HINTS   

Please read with care and humor. At least I tried to make it funny...

The word for "Thank You" is obrigado (oh-bree-GA-duh) for guys or obrigada (oh-bree-GA-dah) for gals. "Please" is the same as in Spanish, Por Favor(POR fah-VOR). When pronouncing, you almost don't say the last syllable or letter, we like to eat our words.

No jewelry. It will save you anxiety. Get a chepo watch if you are one of those freaks that need to know the time. In Rio, the beach has digital clocks (that work sometimes) with the time and temperature (in Celsius). Besides, if you don't know the time it'll be a wonderful opportunity to bother a local with your mangled Portuguese: "Que horas são, por favor?" (KE OH-ras SSAOWN, POR fah-VOR)

It takes a couple of weeks to get your visa, so allow enough time to gather the necessary paperwork. As of now, they charge US$100 for a tourist visa. There are talks about eliminating it, I'll let you know if it happens. I'd wait until the end of November to get it, just in case they waive it. The visa is good for 90 days, they will ask for proof of roundtrip tickets - they don't want illegals down there - and might ask you for the address of where you'll stay.

The weather in January in Rio can be rainy, but Búzios usually escapes the storms. At least that's what I'm telling myself. It might get cooler in the evenings - especially if you've been out in the sun all day - so take a light sweater. Búzios can be windy at times. Of course, I'm constantly cold here in Southern California, so maybe you'll be fine.

Always drink bottled water. Fresh coconut water - água de coco (AH-gooa dee KO-ko) at the beach is the best refreshment, we highly recommend it. Fruit juices are plentiful and delicious, both in Búzios and Rio. But drink other stuff too. The beer is delicious, I'd recommend drinking draft beer, chopp (SHO-pe), whenever possible. In Brazil, hard liquor is expensive, except for cachaça (ka-SHA-ssa), vodka and rum. Wine, champagne, scotch and gin are available but pricey. We might ask you to mule some champagne for us, if you offer - hey, I want to drink good stuff on the 18th! Don't worry, I wouldn't ask you to do anything illegal. The limit is 2 liters per person entering the country.

What to take to the beach - bathing suit (required to be worn, no nude beaches, don't tell me about "Blame It On Rio"), towel, sandals and money - you can get food, water, beer and even massages at the beach.

The tour guide will have the information for the standard places to see in Rio - but I recommend that you try to see at least one "Feira Livre" (FEY-rah LEE-vre), a street market that is how the locals shop. Every weekday is in a different spot of the city. On Sunday, in Ipanema there's a "Feira Hippy" (FEY-rah HEE-pee) - yep, a hippy fair that has nothing hippie about. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday there's the "Feira Nordestina" (FEY-rah Nor-des-TEE-nah), a street market with products and people from the Northeast of Brazil, and a site completely different from what most people see in Brazil (10 am to 11pm, somewhat far from Ipanema, my sister Aline told me a cab ride away). It's like going to New York and finding a cowboy fair. And what would be a trip to Brazil without Carnaval? Aline told me we can go to a rehearsal of a samba school. They charge an entrance fee, sell you overpriced hot drinks, have lots of noise, but you'll never forget the experience. It can be arranged through the tour guide - he'll make sure you're safe.

If you are thinking about extending your stay (you lucky you!), a great place to visit is the northeastern region, especially Salvador, Bahia and in the interior Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais for historical sites. For more beach beauties, the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Maranhão are great (and book the flight leaving from there to come back, otherwise is like going to Boston, then California before returning to New York). And to the South, on its border with Argentina we have the Iguassu Falls. I'd look for packages for those, they're popular destinations. You can see Rio first, then go to Búzios, then return to Rio and go on from there. TAM Airlines offers an airpass, a great deal if you want to travel around. Ask Tony Banos.

How much money are we talking about? Steve says about $5,000 per couple. A rough estimate based on what I checked on line:
The visa is US$100 per person. The air fare will run around US$1200 (total with taxes, etc.) per person. Maybe if we book early enough we'll get a break - that goes for the hotels too. Hotels in Búzios and Rio will be around US$ 100 (double occupancy) per night. You'll need some cash (US$100 per couple per day will be about right) for the day time and to go out drinking and partying at night (since we'll be eating dinner together, you won't need money for that!). Car rental would be around US$45, but you really don't need it, it's more of a luxury in Búzios and a nightmare in Rio. Hang-gliding in Rio cost me US$100 per person when I did it in 2000 (it was great!). Of course, how much cash you need depends on the exchange rate - last year it was more favorable. Yeah, it ain't cheap, but we hope you can come and celebrate with us.

  
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