, even in
Brazil, are difficult to find.
In Brazil, a useful compendium of city maps and main road networks is published by Guias
Quatro Rodas, a Brazilian motoring organization, which also has guides to Rio, São Paulo
and other cities, states and regions. These are easy to find in bookstores, newsagents and
magazine stalls. Very clear maps of individual states are published by Polimapas, and are
usually available on the spot. At 1:1,000,000 these are the largest scale of all, though
they actually have less detail than some of the above mentioned. Topographical and hiking
maps are difficult to find, though very occasionally they are available from municipal
tourist offices or national parks in Brazil.
LEFT LUGGAGE
PHOTOGRAPHY
