Travel to Brazil

Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:09:00 +0000

Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil

Airports in Aracaju (Sergipe)
Aracaju Airport
Av. Senador Júlio C. Leite s/nº
Aracaju - SE
CEP: 49034-070
PABX: (79) 212-8500
FAX: (79) 212-8535
Distance from Downtown: 12 km

Airports in Belem (Para)
Belém International Airport
Av. Júlio César s/n°
Val de Cans
Belém - PA
CEP: 66115-970
PABX: (91) 210-6000
FAX: (91) 257-1577
Distance from Downtown: 12 km

Currently Belém International Airport serves demand of 2.7 million passengers a year, in a constructed area of 33,255.17 square meters.

Airports in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais)
Tancredo Neves - Confins International Airport
Lagoa Santa - MG
CEP: 33500-900
PABX: (31) 3689-2700/2019/2130
FAX: (31) 3689-2090
Distance from Downtown: 38 km from Belo Horizonte

Tancredo Neves - Confins International Airport is located in the municipalities of Lagoa Santa and Confins, 38 km from Belo Horizonte, and was opened in January 1984.

Belo Horizonte Airport
Praça Bagatelle 204
Aeroporto
Belo Horizonte - MG
CEP: 31270-700
PABX: (31) 3490-2001
FAX: (31) 3490-2155
Distance from Downtown: 9 km

The 4.5-thousand-foot passenger terminal has a restaurant, snack bars, shops selling souvenirs and typical regional items, a newsstand, car rental agencies, bank services, a radio-taxi counter, stores selling imported products and a travel agency.

Airports in Boa Vista (Roraima)
Boa Vista International Airport
Praça Santos Dumont s/nº
Centro
Boa Vista - RR
CEP: 69304-000
PABX: (95) 623-9394
FAX: (95) 623-9369 R. 28
Distance from Downtown: 4 km

The airport has capacity to receive 675 thousand passengers a year in total comfort and security.

Airports in Brasilia (Distrito Federal)
Brasília International Airport
Aeroporto Internacional de Brasília s/nº
Brasília - DF
CEP: 71608-900
PABX: (61) 364-9000
FAX: (61) 364-9251
Distance from Downtown: 11 km

Brasília International Airport is the third largest in Brazil in terms of passenger movement. Because of its strategic location it is considered a civil aviation hub for the rest of the country.

Airports in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul)
Campo Grande International Airport
Av. Duque de Caxias s/nº
Campo Grande - MS
CEP: 79101-901
PABX: (67) 368-6000
FAX: (67) 368-6116
Distance from Downtown: 7 km

As commercial aviation demand grew, it became necessary to widen the civil aircraft apron, which was completed 12 years after its construction. The airport has been administered by Inferaero since 1975.

Airports in Cuiaba (Mato Grosso)
Marechal Rondon International Airport
Rua Gov. Ponce de Arruda s/nº
Jardim Aeroporto
Cuiabá - MT
CEP: 78110-971
PABX: (65) 614-2500
FAX: (65) 682-3977
Distance from Downtown: 10 km

The runway at Marechal Rondon Airport was opened to traffic in 1956. In February 1975, Infraero took over the airport's administration and began various upgrades to meet the needs of the airport complex.

Airports in Curitiba (Parana)
Afonso Pena International Airport
Av. Rocha Pombo s/n°
São José dos Pinhais
Curitiba - PR
CEP: 83010-900
PABX: (41) 3381-1515
FAX: (41) 3381-1127
Distance from Downtown: 18 km

With a constructed area of 45 thousand square meters, Afonso Pena - Curitiba International Airport serves some 3.5 million passengers a year.

Airports in Florianopolis (Santa Catarina)
Florianópolis International Airport
Av. Diomício Freitas 3393
Cariano
Florianópolis - SC
CEP: 88047-900
PABX: (48) 331-4000
FAX: (48) 331-4111
Distance from Downtown: 12 km

The current passenger terminal has become modest for a city growing as quickly as Florianópolis. For this reason, the city will shortly receive a new airport able to serve 2.7 million passengers a year.

Airports in Fortaleza (Ceara)
Pinto Martins International Airport
Av. Senador Carlos Jereissati 3.000
Bairro Serrinha
Fortaleza - CE
CEP: 60741-900
PABX: (85) 3477-1200
FAX: (85) 3477-1127/3477-1132
Distance from Downtown: 6 km

The passenger terminal at Fortaleza International Airport is totally air conditioned and has four levels. The basement level has parking for 1,000 cars along with automatic teller machines and a stop for regular city buses serving the airport.

Airports in Goiania (Goias)
Goiânia Airport
Praça Capitão Frazão s/nº
Setor Santa Genoveva
Goiânia - GO
CEP: 74672-900
PABX: (62) 265-1500
FAX: (62) 265-1592
Distance from Downtown: 8 km

Modernization work will soon get under way at Goiânia Airport. With nominal yearly capacity of 600 thousand passengers, in 2004 it received 950 thousand. With its new terminal, it will be able to handle up to 2 million users a year.

Airports in Joao Pessoa (Paraiba)
Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport
Aeroporto Int. Pres. Castro Pinto s/nº
Bayeux
João Pessoa - PB
CEP: 58308-000
PABX: (83) 232-1200
FAX: (83) 232 3255
Distance from Downtown: 12 km

Located in the municipality of Bayeux, Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport is currently undergoing expansion and remodeling work, which will raise the terminal's annual capacity to 860 thousand passengers.

Airports in Macapa (Amapa)
Macapá International Airport
Rua Hildemar Maia s/n°
Santa Rita
Macapá - AP
CEP: 68906-490
PABX: (96) 223-4087
FAX: (96) 223-2323
Distance from Downtown: 3 Km

The state of Amapá will soon gain a new airport. Infraero will start work on the new Macapá International Airport, which will have 17 thousand square meters of space to serve 700 thousand passengers a year.

Airports in Maceio (Alagoas)
Maceió International Airport
Rodovia BR 104 km 91
Tabuleiro
Maceió - AL
CEP: 57110-100
PABX: (82) 214-4000
FAX: (82) 214-4055
Distance from Downtown: 25 km

Maceió - Zumbi dos Palmares Airport is changing for the better. A new passenger terminal is being built and the runway, taxiway and apron areas are being expanded.

Airports in Manaus (Amazonas)
Manaus International Airport
Av. Santos Dumont 1350
Tarumã
Manaus - AM
CEP: 69041-000
PABX: (92) 652-1210
FAX: (92) 652-1366/1169
Distance from Downtown: 14 km

The airport has two passenger terminals, one for scheduled flights and the other for regional aviation. It also has three cargo terminals: Terminal I was opened in 1976, Terminal II in 1980 and Terminal III in 2004.

Airports in Natal (Rio Grande do Norte)
Augusto Severo International Airport
Aeroporto Int. Augusto Severo s/nº
Parnamirim - RN
CEP: 59150-000
PABX: (84) 644-1000
FAX: (84) 644-1280
Distance from Downtown: 18 km

The airport has a total area of 11.3 thousand square meters and capacity for 1.2 million passengers a year.

Airports in Palmas (Tocantins)
Palmas Airport
Arso 41
Palmas - TO
CEP: 70176-070
PABX: (63) 219-3700
FAX: (63) 219-3704
Distance from Downtown: 4 km

Designed with a modern concept of visual communication, the new Palmas Airport Complex contains an Aeroshopping area, a program developed by Infraero aiming to turn Brazil's main airports into true commercial centers with their own brand and identity.

Airports in Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul)
Salgado Filho International Airport
Av. Severo Dulius 90010
Bairro São João
Porto Alegre - RS
CEP: 90200-310
PABX: (51) 3358-2000
FAX: (51) 3358-2549
Distance from Downtown: 10 km

With 37.6 thousand square meters of constructed area and four levels, the passenger terminal at Porto Alegre International Airport can receive 28 large airplanes simultaneously.

Airports in Porto Velho (Rondonia)
Porto Velho International Airport
Av. Jorge Teixeira s/nº
Porto Velho - RO
CEP: 78900-000
PABX: (69) 3025-7400
FAX: (69) 3035-7427
Distance from Downtown: 7 km

The airport is served by 98 scheduled flights weekly, most going to other large Brazilian cities. Scheduled regional routes go to the municipalities of Costa Marques (RO), Lábrea (AM), Manicoré (AM), Cacoal (RO), Jí-Paraná (RO), Vilhena (RO) and Novo Aripuanã (RO).

Airports in Recife (Pernambuco)
Recife International Airport
Av. Mascarenhas de Moraes s/nº
Imbiribeira
Recife - PE
CEP: 51210-010
PABX: (81) 3464-4000
FAX: (81) 3464-4766
Distance from Downtown: 11 km

The largest airport in the North and Northeast regions, Guararapes had its capacity expanded from 1.5 million to 5 million passengers a year. Now there are 64 check-in counters.

Airports in Rio Branco (Acre)
Rio Branco International Airport
Estrada BR- 364 km 18
Sena Madureira
Rio Branco - AC
CEP: 69914-220
PABX: (68) 211-1003/1110/5479
FAX: (68) 211-1003
Distance from Downtown: 7 km

Rio Branco Airport serves domestic and international flights (by scheduled carriers and air taxi firms) along with general and military aviation. The terminal can receive 270 thousand passengers a year and serves an average of 14 daily operations.

Airports in Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro)
Rio de Janeiro - Galeão International Airport
Av. 20 de Janeiro s/nº
Ilha do Governador
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
CEP: 21942-900
PABX: (21) 3398-5050
FAX: (21) 3393-2288
Distance from Downtown: 20 km

Since August 2004, with the transfer of many flights from Santos-Dumont Airport, Rio de Janeiro International Airport has returned to being the main doorway to Brazil. According to data from the official Brazilian travel bureau, Embratur, nearly 40% of foreign tourists who visit Brazil choose Rio as their gateway, meaning Galeão Airport.

Santos-Dumont Airport
Praça Senador Salgado Filho s/n°
Centro
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
CEP: 20021-340
PABX: (21) 3814-7070
FAX: (21) 2533-2218
Distance from Downtown: 1 Km

Located on Guanabara Bay just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Rio, during the 1990s Santos-Dumont began to outgrow its capacity, besides diverging from its specialization on short-hop flights, offering routes to many destinations in Brazil.

Airports in Salvador (Bahia)
Salvador International Airport
Praça Gago Coutinho s/n°
Salvador - BA
CEP: 41520-970
PABX: (71) 204-1010
FAX: (71) 204-1030
Distance from Downtown: 28 km

The airport's use has been growing at an average of 14% a year and now is responsible for more than 30% of passenger movement in Brazil's Northeast.

Airports in Sao Luis (Maranhao)
Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport
Av. dos Libaneses s/nº
São Cristóvão
São Luís - MA
CEP: 65055-710
PABX: (98) 3217-6100
FAX: (98) 245-4457
Distance from Downtown: 15 km

In October 2004 it began receiving international flights, in response to a longstanding request from tour operators in the region.

Airports in Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo)
São Paulo - Guarulhos International Airport
Rod. Hélio Smidt s/nº
Ed. Interlagação
São Paulo - SP
CEP: 07143-970
PABX: (11) 6445-2945
FAX: (11) 6488-8476
Distance from Downtown: 25 km

São Paulo - Guarulhos International Airport is truly a small city in itself. Every day nearly 100 thousand people pass through the airport, which connects Brazil to 28 countries. There are 370 companies established there generating 53 thousand jobs.

Congonhas-São Paulo Airport
Av. Washigton Luís s/nº
São Paulo - SP
CEP: 04695-900
PABX: (11) 5090-9000
FAX: (11) 5531-7718
Distance from Downtown: 8 km

Since August 15, 2004, Congonhas Airport has had a new face. This is when the first step was completed of the upgrade work Infraero has been undertaking at South America's busiest airport.

Airports in Teresina (Piaui)
Teresina Airport
Aeroporto de Teresina s/nº
Bairro Aeroporto
Teresina - PI
CEP: 64006-970
PABX: (86) 225-2947/2600
FAX: (86) 225-2992 R/ 239
Distance from Downtown: 5 km

Opened on September 30, 1967, Teresina Airport has been administered by Infraero since February 3, 1975.

Airports in Vitoria (Espirito Santo)
Vitória Airport
Av. Fernando Ferrari s/nº
Vitória - ES
CEP: 29075-052
PABX: (27) 3083-6350/ 6351
FAX: (27) 3327-8879
Distance from Downtown: 10 km

Since construction of its first step, finished in 1946, Vitória Airport has undergone several expansions and modernizations, but current demand has surpassed its capacity of 560 thousand passengers a year.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Brazilian Carnival
Flag of Brazil
Brazilian Portuguese Language
Soccer: Brazilian National Football Team
Why travel to Brazil?

Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines (International Flights)

TAM Airlines

TAM is Brazil's largest airline. It is headquartered in the city of São Paulo, and operates scheduled services to destinations within Brazil, as well as international flights to Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

As of 2010, the airline is owned by the Amaro family (46.25%), Amaro Aviation Part (3.52%), treasury stocks (0.27%) and minority shareholders (49.96%). It employs 24,000 staff.

On May 13, 2010 TAM became the 27th member of Star Alliance.

GOL Airlines

GOL is a Brazilian airline based in São Paulo City, Brazil.

According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), between January and December 2009, Gol had 41.37% of the domestic and 13.40% of the international market shares in terms of passengers/km and in relation to the same period in 2008, it increased its share in the domestic market in 14.86% and in the international market it decreased in 44.17%. In June 2010, its shares were of 40.69% for the domestic and 15.21% for the international markets.

Gol operates a growing domestic and international scheduled network. Its main hubs are São Paulo's Congonhas Airport, Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport and Brasília International Airport - Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek. Gol also has focus operations at Belo Horizonte International Airport, Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport, São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport and Porto Alegre's Salgado Filho International Airport.

AZUL Airlines (domestic flights)

AZUL BRAZILIAN AIRLINES is a Brazilian domestic low-cost airline, established on 5/5/2008 by Brazilian-born David Neeleman, founder and former-CEO of JetBlue Airways.

Azul began service on 12/15/2008 and has ordered a fleet of 76 Embraer 195 jets. Its 2009 performance allowed Azul to become the first airline in the world to board more than two million customers during its first year of operation.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Sao Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Flag of Brazil
Brazilian Portuguese Language
Soccer: Brazilian National Football Team

Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide

ID Card Presentation

The ID Card (Identification Card) is the most important document in domestic flights. This document is now requested also when the passenger has access to the departure lounge. After presenting your identification at the airline counter, keep the identification card always at hand.

To avoid problems, Infraero has increased its permanent safety staff. More professional are available for checking IDs, so as to avoid the lines from accumulating at departure time. When the passenger keeps his ID Card accessible, waiting time decreases and at the same time this ensures compliance with safety rules.

It is also important to pay attention to the laws that govern the trips of children and teenagers. Children up to 12 incomplete years of age not accompanied must present a judicial authorization to land. If they are accompanied by a person other than the parents (event relatives), they must present their original birth certificate. Unaccompanied teenagers from 12 to 18 need to present their original birth certificate.

Flight Delay

If the flight is cancelled or delayed, the airline must put the passenger in another flight of the same company or another within four hours maximum. If this deadline is not complied with, the user may choose to travel in another flight, ask for an endorsement or refund of the ticket. For those who decide to travel in another flight on the same day or the following day, the company has to offer accommodation, food, transport from and to the airport, in addition to refunding expenses with telephone calls due to the delay.

Hand Baggage

Except for children of up to 2 years of age paying 10% of the tariff, any passenger can take as hand baggage the following:

- A handbag, case or equipment that can be put below the passenger seat, with maximum weight of 5 kg and total dimension not to exceed 115 cm (45 inches).
- A overcoat, shawl or blanket.
- An umbrella or walking stick.
- A small photographic camera and/or binoculars.
- A reasonable amount of reading material for the trip.

Children up to 2 paying 10% of the tariff:

- Baby food for consumption during the trip.
- A basket or equivalent (may also be carried in the aircraft's basement).

Disabled passengers who depend on the following articles:

- Crutches or any other orthopedic equipment.
- Totally collapsible wheelchair. (This item is part of the hand baggage allowance, but it goes in the basement).

These rules are only valid for flights in aircraft with more than 50 seats. The airline has specific rules on the dimensions and weights permitted for hand baggage for aircraft with fewer seats capacity.

Flight Cancellation

If the flight is cancelled by the airline, the passenger is entitled to choose between traveling in another flight, asking for a refund or endorsement of the ticket. If the passenger decides he is no longer going to travel, he must inform the cancellation of his booking at least four hours before the time indicated in the passage. It is important to consult the travel agent or airline, because of the different existing tariffs and the various procedures to be observed in each case.

Loss of Baggage

In domestic flights:

The baggage will be considered as lost if it is not delivered at its destination. When this happens, one must seek the airline counter and fill out the Registration Form of Baggage Irregularity (RIB). The Civil Aviation Inspector of the DAC (Civil Aviation Department), located in the Civil Aviation Sector (SAC) in the main Brazilian airports must be called if problems occur.

Once the loss has been confirmed, the airline has a maximum of 30 days to locate the delivery of the baggage. After this period, the passenger must be indemnified by the airline. As a preventive measure, the passenger may declare the values attributed to the baggage, by paying a supplementary fee stipulated by the airline. In this case, the company is entitled to check the baggage's contents and the indemnification value is the one declared and accepted by the airline.

Valuables such as jewels, negotiable securities or cash must be carried in the hand baggage, the company is not responsible for their loss or damage. In the event of damage to the baggage, the same rules apply. For indemnification purposes, only the objects destroyed or damaged which have been claimed will be considered.

In international flights:

The Warsaw Convention limits the airline's responsibility to US$20 per kilo of lost baggage. The passenger may also choose to dispatch his belongings, protecting himself through a Special Interest Declaration. This document discriminates in detail the case's contents. Only with this declaration is it possible to be fully indemnified, the airline's responsibility on the goods contained therein prevailing.

Bad Service

If the passenger evaluates that he was poorly assisted by the airline or airport staff, he must seek the DAC's Civil Aviation Inspector, in the Civil Aviation Sector (SAC), located in the main Brazilian airports. If he wishes to complain to the DAC, he must fill out the Suggestions or Complaints' Form (ISR). He may also complain by sending a document to the Civil Aviation Regional Services or to the DAC (Rua Santa Luzia, 651 - Castelo Rio de Janeiro - RJ - CEP: 20030-040), or by email to assecom@dac.gov.br. The complaint will be forwarded to the chairman of the airline involved or to the competent Infraero department.

Overbooking

Overbooking occurs when the passenger cannot board the flight on which he had a booking due to an excessive number of passengers. In this case, the airline has to accommodate the user in another flight within a maximum of four hours. If this period is not complied with, the passenger may choose to travel in another flight of the same airline, endorse his ticket or ask for a refund of the ticket. If he chooses to board another flight, the airline has to offer the passenger accommodation, food, communication and transport to the hotel and back to the airport.

The user may choose to be a voluntary passenger, accepting to travel in another flight other than the originally booked one. In this case, the airlines must offer compensation, which may be an upgrade or a credit - which may be used in the payment of excess baggage, purchase of another airline ticket or converted into cash within 30 days maximum. Moreover, the passenger will still preserve the right to use his original ticket. And the airline will be responsible for eventual expenses with food, transport from and to the airport, accommodation and phone calls, resulting from overbooking.

All of these rights will only be valid if the passenger has confirmed the booking of the seat and has attended the airline's check-in at least 30 minutes before domestic flights and one hour before international ones.

Assistance Plan

In the event of an accident with any of its aircraft, all the airlines that operate in Brazil are obliged to present to the families of the passengers boarded. The companies must offer a toll free service for information regarding the accident, personally notify the families of the victims before disclosure by the press of the list of passengers and offer to the family transport to the location where the accident occurred, as well as accommodation, food, health and psychological insurance.

Refund and Endorsement of Ticket

The airline ticket, including the electronic one (purchased on the Internet) is the guarantee of the credit held by the passenger. Therefore, if it is valid, the user will be refunded for the amount effectively paid and updated, based on the tariff practiced on the date the refund was requested. If it is an international ticket, the amount will be calculated based on the foreign currency, at the exchange rate of that day. The refund conditions may vary according to the tariff and form of payment agreed with the airline. The maximum period for payment of the refund is 30 days, counted from the request date.

Endorsement is the right the passenger has to exchange the ticket for a ticket of another airline. The endorsement depends on covenants signed between the airlines.

Transport of Passengers

The airlines shall guarantee priority of service to passengers who are 65 years old or more, sick passengers, the physically and mentally handicapped, pregnant women and passengers accompanied by children who are less than 12 years old (Ordinance 676/GC-5, of 11/13/00 - Article 18).

The passenger's identification at the airline counter before departure is compulsory. The identification shall be made upon presentation of a legally recognized document.

The airline or travel agency undertakes to inform the passenger about this requirement upon acquisition of the airline ticket.

Transport of Animals

Live animals may be transported in non-cargo aircraft in a compartment intended for cargo and baggage. The transport of domestic animals (dogs and cats) in the passenger cabin may be admitted provided that the animals are transported with safety, in appropriate packaging and without causing discomfort to the other passengers. It is also permitted to transport a trained dog to lead a person with a sight or hearing problem in the passenger cabin. The passenger must present the animal's health certificate, supplied by the State Department of Agriculture, by the Post of the Animal Defense Department and a Veterinary doctor.

Travel of Minors

Such trips must comply with the Child and Teenager Statute:

Section III - Authorization to travel

Article 83 - No child may travel outside the judicial district where it resides, not accompanied by her parents or guardian, without express judicial authorization.

§ 1 - The authorization will not be required when:

a) the judicial district is contiguous with that of the child's residence if in the same Federative unit, or included in the same metropolitan region;

b) the child is not accompanied:

1) by a relative or greater collateral, to the third degree, the family relation being evidenced by a document;

2) by a person who is of age, expressly authorized by the father, mother or guardian.

§ 2 - The judiciary authority may, by request of the parents or guardian, grant an authorization valid for two years.

Article 84 - When it is a trip to a foreign country, the authorization can be waived, if the child or teenager:

I - is accompanied by both parents or guardian;

II - travel in the company of one of the parents, authorized expressly by the other by means of an authenticated document.

Article 85 - Without previous and express authorization, no child or teenager born in the national territory may leave the Country in the company of a foreigner or person domiciled abroad.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Sao Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Flag of Brazil
Brazilian Portuguese Language
Soccer: Brazilian National Football Team

2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:14:00 +0000

The city of Rio de Janeiro has been elected as the Host City of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016.

The Rio 2016 Olympics will be the second edition held in Latin America (after Mexico City 1968), the first edition held in South America, the third edition held in the southern hemisphere (the first of those three outside of Australia), and the first games in a lusophone country.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be, first and foremost, a celebration of athletes, who will perform in world-class venues all located in the host city itself. The Rio 2016 Olympics will also celebrate and showcase sport, thanks to the city’s stunning setting and a desire to lift event presentation to new heights. At the same time, Rio 2016 will be an opportunity to deliver the broader aspirations for the long-term future of the city, region and country – an opportunity to hasten the transformation of Rio de Janeiro into an even greater global city.

Rio 2016 Olympics will provide memories of a lifetime for every athlete and all other members of the Games Family. And the Games will leave a powerful legacy by meeting the long-term needs of the city and its residents. Every aspect of the Rio Olympic Games concept has been designed to align with the strategy for the future of the city and country.

Brazil's economy is now the tenth largest in the world - and predicted to be fifth by 2016. Brazil is the world's second biggest food exporter, one of the world's largest oil and ore producers and the fifth largest advertising market. The Brazilian economy is the engine of South America and one of the world's top 10 consumer markets. Brazil have the highest levels of Internet use in the world. The enduring strength of the economy - even in the current global climate - has enabled the Brazilian Government to guarantee the investments needed for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio 2016 Olympics will provide the best possible environment for peak performances. Athletes will enjoy world-class facilities, including a superb village, all located in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, in a compact layout for maximum convenience. The competition venues will be clustered in four zones – Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracanã – and connected by a high-performance transport ring. Nearly half of the athletes will be able to reach their venues in less than 10 minutes, and almost 75 per cent will do so in less than 25 minutes. Of the 34 competition venues, of which 18 are already operational, eight will undergo some permanent works, seven will be totally temporary and nine are constructed as permanent legacy venues.

The Rio 2016 Olympics program is scheduled to feature 28 sports and a total of 38 disciplines. There were two open spots for sports and initially seven sports began the bidding for inclusion in the 2016 program. Baseball and softball, which were dropped from the program in 2005, karate, squash, golf, roller sports (inline speed skating) and rugby union all applied to be included.

The Maracanã Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Besides the Maracanã Stadium, the football matches will also take place in Salvador (Fonte Nova Stadium), São Paulo (Undefined), Belo Horizonte (Mineirão Stadium) and Brasília (National Brasília Stadium). All these stadiums will also be used in the FIFA 2014 World Cup.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Why travel to Brazil?
Recife - Pernambuco
Salvador - Bahia
Sao Paulo
Tom Jobim - Brazilian Music
World Heritage Cities

2014 World Cup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:06:00 +0000

The 2014 World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international soccer tournament that is expected to take place between June and July 2014 in Brazil.

After 36 years, the competition will return to South America. While, it has been 64 years since it last visited what is known internationally as 'the soccer nation'.

It is the first time the World Cup is being held in South America since Argentina hosted, and won, the 1978 tournament.

Brazil will become the fifth country to have hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, after Mexico, Italy, France and Germany.

Brazil have won the tournament a record five times and hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950, when they lost 2-1 in the final to Uruguay.

The twelve host cities chosen for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil are: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Natal, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Salvador, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Recife and Porto Alegre. FIFA agreed to increase the number of host cities from 10 to 12 because of the size of Brazil.

All the stadiums are required to hold at least 40,000 spectators, with the final of the 2014 World Cup to be staged in the famous Maracana Stadium which was refurbished in 2006 and reopened in January 2007 with an all-seated capacity of 88,992.

Rio's legendary Maracana Stadium is to get a $500 million dollar facelift for the FIFA 2014 World Cup. The end of work on the stadium, the largest in the world when it was inaugurated in 1950 for the FIFA World Cup, is planned for December 2012.

The Maracana is classified as a historic monument so the facade will be maintained but a roof will be added to the five-storey oval stadium.

On July 8th, 2010, the 2014 World Cup Organizing Committee began the countdown to the 20th World Cup in history.

The 2014 World Cup will be played from June 13 to July 13, 2014 in 12 venues across Brazil. The country will also stage the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2015 Copa America as well as the 2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro.

The Official FIFA 2014 World Cup Logo

The World Cup logo is called "Inspiration", and was created by Brazilian agency "Africa". The design stems from an iconic photograph of three victorious hands together raising the world's most famous trophy. As well as depicting the humanitarian notion of hands interlinking, the portrayal of the hands is also symbolic of the yellow and green of Brazil warmly welcoming the world to their country. The 2014 World Cup logo was unveiled at a ceremony held in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 8, 2010.

The Brazilian football legend Pele was not in Johannesburg to support the launch. The official explanation given by FIFA for his absence was that he had a prior commitment.

Brazil Information

The largest country in South America, Brazil stretches over almost half of the continent. With the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern coastline, Brazil shares frontiers with Venezuela, Guyana, French Guyana and Surinam to the north. Its neighbours to the west are Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, while Colombia is to the north-west and Uruguay directly south. Of all the countries in South America, only Chile and Ecuador do not border Brazil.

With a surface area of 8,547,404 km², Brazil is the fifth largest country on the planet behind Russia, China, Canada and the United States. It covers 4,345 km from north to south between its furthest points and 4,330 km from east to west. The highest population concentrations are along the Atlantic coastlines, most notably in the two largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city of the southern hemisphere and the richest city of the latin america, the world's 7th largest metropolitan area, and the most populous city proper in the Western World.

The capital Brasilia has a population of 2,094,000, according to 2003 estimates, and it is situated over 1,000 km inland.

Brazil has roughly 190 million inhabitants, making it the fifth most populated country on Earth. Almost 75 per cent of them are Catholics, whilst another 26 million are Protestants. Brazil's Jewish community is very small by comparison.

The country is divided into five regions (Centre-West, North, Northeast, South and Southeast), which are themselves divided into 26 states plus the Federal District that houses Brazilian capital Brasilia.

Known for its enormous hydroelectric potential, the Southeast region is the most heavily-populated in Brazil with almost 80 million inhabitants, roughly 40 per cent of the total. It is also the most densely-populated (84.21 inhabitants per km²) and has the highest urbanisation rate at 90 per cent.

The official language in Brazil is Portuguese.

"Football is a religion in Brazil, everybody is into it, it's the country of football. In Brazil everybody is a footballer. You have written the history of football because you are five times the world champions." - Sepp Blatter (FIFA president)

"One hundred and ninety million people will turn the World Cup into the greatest party in the world, a party of much joy and good organisation. The world should prepare itself to become more Brazilian as of 2014. "Brazilianize" will be the new verb conjugated by the planet. I can assure you the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be a perfect and unforgettable celebration. All of the world is already invited." - Ricardo Teixeira (CBF president)

For further information about football and Brazil, check these posts: Brazilian Soccer and Brazilian Soccer Team.

More on Brazil:
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Flag of Brazil
Aparecida do Norte - Sao Paulo
Petropolis - Rio de Janeiro
Balneario Camboriu - Santa Catarina
Sao Francisco do Sul - Santa Catarina
Angra dos Reis - Rio de Janeiro

Flag of Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:48:00 +0000

Acording to the Brazilian Constitution, the four official symbols of the Federative Republic of Brazil are the Flag of Brazil, the National Anthem, the Coat of Arms of the Republic and the National Seal.

After the proclamation of the Republic in 1889, a new Brazilian flag was created to represent the conquests and the historical moment for the country. Designed by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes and Miguel Lemos, with pictures by Décio Vilares, it was inspired in the Empire Flag, drawn by the French painter Jean Baptiste Debret. In the blue sky globe, the words "Order and Progress" was taken from the maximum formula of Positivism: "Love as a principle, order as a basis, and progress as aim", a tendency of thinking created by the French philosopher Auguste Comte.

In the circle, the sky as seen from Rio de Janeiro is represented, with the Southern Cross, at 8:30 AM, November 15, 1889, the Republic Proclamation Day. The stars are those that were bright in the Brazilian sky in that historic morning. Each star represents a Brazilian state and, according to the Law no. 8421, as of May 11th 1992, it must be updated in case of creation or extinction of any state. The only star above the words "Order and Progress" is called Spica and represents the state of Pará.

The federal Law no. 5700 defines the flag protocol in Brazil. The flag must be permanently flown at the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília (the capital of Brazil). The flag must be raised and lowered daily at the Presidential Palaces (Palácio do Planalto and Palácio da Alvorada); Ministries; the National Congress; the Supreme Federal Tribunal; the Supreme Court of Justice; seats of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches; diplomatic missions; Federal, state and local institutions; and merchant navy units. At private and public schools, a special flag ceremony must be held, at least once a week, during the academic year. The flag of Brazil must have proper illumination when displayed at night.

In the Empire period, the colors of the flag of Brazil, green and yellow, symbolized the olive trees surrounding the Royal House of Bragança and the Imperial House of Habsburgs. Some time later, those meanings were adapted and the green color started symbolizing our forests and the golden yellow our wealth. The blue color represents the sky and the white color peace.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Curitiba - Parana
Foz do Iguacu Waterfalls - Parana
Belem - Para
Garopaba - Santa Catarina

Brazilian Portuguese Language

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:17:00 +0000

Portuguese is the eighth most spoken language worldwide and the third among the Western countries, after English and Spanish. About 200 million people communicate through this language, officially adopted in eight countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor. It is also one of the official languages of the European Union, since Portugal joined the group.

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese which is spoken by almost all of the population and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. The exception to this is in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira where Nheengatu, an indigenous language of South America, has been granted co-official status with Portuguese. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.

Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, influenced by the Amerindian and African languages. As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries. These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.

The language was introduced in Brazil around the XVI century with the early Portuguese colonization process. However, the indigenous people also taught the Europeans how to speak Tupi-Guarani, specially the Tupinambá, one of the Tupi dialects. The General Language or Tupinambá became the most spoken language in Brazil in the late XVII century, even with a literary characteristic, as it was used by missionaries in the translation of sacred texts, prayers and anthems.

Concerned about ensuring the political presence in Brazil, Portugal proclaimed the Directory of the Indians, in 1757, which considered the prevailing language as “a truly abominable and satanic invention”. Children of the Portuguese and indigenous were prohibited from learning and speaking another language other than Portuguese.

At first, the rule was valid only for the areas that today correspond to the States of Pará and Maranhão. But in 1759, a permit extended the law making the use of the Portuguese language mandatory throughout the national territory, assuring its teaching hegemony.

In 2008, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of Portuguese into one international language, as opposed to two diverged dialects of the same language. All CPLP countries were given from 2009 until 2014 to adjust to the necessary changes.

Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants. There are significant communities of German (mostly the Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian dialect, of Venetian origin) speakers in the south of the country, both of which, are influenced by the Portuguese language.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Marau - Bahia
Parintins - Amazonas
Maragogi - Alagoas
Itapema - Santa Catarina
Bombinhas - Santa Catarina
Buzios - Rio de Janeiro
Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais

Canavieiras - Bahia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:05:00 +0000

Canavieiras - Bahia

Canavieiras è uno spazio ecologico situato sulla Costa del Cacao, regione sud del litorale baiano, composto da sette isole maritime. Pubblicazioni specializzate distinguono Canavieiras come la più grande peschiera naturale del robalo (spigola) - pesce dalle carni pregiate - del Brasile. Il luogo attrae gli sportivi che amano la pesca.

Bagnata dal fiume Pardo, la città presenta strade larghe e un sito storico che rimonta all’inizio del secolo, con un’architettura piacevole e colorata.

L’isola di Atalaia, situata davanti alla città, ha 14 km di spiaggia continua, palme da cocco e aree di manguezal che ospitano aironi, papagalli, parrocchetti e rondini, mantenendo il ciclo della catena alimentare delle diverse specie marine e fluviali.

La natura presente ovunque propizia le atività turistiche ed ecologiche, favorendo le lunghe passeggiate in bicicleta per sentieri selvaggi, spiagge vergini e molti bagni di fiumi e di mare.

Pesca
La stagione dei billfish, o pesci a becco, va da ottobre all’inizio di marzo. Fino alla metà di febbraio si avvistano in genere da 3 a 5 marlin blu al giorno; nel mese seguente la quantità diminuisce ma le dimensioni del pesce aumentano. 80% dei marlin blu pesano tra i 150 e i 300 kg, ma non sono rari quelli che superano i 350 kg. Le lotte con il marlin blu e con i sailfish (pesci con più di 45kg) sono molto frequenti.

Royal Charlotte Bank
Ritenuta una delle migliore peschiere al mondo, il Royal Charlotte Bank è una piattaforma sommersa che si estende per 50 miglia dalla costa e provoca un esteso riflusso della corrente maritima nel suo versante nord. Questo fenomeno attrae delle concentrazioni enormi di esche e quindi le grandi specie di pesci.

View Larger Map

Spiaggia della Costa
Con 6 km di estensione, è la prima spiaggia che si trova quando si arriva sull’isola di Atalaia. Vi sono case di villeggiatura, palme da cocco e diversi punti d’appoggio sulla spiaggia dove vengono serviti deliziosi stuzzichini regionali. È la spiaggia più frequentata.

Spiaggia della Barra Velha
L’accesso si trova al km 18 della BA-001 e quindi vi sono altri 6km di strada in terra battuta. Da lì si prende un tragetto per attraversare il fiume e si percorrono altri 4 km di terra. Si arriva quindi a questa spiaggia dritta dalle onde dolci, palme da cocco e sabbia bianca e soffice. É l’ideale per la pesca.

Spiaggia di Atalaia
Situata davanti al villaggio di Atalaia, possiede alcune case di villeggiatura e di pescatori. Ottima per camminare fino all’imboccatura del fiume Pardo.

Spiaggia del Patipe
Dritta, con onde dolci, ottima per i kayak e lo windsurf. Vi sono le palme da cocco, cascine e case di villeggiatura. È propizia anche per la pesca.

Spiaggia del Sud
Deserta, con acesso per le barche a partire dal fiume fiume Pardo. È dritta, con onde forti e sabbia battuta. Possiede palme da cocco e mangues.

Spiaggia del Nord
Deserta, a fianco delle fattorie. È dritta, estesa (11 km) con onde forti ondas, palme da cocco e Mata Atlântica. È conosciuta anche come spiaggia dell’ "oiticica" (tipo di albero).

More on Brazil:
Humaita - Amazonas
Brasilia - The Capital of Brazil
Jericoacoara - Ceara
Ilha de Comandatuba - Bahia
Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul
Genipabu - Rio Grande do Norte
Sao Miguel das Missoes - Rio Grande do Sul

Camocim - Ceara

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:40:00 +0000

Camocim - Ceará

This is the last city on the western coastline of the State of Ceará. Camocim is a centenary city, with an intense cultural life. Its main attraction is Tatajuba, a beach that offers virtually untouched natural beauties and all that “primitive” aspect of a fishermen village. During Carnival, Camocim welcomes thousands of visitors. It is one of the main party points in the State of Ceará. Industry is the village’s main economic activity, followed by fishing and trade. The city’s architecture offers a landscape of old mansion houses and public buildings from the 19th century.

Attractions:

Tatajuba Beach
Located on the western end of the city, between Camocim and Jericoacara, Tatajuba is one of the most beautiful tropical paradises in Brazilian Northeastern region. It is surrounded by white dunes, coconut trees and wide marches. It offers one of the highest dunes in the coastline of Ceará, called Morro Branco (White Cliff). The beach is part of a great environmental protection area (APA). Access is available by buggies or by 4-wheel drive cars.

Coreaú River Estuary
It offers beautiful marsh areas and plenty islands, in an area of around 20 Km, a perfect scenario for boat rides and the practice of water sports. During boat rides visitors can see, between marsh trees, crabs and sea birds, including the beauty of local salt marshes.

Testa Branca Island
Also known as “The Love Island” (Ilha do Amor), it is located right across the city and offers marsh areas, dunes and beautiful beaches. It is much appreciated by swimmers, it is accessible by boat across Coreaú River, and is good for practicing ski on the dunes, for long walks and sea bathing. From the island, visitors have a beautiful view of the city.

Camocim Beach
It is a very beautiful beach, comprising the Coreaú River, plenty of dunes, marshes and small islands along the river.

Barreiras Beach
It offers a panoramic view, from its high sea cliffs, of a wide area on the eastern end of the city. It is located on the mouth of Coreaú River, 2 km away from downtown.

View Larger Map

Farol do Trapiá Beach
At a distance of 2 km from Barreiras beach, it offers a beach stand with full infrastructure, including restaurant serving typical food, especially seafood.

Maceió Beach
It is 15 km away from downtown Camocim, towards Seco Lake. This beach is the seat of a town called Vila de Pescadores (Fishermen Village), with beautiful coconut tree plantations, summerhouses and a wide beach with sea-beaten sand. Recently, bars, restaurants and booths have been opened, and tourists flock to Maceió beach in growing numbers.

Caraúbas Beach
Completely “virgin”, located between Farol do Trapiá and Maceió beaches, it offers a special landscape for lovers of Eco-tourism.

Barrinha Beach
It is 21 km away from Camocim. It offers white and reddish sands, which render to it a special look. Only 23 fishermen live there, in houses surrounded by a huge coconut trees plantation. Access is available by buggy or 4-wheel drive cars, departing from Maceió beach.

Imburanas Beach
It is considered a very good area for the development of ecological tourism, being completely “virgin”. It is located between Camocim and Tatajuba. Access is available by boat or ferry.

The Old Railway Station Building
A historical building which today hosts the local headquarters of Sebrae (a government development agency) and an advanced Campus of the State University of Vale do Acaraú – UVA. It was built in 1881.

Camocim Matrix Church
It was built at last century’s start, by the same engineer who designed the local railway, Engineer Privat.

José Severiano Morel Square
The City Administration building is located on this square.

Boa Vista Resort and Conference Center
It the newest and most modern Resort in Brazilian Northeastern coast, designed to comply with current trends and requirements of international tourism. Located on Barreiras Beach, 2 km away from the historical downtown area of Camocim, it is surrounded by wild and desert beaches.

More on Brazil:
Fortaleza - Ceara
Ubatuba - Sao Paulo
Vitoria - Espirito Santo
Santos - Sao Paulo
Joao Pessoa - Paraiba
Guarapari - Espirito Santo
Ilha do Mel - Parana

Prawn with Moqueca blinis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:54:00 +0000

Prawn with Moqueca blinis

Ingredients for the tomato salsa:

1kg tomatoes
50ml (2tbsp) olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped

Ingredients for the sauce:

500g Brazil nuts
500ml milk
30ml (2tbsp) palm or vegetable oil
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 sweet red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 sweet yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 onions, chopped
300ml coconut milk
30ml (2tbsp) tomato purée
10ml (2tsp) shrimp paste
350g fresh white bread crumbs
200g plain flour
45ml (3tbsp) freshly chopped coriander
8 medium eggs, separated
5ml (1tsp) baking powder
75ml (3tbsp) olive oil
24 raw Tiger prawns, shelled

Heat the palm or vegetable oil in a large frying pan and sauté the garlic, sweet peppers and onion for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally until softened. Add the shrimp paste and tomato purée to the sautéed vegetables and cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir the breadcrumbs into the vegetables. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the flour, coriander, egg yolks and baking powder. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are firm and form stiff peaks. Stir some of the egg whites into the mixture to loosen it slightly, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Let this rest for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, gas mark 4.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20-23cm round, loose- bottomed spring release cake tin and cook for 35-40 minutes until risen and golden. Remove from the tin and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile make the tomato salsa: cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic, sauté for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Blend the Brazil nuts with the milk in a food processor. Sieve the mixture to separate the liquid from the pulp. Heat the liquid and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the pulp and stir until it loosens. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the prawns until they have turned pink. To serve slice the blini and arrange 3 pieces on each plate.

Place a little tomato beside each one and place 3 prawns on top. Add the Brazil nut cream and serve.

More on Brazil:
Urubici - Santa Catarina
History of the Brazilian Golf
Araxa - Minas Gerais
Gramado - Rio Grande do Sul
Matinhos - Parana
Did you know that in Rio de Janeiro...
Soccer: Brazilian National Football Team

Five Star Hotels in Salvador Bahia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:52:00 +0000

Five Star Hotels in Salvador Bahia

Sofitel
Rua Passárgada (Farol de Itapuã), 28 km
Salvador - BA
Fone: +55 (71) 2106-8500
Reservas: 0800-703-7000
www.accorhotels.com.br

Pestana Bahia
Rua Fonte do Boi, 216 (Rio Vermelho)
Salvador - BA
Fone: +55 (71) 2103-8000
Reservas: 0800-26-6332
www.pestana.com

Pestana Convento do Carmo
Rua do Carmo, 1 (Sto. Antônio Além do Carmo)
Salvador - BA
Fone: +55 (71) 3327-8400
Reservas: 0800-26-6332
www.pestanabahia.com.br

Fiesta Bahia
Avenida Antônio Carlos Magalhães, 711 (Itaigara)
Salvador - BA
Fone: +55 (71) 3352-0000
www.fiestahotel.com.br

Vila Galé Salvador
Rua Morro do Escravo Miguel, 320 (Praia de Ondina)
Salvador - BA
Fone: +55 (71) 3263-8888
Reservas: 0800-284-8818
www.vilagale.com.br

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Brazilian Soccer
Natal - Rio Grande do Norte
Balneario Camboriu - Brasilien
Jalapao Brazil is Pure Adventure and Nature
Brazilian Tourism - Social and Environmental Impacts
Ceara - Investment Opportunities
Brazilian Flavors - Bahia

Natal - Rio Grande do Norte

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Natal - Rio Grande do Norte

Cliffs, rivers discharging in the sea and mangroves full of natural life complement the spectacle that converts the capital city of the State of Rio Grande do Norte into one of the most attractive tourism options in Brazil. In Natal, visitors can enjoy more than 300 sunny days a year. White dunes surrounded by coconut groves, clear and warm waters – everything there conspires to make your stay in the city the most pleasant as possible.

Attractions
Alberto Maranhão Theater
It was built in 1904 in neoclassical style. It is open from Monday to Friday, from 8h to 18h.

Três Reis Magos Fort
Constructed in 1598, it was occupied by the Dutch from 1633 to 1654. The shape of the Fort resembles a 5-point star. There are guided tours in the Fort. It is open everyday, from 8h to 16h30.

Santo Antônio (do Galo) Church
Work dated 1799 in baroque style. There is a museum of religious arts. It is open for visitation from Tuesday to Sunday, always from 9h to 17h.

Câmara Cascudo Museum
Its collection houses fossils, skeletons and Indigenous utensils. It is located at Hermes da Fonseca Avenue, 1398 – Tirol. It is open from Tuesday to Friday, from 8h to 10h30 and from 14h to 16h30. On Saturdays and Sundays, from 13h to 17h.

Pirangi Cashew Tree
That is the biggest cashew tree in the world, with a crown of 8,400 square meters. It is located at Dep. Márcio Marinho Avenue.

Tourism Center
A former prison built in the 19th Century. There visitors find handicraft and gift shops. Every Thursday it stages the “Forró com o Turista”, at 22h. The Center is located at Aderbal de Figueiredo Street, 980 – Petrópolis. It is open everyday, from 9h to 19h.

Barreira do Inferno
Brazilian rocket launch base. There are guided tours. It is located at Rota do Sol, in the municipality of Parnamirim, 19km far from Natal.

Shopping
Hand-woven Lace
There is a cooperative in Natal that gathers about 20 lace-makers. They weave tablecloths, stair carpets, etc.

Beaches
do Forte
There is where the Três Reis Magos Fort is located. Visitors can enjoy wonderful natural bathing pools.

do Meio
The beach is closer to the city’s downtown, but there are many reefs.

Barreira D’água
The beach is very long, but some sites are not proper for bathing because of the large number of reefs.

Ponta Negra
One of the most famous beaches in Natal. There is a boardwalk and nice sites for sea-bathing. It houses the Morro do Careca – a dune of 120m in height that lends its beauty to the landscape. That is one of the postcards of the city.

do Cotovelo
The waves are mild and there are wonderful cliffs on the south end.

Pirangi do Norte
Most of the vacation houses are found there. The beach has countless natural bathing pools, where one can practice the free diving.

Pirangi do Sul
Mild waves, some reefs and many natural bathing pools.

Búzios
There are strong waves and dunes.

Barra de Tabatinga
Full of cliffs and reefs, the beach is a site for watching dolphins during the high tide.

Camurupim
With mild waves, it houses the Arituba Pond.

More on Brazil:
Flights to Brazil - Airports in Brazil
Flights to Brazil - Brazilian Airlines
Flights to Brazil - Passenger Guide
List of hotels in Rio de Janeiro
Five star hotels in Salvador Bahia
2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro
2014 World Cup
United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
Sergipe - A Great Place Also To Invest
Pernambuco - Investment Opportunities
Rio Grande do Norte - Opportunities in Tourism
Albania Consulate in Brazil
Brazilian Beach Volleyball
Sabara - Minas Gerais

Balneario Camboriu - Brasilien

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Balneário Camboriú - Brasilien

Balneário Camboriú liegt 84 km von der Landeshauptstadt entfernt und ist einer der wichtigsten touristischen Anlaufpunkte von Santa Catarina. Der Grund dafür ist einfach und wer die Stadt besucht, erfährt ihn schnell. Die Landschaft in der Umgebung ist zauberhaft, das Klima sehr angenehm und die Stadt bietet den Besuchern allerorts zahlreiche Attraktionen.

Die Strände von Camboriú gelten als die Stars der Stadt. Das saubere und transparente Wasser eignet sich ideal zum Baden. Im Sommer wird der Badeort zum Treffpunkt der Surfer, die an diesem Ort perfekte Wellen zur Ausübung dieser Sportart finden. Auch den FKK-Freunden wird am Strand Praia do Pinho ein gesonderter Raum mit einer kompletten Infrastruktur und reichlich Privatsphäre geboten. Der Angelsport bildet eine weitere stark vor Ort praktizierte Aktivität. Vor allem die Strände Praia de Taquara und Praia do Estaleiro eignen sich gut zum Angeln.

Wer die Stadt besucht, wird außerdem von der traditionellen Seilbahnfahrt begeistert sein, durch die die beiden Strände Praia Central und Praia de Laranjeiras verbunden werden. Während des etwa 15-minütigen Abstiegs erhält der Besucher zahlreiche Aussichten über die Landschaft und kann im Bereich des atlantischen Regenwaldes am Berg Morro da Aguada einen Stopp zur Praktizierung von Baumsport einlegen. Vor Ort befinden sich Wanderwege und Aussichtspunkte, die einen Ausblick aufs Meer ermöglichen. Zum Hotelnetz von Camboriú gehören mehr als 100 Hotels und Pensionen um so jedem Geschmack und allen Preisklassen gerecht zu werden. Wenn gewünscht, kann sich der Besucher direkt am Strand unterbringen lassen und die schmackhaften Fischgerichte ausprobieren.

Das Nachtleben ist vor allem am Strand Praia Central sehr lebhaft. Dort befindet sich ein großer Teil der Tanzlokale, Restaurants und Bars. Die Strandmeile ist beleuchtet und verleiht dem Ort bei einem nächtlichen Spaziergang umso mehr Charme.

Sehenswürdigkeiten

-- Cristo Luz
Die im Jahre 1997 errichtete Christusstatue Cristo Luz ist 33 Meter hoch und wurde mit einer besonderen Beleuchtung ausgestattet. In der linken Hand der Christusstatue erleuchtet ein Strahler mit 86 verschiedenen Lichttönen das Monument in der Nacht. Von dieser Stelle aus erhält der Besucher einen wunderschönen Ausblick auf den Strand Praia Central. Cristo Luz bildet einen touristischen Anlaufpunkt mit Geschäften und Imbisstuben zur Verpflegung der Besucher.

-- Insel Ilha das Cabras
Schoner, Tretboote und Kajaks sind die Transportmittel um die Schönheit der Insel Ilha da Cabra kennen zu lernen. Die Insel ist zugleich eines der bekanntesten Postkartenmotive von Balneário Camboriú. Die Insel befindet sich 600 Meter vom Strand Praia Central entfernt.

-- Wasserfall Cascata das Sereias
Der Wasserfall Cascata das Sereias befindet sich neben Rótula das Figueiras. Licht und Wasser umgeben die Meerjungfrauen des Monumentes. Am oberen Teil befindet sich eine Sonnenskulptur, das Markenzeichen der Stadt.

-- Park Parque Unipraias
Mit seinen 85.000 Quadratmetern Größe bildet der Parque Unipraias eine der meistbesuchten Sehenswürdigkeiten von Balneário Camboriú. In den kleinen Parkgondeln kann der Besucher einen faszinierenden Ausflug unternehmen. Die Seilbahn verbindet die beiden Strände Praia Laranjeiras und Praia Central. An der Seilbahnstation Barra Sul befinden sich gastronomische Einrichtungen, ein Shopping-Center und ein Kinderspielplatz. Auf der Höhe vom Berg Morro da Aguada bietet der Naturpark inmitten des atlantischen Regenwaldes eine insgesamt 500 Meter lange Strecke an Wanderpfaden, drei Aussichtspunkte, Bars, einen Panoramasaal und eine Freilichtbühne sowie ökologische Idyllen. Die letzte Seilbahnstation bringt den Besucher zu dem traumhaften Strand Praia Laranjeiras.

-- Beto Carrero World
Eine weitere große Attraktion in der Stadt ist der thematische Freizeitpark Beto Carrero. Dort kann der Besucher verschiedene Ausflüge in Freizeitparks, Inseln und Zoologischen Gärten unternehmen. Shows, in denen Tänze und Kämpfe präsentiert werden, begeistern sowohl Erwachsene als auch Kinder. Die Schönheit und Großartigkeit der Spielgeräte bezaubern die Kinder auf mehr als 50 verschiedenen Flächen.

-- Strand Praia Central
Der Strand Praia Central ist zugleich der am stärksten belebte Strand von Balneário Camboriú. An dem 6,8 km langen Strand finden die Badeurlauber ruhiges und sauberes Wasser. Während des stürmischen Meeresganges wird der Strand Praia Central zum Treffpunkt der Surfer. Der Strandbereich verfügt über eine komplette Infrastruktur mit Bars, Restaurants, Tanzlokalen und den meisten Hotels der Stadt. Nachtsüber wird der Strandweg beleuchtet und betont damit die Schönheit dieses Ortes.

-- Strand Praia de Laranjeiras
Das ruhige und transparente Wasser am Strand Praia de Laranjeiras wird vor allem von den Freunden des Wassersports gern aufgesucht. Der insgesamt 750 lange Strand verfügt über eine gute Infrastruktur mit Bars und Restaurants. Eine weitere große Attraktion am Strand sind die archäologischen Fundstellen, an denen dreitausend Jahre alte Fossilien ausgegraben wurden. Der Zugang erfolgt über die Via Interpraias bzw. die Seilbahn.

-- Strand Praia do Buraco
Das lebhafte Meer am Strand Praia do Buraco zieht vor allem Sportfreunde an. Von dieser Stelle aus erhält der Besucher einen wunderschönen Ausblick auf den 3 km entfernt gelegenen Strand Praia Central. Der Zugang erfolgt über ökologische Wanderwege. Der Strand grenzt an die Nachbarstadt Itajaí.

-- Strand Praia do Estaleirinho
Eine wunderschöne Vegetation, starker Wellengang und sauberes Wasser bilden das Szenarium dieses 700 Meter langen Strandes. Verschiedene Hotels und Pensionen haben sich vor Ort eingerichtet.

-- Strand Praia do Estaleiro
Das saubere Wasser und der grobe Sand dieses Strandes bilden ein ideales Umfeld zum Wurfangeln. Der Strand ist 1.450 Meter lang.

-- Strand Praia do Pinho
Der Strand Praia do Pinho besitzt ruhiges und sauberes Wasser und ist 500 Meter lang. Er zählt zugleich zu einem der meistbesuchten FKK-Strände an der brasilianischen Küste. Den FKK-Freunden stehen dort Campingflächen, Restaurants und Bars zur Verfügung. Der Strandbereich ist von einer wunderschönen, mit Vegetation bedeckten Küste umgeben, die rigoros bewacht wird.

-- Strand Praia Taquaras
Dieser Ort eignet sich vor allem gut zum Wurfangeln. Der Strand Taquaras besteht aus grobem Sand mit ruhigem und tiefem Wasser. Vor Ort befindet sich eine kleine Fischersiedlung. Der Strand liegt 8 km südlich vom Stadtzentrum entfernt.

-- Strand Praia de Taquarinhas
An dem 7 km südlich von der Stadt entfernt gelegenen Strand Praia de Taquarinhas findet der Besucher sauberes Wasser und groben Sand. Der Strand wird vor allen zum Wurfangeln aufgesucht.

-- Einkäufe
Am Strand Praia do Estaleiro werden den Besuchern in einem Kunsthandwerkskomplex kunsthandwerkliche Gegenstände aus verschiedenen Teilen Brasiliens zum Verkauf geboten. So zum Beispiel aus Stoffresten hergestellte Kissen aus Santa Catarina und die Puppen aus Vale do Jequitinhonha im Bundesland Minas Gerais.

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Jalapao Brazil is Pure Adventure and Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:59:00 +0000

Jalapão Brazil is Pure Adventure and Nature

Jalapão: a main route for people who practice eco-tourism and adventure tourism. It is impossible to find equal scenario anywhere in the world.

Jalapão has cinematographic scenery. It has abundant waterfalls, rivers and lakes. And all of this is punctuated by fine, reddish sand dunes in the midst of sparse backwoods vegetation. It is no doubt the perfect background for tourism and radical sports such as rafting, canyoning and vertical modalities.

It is a place that is attractive and rustic, ready to be conquered. It derived its name from a common habit in the region. Jalapa-do-Brasil is a native plant used to cure stomach ailments. Because of its bitter flavor, local inhabitants normally eat it with a piece of bread. That is where the juxtaposition comes from: jalapa-pão (pão is bread in Portuguese).

No matter what, Jalapão impresses with its pure size: it occupies approximately 20% of the State of Tocantins. Sandstone plateaus that reach one thousand meters in height dominate the landscape. They say that here is where the sea became the hinterland. It would be a desert, if Jalapão were not also a paradise of waters and a place where the presence of flowers and exotic animals jumps to the eye. A call for contemplation and adventure. Despite being considered a desert, the fauna abound: the maned wolf, the pampas deer, the rhea, the great anteater, the jaguar and other regional species hide in the typical hinterland vegetation to escape the punishing sun that accentuates the dry climate with its constant 30ºC temperature. The biggest surprise for all those who venture here is to find an abundance of perennial rivers with transparent and still pure water.

Attractions
Brejo da Cama Waterfalls
This is in the middle of the plateau, in a hole. The road to Chiquinho Farm, 50 km.

Cachoeira da Velha Falls
Fed by the Rio Novo River, the Cachoeira da Velha waterfall is the largest of Jalapão and one of its main attractions. There, the waters run in great quantity, falling into two separate falls in the shape of a horseshoe, each of more than 20 meters wide. The falls are an imposing spectacle in which nature shows its exuberance and all its strength.

Right next to the waterfall there is a small beach, of calm freshwater and surrounded by gallery forest. The trail to reach the small beach is an attraction in itself, easy to walk through, with stops on the way for sightseeing and resting.

Cachoeira da Formiga Waterfall
The Cachoeira do Formiga is a small water fall surrounded by lush vegetation, with tall trees, and native palm trees. But the true spectacle is the pool that forms at the foot of the waterfall, where enchanting emerald-green waters invite for a dive. It is a jewel where you can bathe and see all the way to the ground, with calcareous sand.

Fauna
The most observed animals are the wildcats, deer, capybaras, foxes, monkeys and small mammals. Besides the common types of fauna found in the hinterland, several endangered species can be found in the Jalapão region, such as the maned wolf, puma, pampas deer and tapir. The regional bird fauna has species such as the macaw, parrot, toucan, rhea, crested seriema, and lapwing. Among the reptiles, one finds the anaconda, boa, rattlesnake, chameleon, tegu lizard and many more.

Fervedouro
It seems like an oasis. Amidst closed vegetation, swamps and streams, there is a place of rare beauty surrounded by banana trees. In its center is a large pool of transparent blue water - in reality, the spring of an underground river. The water that springs from clear sand creates the phenomenon of upwelling, which makes it impossible for the most persistent swimmer to submerge. In Fervedouro, you'll have fun and get to know the real feeling of lightness.

Lajeado Waterfalls
There are a series of steps over which the water runs until forming a 10m high waterfall and natural pool. It is necessary to climb down a stairway of stones, some of which are very slippery. The road to Chiquinho Farm, 45 km.

Mumbuca Village
In your tour through the Jalapão valley it is worth reserving time to visit a traditional village, Mumbuca, 35 km away from the city of Mateiros. It was in this place, formed in majority by slave descendants, that the much popular handcraft in golden grass emerged.

Follow the skillful hands of women of working Mumbuca the golden grass, producing craft pieces that will be distributed throughout Brazil and in several countries.

Mumbuca has less than 200 residents. There, men and women have very definite roles. Men plant for family consumption, while women reap the production and prepare meals, in addition of course to working as artisans.

Prainha of the Cachoeira da Velha Falls
After enjoying the exuberance of the Cachoeira da Velha falls, it is time to take the trail of approximately one hour that leads to the small beach, a very pleasant place, with shade, calm freshwater, and lush gallery forest.

Some of Jalapão’ tourists find at “prainha” an ideal place for camping, spending more time in contact with nature. Others are content swimming in its waters, enjoying the beauty of the scenery.

Pedra Furada Hill
An opening in the rock, carved by erosion and the wind. The road to Pindorama do Tocantins, 31 km.

Rafting
Every adventurer who goes to Jalapão has a certain destination: rafting on the Rio Novo rapids. But you need not be experienced or even able to swim to face the sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm waters. You should only be equipped with safety accessories supplied by the tourist agencies.

There are two options. The first is the long distances that take up to four days, where you get to experience high level difficulty waterfalls and make stops in small beaches of white sand that build up on the banks of the river. The second option, which is much faster and chosen by most tourists, is a descent that lasts three hours (six kilometers).

The best season to practice rafting is from May to September, the period of drought in Tocantins State. It is at this time also that the roads with access to Jalapão offer better traffic conditions.

Rio Novo River
One of the last rivers of drinking water in the world, Rio Novo has fully crystalline appearance, making vivid the wilderness that surrounds it and the beautiful beaches that are formed along its banks.

Rafting is common in the waters of Rio Novo River. But there is room for other sports such as canoeing, rappelling, cross-buoy (downhill by river’s rapids in individual buoys) and acquaride (where the player is prone on top of the buoy).

Sand Dunes
A scenario both unexpected as unforgettable, formed by huge dunes of golden sand (of quartz sand), up to 30 meters in height. Imagine the feeling of walking on the sand contemplating the sunset in the center of a landscape like this!

The dunes of Jalapão are in constant motion, driven by winds. Around it is the Espírito Santo Mountain with sandy formation, which the wind gust causes erosion, thus, creating the dunes.

Serra do Espírito Santo Mountain
Postcard of the region, Espírito Santo Mountain is an imposing rise, which through the process of erosion (rain and winds), creates the dunes that are formed at its feet.

There is also a gazebo in the mountain, where after an hour of walking toward the summit, you can get a privileged view of the entire region. The top of the mountain is a large flat area, which resembles an immense elevated table. It's the perfect place to enjoy the landscapes and horizons of Jalapão.

Suçuapara Canyon
This canyon is 60m long and 15m high. It was opened by the water running over the sandstone, thus forming the small canyon and the waterfall. Moss and hundreds of ferns grow along the steep slopes. The road to Mateiros, 15 km.

Basic information:
State: Tocantins
Region: North

The region’s climate is called sub-humid (AW), with maximum annual temperatures between 30°C and 32°C from August to November, partly due to the end of the dry season when smoke from the burning brush in the hinterland contributes to higher temperatures, and lows of between 18º and 19ºC, in June and July.

There are two well-defined seasons during the year: the rainy season, between October and April and the dry season, between May and September.

There is no support structure in the park. The cities of Mateiros and Ponte Alta serve as support stations for visitors. Both have hotels, restaurants, tourism agencies and guides that take visitors on excursions.

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Brazilian Tourism - Social and Environmental Impacts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Brazilian Tourism - Social and Environmental Impacts

Brazil’s potential for leisure and tourism based, among other factors, on its magnificent landscapes, pleasant climates, and rich biodiversity, has only recently begun to develop destinations for international travelers and domestic holidaymakers.

Though tourism has ample scope for expansion in Brazil, to a great extent the prospects of this sector are dependent upon water resources, and many of its activities could be severely jeopardized by damage to the quality and quantity of these resources.

As the Brazilian people become increasingly aware of environmental issues, eco-tourism particularly has gained ground, as well as fishing trips, and travel reflecting rising interest in scientific and technological themes. In this specialized travel and tourism segment, Brazil is host to increasing numbers of foreign visitors, attracted mainly to unique areas such as the Pantanal wetlands and Amazonia.

However, this type of tourism requires special attention, in view of its potential impacts on the environment and local communities. This requires policies that foster activities aimed at promoting sustainable social and environmental practices.

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Ceara - Investment Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Ceará - Investment Opportunities

The CRAJUBAR region of Cariri (Crato, Juazeiro and Barbalha) has significant economic development potential. In the Cariri region, tourism and manufacturing industries, such as footwear, have been major drivers of private investment.

Tourism in the region encompasses a variety of activities ranging from religious to scientific, cultural, ecological and commercial. Most tourists come for religious reasons, to celebrate the legacy of Father Cicero, an influential Catholic priest who resided in Juazeiro do Norte during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Major events in honor of Father Cicero take place throughout the year in Juazeiro and the city hosts nearly 1,800,000 pilgrims each year, mainly from the Northeastern region. Most of the jobs in Juazeiro are tourism-related (restaurants, commerce, handcrafts, lodging) and a large portion of them informal. Other municipalities in the Cariri region also have significant potential for tourism, as the region holds an extensive fossil basin which, under UNESCO’s auspices, is lending to the creation of the first geopark in the Americas. Given its peculiar nature, rich culture, emerging commerce and geographic location, Cariri region has become one of the preferred sites for tourism business events.

Finally, the shoe industry in Cariri ranks as third largest in Brazil, is responsible for nearly 8,000 jobs and approximately 40% of shoe firms located in Ceará. Small and medium firms prevail, however, with a corresponding lack of skilled labor, innovation capacity, technical knowledge and market information. With heightened global competitive pressure in this sector, it is critical that the sector be upgraded in terms of design, technology, skills, marketing and other innovations.

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Brazilian Flavors - Bahia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:16:00 +0000

Brazilian Flavors - Bahia
by Ericivaldo Veiga

The city of Salvador was founded to meet the expanding needs of the Portuguese mercantile system and to serve as the capital of Brazil for over two centuries. The city became the most important trading post in the colony. Single-culture agriculture, especially with sugarcane in the Brazilian Northeast or mineral extraction, formed significant cycles in the exploitation of the resources of the lands that had been discovered. This type of appropriation was based on slave labor brought by the thousands from several African regions. There was a time when the city’s black population was larger than that of white people formed by the economic elites, the clergy, administrators and poor white people. Although trading activities with Portugal were centered in Salvador and the Recôncavo, he colonialist venture also penetrated the hot and humid regions of the south as well as the vast region known as the Hinterland, which is characterized by the presence of caatingas, meadows, mountains, and valleys.

With a heterogeneous geographic and cultural development, the hinterland is less populated and still stigmatized by constant droughts. The anthropologist and essay writer Antônio Risério, who is also an observer of contemporary life in Salvador, believes that the transfer of the colonial capital to Rio de Janeiro, which was motivated by political and economic factors, led the city to isolation and to the development of an ethnically diversified population.

It is no longer a secret the fact that the cuisine of Bahia is diversified and that researchers complain about the prevailing interest for the cuisine of the capital and the Recôncavo, which is predominantly marked by dishes of African origin or dishes containing palm oil. During the 20th Cultural Meeting of Laranjeiras, held in the state of Sergipe, in the mid-1990s, the Bahia-born folklore researcher Hildegardes Vianna, in her “Breve Notícia da Alimentação na Bahia” complains about the lack of research “on the State’s hinterland and southern cuisine”. She tries to fill in the gap by presenting a short list of seafood dishes found in the cuisine of the southern region of Bahia bathed by the Atlantic Ocean: crab and fish dishes, and westwards, in the border with the State of Minas Gerais, meat and seafood dishes from the East Coast. The typical cuisine of the hinterland of Bahia, in turn, is presented by Vianna as being sober and a reflex of the poverty environment. In the basin of the São Francisco river, the daily cuisine is marked by the presence of manioc root flour and goat meat, fresh beans and manioc mush, in which the flour is scalded in milk, meat or fish broth.

The engineer and professor at the Engineering School of the Federal University of Bahia, Guilherme Radel has recently written the recipe book entitled “A Cozinha sertaneja da Bahia”. The book reveals secrets of the hinterland cuisine and shows its evolution. In the introduction, Radel’s hinterland cuisine is refined both in the technique and in the ingredients, although they can all be found in the region. The author helps to reveal the secret of the new flavors and confirms the lack of dissemination of other Bahia dishes as well as the dictatorship of the palm oil. According to the author “The hinterland cuisine spreads throughout Bahia and its presence is weaker exactly where the presence of the Afro-Bahia and Indigenous cuisines is stronger: in Salvador, in the Recôncavo, and on the shore. In the interior of Bahia, people eat basically the dishes that are typical of hinterland cookery: beans; different types of sun-dried meat dishes; sautéed, stewed, and roasted goat, lamb and pork; meninico; goat or mutton haggis; pork giblets; sautéed and stewed chicken; milk mush; mush made of corn meal; pumpkin purée; cassava; pumpkin; maxixe (a type of gherkin); fresh beans cooked in butter; golden-fried manioc meal; and a dish made of goat and golden-fried manioc meal. Such is the structure of hinterland cookery, which is undoubtedly the main contribution to the cuisine of Bahia.

However, this very important aspect is not fairly disseminated, thereby allowing the Afro-Bahia cuisine to make up the so-called cuisine of Bahia, as if the African people had been the only ones to contribute to its development.

In the set of recipes recorded by the author there are 362 different dishes made of goat, lamb, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fish, and game.

The secrets of religion are one of the elements responsible for the frequent use of the much-criticized palm oil in hinterland cookery. The religious syncretism of African origin extends, so to speak, to hinterland cookery during the Passion Week. Radel records 14 dishes containing palm oil in hinterland cookery, which are included in the category of food for occasions of “fasting and rules”.

The fixation of researchers with the Bahia cuisine of African origin might be explained by historical reasons. Something similar occurs with the candomblé brought to Bahia by the Yoruba people to the detriment of the candomblé of Bantu origin, among other groups of African matrices.

Particularly in Bahia, where the presence of certain African groups could not be matched by any other Brazilian region, cookery has been strongly influenced by this interaction process that made up the Brazilian society. The strong presence, especially of spices such as the palm oil, has contributed to the development of the cooking system of the Bahia cuisine. In his text entitled “Dietas Africanas”, the anthropologist Vivaldo da Costa Lima expressed the methodological lines to understand the Afro-Bahia cuisine, which has been mistakenly disseminated as a homogeneous cooking system. According to Costa Lima, the cuisine of Bahia is “The cuisine of a whole geographic sub-region of Bahia known as “Recôncavo”. The cuisine that developed in the region – the Bahia cuisine – is also popularly known as oil food, in an allusion to the palm oil, which is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the Elaesis Guineensis palm tree.

Different types of pepper are “another constant ingredient in Bahia cookery”, especially the Capsicum pepper, of the solanaceous family.

In his book entitled “A Bahia do Século XVIII”, Luís dos Santos Vilhena, a Greek professor who lived in Bahia late in the 18th century, offers us a menu of African dishes sold in the streets of Salvador which, in Vilhena’s view as a foreigner are “despicable and insignificant”:

“It is impossible not to notice eight, ten, and even more black men and women coming out of the wealthier houses in this city, where major negotiations and deals are made, to sell in the streets the most insignificant and despicable things, such as different sorts of delicacies like calf’s foot, carurus, vatapás, mingaus (porridge), pamonha, canjica, i.e., corn mush, acaçá (corn meal and rice flour mush), acarajé, ubobó, coconut rice, coconut beans, angu (mush made of corn meal), and the most shocking thing: dirty water mixed with honey and other ingredients known as aloá, which black people drink as lemonade.”

The menu presented by Vilhena reveals trends of a hybrid – although already Brazilian – Bahia cuisine. These trends will be expressed mainly among folklore researchers of regional-oriented mind and sociologists.

In “Arte Culinária na Bahia” published late in the 1920s, Manoel Querino expresses interest in the “customs and habits of each region”; he introduces Bahia cookery as a hybrid cuisine in “the ethnical development of Brazil”.

In the end of the 1930s, Sodré Vianna retired to a voodoo center to copy 50 recipes of Bahia cookery, which he later on published in his Xangô Journal. The same author, in the text entitled “Sauces of Bahia”, published in the Anthology of Food in Brazil and organized by Luís da Câmara Cascudo, emphasizes the preference of the people of Bahia for sauces especially prepared with red pepper. In the same anthology, writer J. M. Cardoso de Oliveira describes a dinner served in Bahia in 1889. A history of passion filled with moquecas (broiled fish), efó (vegetable paste with dried shrimp, palm oil, red pepper and other spices), acarajé, abará (dish made with beans, pepper and palm oil, and rolled in banana leaves), acaçá (corn meal and rice four mush)... Food is as much an element of the house as its windows and residents. As Cardoso de Oliveira wrote in his aforementioned book:

“On the window sills there was a line of bowls of sweets. On the table, bowls of beaten eggs and dough, and nutmeg and sugar clove packets lined up. In the corner, Inacinha, although nauseated, prepared the sponge cake, the coconut pudding, the manuês (variety of corn cake made with honey); in the kitchen the girls prepared the caruru made of okra and leaves, sifted the flour for the vatapá, cleaned the shrimps for the efó. In the grocery stores on the same street, African women would provide the abará, the acarajés and the aberéns (baked cakes made of corn, sugar and water, and rolled in banana leaves). D. Eugênia was in charge of making the cassava cupcakes, the small milk acaçás, and her two specialties: coconut and cheese cupcakes and smoked bacon. But she interfered everywhere, tasting something here, adding butter there”.

It is in the book entitled “História da Alimentação no Brasil” that Câmara Cascudo gives us one of the most complete descriptions of Brazilian cookery. He describes in detail the menu of cooking techniques and the sociological aspects of the Brazilian cuisine. Although he ate vatapá and caruru in Salvador, at some of his colleagues’ from the medicine course, in 1918, he restricts these dishes, in sociological terms, to the popular scope.

Sociologist Gilberto Freyre visited Bahia in the 1930s and was impressed with the politeness and the cuisine of the people of Bahia, as he wrote in the foreword of his “Casa Grande e Senzala”. Freyre, who was Franz Boas’ student at Columbia University, praised the sweets and cakes prepared in the Brazilian northeast, as recorded in the book entitled “Açúcar”. It is a sociology of sweets, whose first edition dates back to 1939.

The books by folklore writers Hildegardes Vianna and Darwin Brandão, which have the same name - “A cozinha baiana” – describe the Afro-Bahia cuisine of Salvador and the Recôncavo.

Roger Bastide, a French sociologist, was particularly interested in palm oil dishes within the context of the candomblé.

Costa Lima describes this cuisine in its religious context and in the observation of its dynamics in the secular context, as seen in the text entitled “Etnocenologia – e etnoculinária – do acarajé”. The author of this article studied the Bahia cuisine of African origin through a methodological approach that adopts the perspective of the Training Restaurant of Bahia cookery of the National Service of Commercial Apprenticeship (SENAC).

The institution developed a six-month cooking course on Bahia dishes aimed at the hotel-tourism market. The course reflects the vicissitudes of its organization and of the professional market in times of globalization.

The dissemination of popular culture, particularly of the Bahia cuisine of African origin, which has been transformed into icons through delicacies such as the acarajé, the abará, the vatapá, the caruru and the shrimp bobó has contributed to the development of important supramaterial conditions in the rationalization of tourism: an image that defines Bahia as a special and unique place for its cuisine and the happiness of its people reinforce these conditions. Writers and artists from Bahia are the most important disseminators of this image that was built in the historical and cultural process of the daily lives of the people of Bahia. The mid-19th century is the time limit when the image of Bahia as the land that nourishes traditions was established. Salvador, the state capital, is still proud of its status as the “queen of the Atlantic”, which has been consolidated by its commercial position in relation to the Southern Atlantic Ocean: “Europe, France and Bahia” is an expression of the Brazilian folklore, which was probably coined in the 19th century and reveals the status of Bahia. An analogy translated as something like Paris in relation to Europe, and Bahia (Salvador or the city of Bahia) in relation to the New World (America).

The secrets of the flavors of Bahia also imply observing the movement of tradition and modernity. As a result, we witness the emergence of new cooks and the gastronomic and occupational reinvention of the cuisine of Bahia. Many cooks like D. Flor, a character in Jorge Amado’s novel “D. Flor e seus dois maridos” (D. Flor and her two husbands), a book in which palm oil dishes color the pages of the book golden yellow. Cooks like Dadá, Alaíde, Dinha and Cira – all of whom are heirs of the guardians of the practical know-how of the cuisine of Bahia, old cooks of centuries-old families or of the candomblé centers of Bahia. But they also preserve tradition by including the new and welcoming reinvention.

On the other hand, the Bahia cuisine of African origin is being used by NGOs and community institutions such as African groups during carnival as a pedagogic element to bring education, self-esteem, and citizenship especially to youths of African origin; black organizations with strong mobilization power set up cooking festivals to entertain and preserve the memory and identity of the cuisine of Bahia.

The African cuisine of Bahia therefore fulfills its political role and wants more than just reproducing the biological existence of its fans. The food, although aimed at consumption, preserves and renews the memory kept in taste, in the sound of boiling palm oil, in the piquancy of the red pepper, in the crispness of the acarajé. These secrets and flavors are revealed to help strengthen and renew humanity.

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Sergipe - A Great Place Also To Invest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Sergipe - A Great Place Also To Invest

With a privileged geographic localization, in the central axle of the main markets of the Northeast region, Sergipe is the smallest Brazilian state territorially speaking, but it is the best well structured among its neighbor states of the Northeast region.

Sergipe has the major GIP per capta of its region and it is a regional center in ascension, with its beautiful beaches, modern services, security and free of the stress of big metropolises.

The state is rich in mineral resources. It has a modern and diversified industrial park. It is a mark in the agro business, in the tourism, in the culture of shrimps and similar ones, in the energetic sector, in the civil and naval construction, in the area of technology, in the health sector. Aracaju has the second major income per capita among the northeast capitals and in the interior, the main cities are growing and becoming developed. Besides that, Sergipe is the land of a hard working people who is ready to build a great state, with opportunities for all.

Set on a privileged location, in the middle of the Brazilian coast, Sergipe concentrates in it’s little less than 22 thousand square km a landscape and cultural diversity that impress visitors, converting itself into an opportunity, an ideal place for travel business.

There are more than 163km beaches, without natural obstacles, warm water surrounded by dunes and cut by six river mouths, which generates an excellent option for leisure travel.

Aracaju, a port of entry to get to know Sergipe, has shown a vocation for events tourism, relying on a center of conventions and auditoriums. Its beautiful beaches and modern Atalaia coast, one of he city’s main postcards, is 6km long and is at 9km from the city center, being one of the most beautiful and equipped coasts of Brazil, fully prepared for tourism, leisure and entertainment. It has special lighting for night baths, multisports blocks and a complex of bars and restaurants. It is one of the main concentration points of the night of Sergipe.

New hotels and resorts are being built, competing to strengthen the potential in this segment. A planned city, endowed with an airport with capacity to receive international charter flights is also a center of services and leisure.

The northern coast stands out for its ecotourism. It contains one of the first bases of the Tamar Project (preservation of marine tortoises) and the Biological Reserve of Santa Isabel, but the northeast region of Pantanal also deserves emphasis and, culminating all the beauties is the mouth of the São Francisco River.

One of the greatest attractions of Sergipe is the region of Xingó, which has the 5th largest navigable canyon in the world, archaeological sites and places where outlaws walked, fought and dies, including Lampiao and Maria Bonita (two important figures of Brazilian history). The Caatinga (stunted spare forest region in Brazil’s northeast), the canyon, the Grotto of Angico, scenario of Lampiao’s last combat, are an invitation to adventure, history and entertainment.

The first tourist-real estate complexes begin to be built in Sergipe, especially directed to the second residence of foreigners.

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Pernambuco - Investment Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:48:00 +0000

Pernambuco - Investment Opportunities

Project: Road Access and Bridge to Paiva Beach
Institution in Charge: Secretariat of Planning of the State of Pernambuco
Value of Investment: 1 billion dollars
Location: South Coast (Santo Agostinho Cape) - Pernambuco

The structuring of Paiva Beach as an international destination for tourism and leisure is a initiative of Odebrecht Building Company and of Cornelio Brennand and Ricardo Brennand Groups in partnership with the Government of Pernambuco. The planned urban infrastructure has the objective of attracting high level international tourism, as well as of expanding the supply of housing units and of leisure and service facilities to the population of the Metropolitan Area of Recife.

The Government of Pernambuco considers the Paiva Beach Project as very relevant for the State, due to its capacity to stimulate complementary investments, to create employment, income and tax revenues, generated by economic activities to be developed in the area. Also due to the expressive social impact that education, professional and technical training of the population will be able to induce, and which will consequently result in the increase of the IDH in the surrounding area.

The Project, as a whole, will require a private investment of around 1 billion dollars, and will be implemented in two stages, the first of which will demand an investment of US$ 250 million.

The Paiva Beach Project will constitute an important pole of metropolitan economic development which is expected to create very important and significant impacts such as:

a) the generation of an average of 4,440 jobs per year, considering both direct and indirect jobs, along the 20 years of the project implementation, mainly concentrated on building activities. With regard to tourism, leisure, commerce and services activities, the Paiva Beach Project has the capacity of generating approximately 38 thousand jobs, both direct and indirect, until its completion;

b) the attraction of high income level tourists flows (leisure, business and residential tourism) to Pernambuco, by offering an international pattern of infrastructure, not yet available in Northeast Brazil;

c) greater attention to preservation and sustainable use of the environment, deriving from the urbanistic conception of the Project, which takes advantage of the diversity of existing landscapes (mangroves, beaches and woods) in a responsible way. The rates of use and occupation of land indicated in the project promote the preservation of more vulnerable areas, avoiding their degradation.

Among the several government actions to support the Paiva Beach Project, two were elected as priority actions to be accomplished by means of Public Private Partnerships, through Sponsored Concession: (1) Construction, Operation and Maintenance of the bridge giving access to Paiva Beach and (2) Implementation and Maintenance of the Paiva Beach Road System.

Project: Pontal Project
Institution in Charge: Secretariat of Economic Development of the State of
Pernambuco
Value of Investment: US$ 63.5 million
Location: Petrolina / Pernambuco

The irrigation project of Pontal is located in the municipality of Petrolina, in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, where the biggest irrigation pole of the country is. The Brazilian Government has invested approximately 70 million dollars to build part of the irrigation infrastructure, which stretches from the São Francisco River to the Pontal area, and has the intention of transferring this area to the private sector.

The Project is divided in two areas: South Pontal and North Pontal, with only one point of water capture in the São Francisco River. The engineering works already completed in Pontal (around US$ 146.00 million in nominal values) include the water capture infrastructure and the water conduction system to both North and South areas. Calculated at market prices, the private sector will need US$ 63.56 million to complete the common infrastructure to all the Pontal Project.

The State Government will be responsible for the exploitation of the irrigation public service, by means of the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure for common use, in order to guarantee the occupation and development of the irrigable areas of the Project, according to the rational use of soil resources.

The objective of Private Sector participation in the Pontal Project is to attract a company, or a companys consortium, with enough financial capacity to achieve the Projects goals, and capable of attracting, to the region, other enterprises with expertise in agricultural activities.

Company for the Development of the São Francisco Valley (CODEVASF), through several studies, has concluded that 7,716 hectares of the Pontal area are considered irrigable, due to their soil characteristics. This area is adequate for several cultures including tropical fruits, citric fruits and sugar cane, among others. The State Government is ready to give the Private Sector total freedom in the choice of products to be cultivated. The remaining 19,239 hectares of Pontal were considered as dry land, which can be used by the local population to develop traditional activities such as goat raising, or even the structuring of agricultural products processing units.

To guarantee the compatibility of financial interests of the private sector with Government objectives, regarding land occupation, the companies will receive the counterpart from the Government, only after proving the use of irrigable lands for agricultural activities. Also, the land will only be considered occupied when the commitment of the enterprise with the development of agricultural production can be proved.

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United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:21:00 +0000

USA - United States of America Embassy and Consulates in Brazil

U.S. Embassy
SES - Av. das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 03
70403-900 - Brasília - DF
Phone: (55-61) 3312-7000
Fax: (55-61) 3225-9136
Hours: 08:00 am to 05:00 pm
Website: www.embaixada-americana.org.br

U.S. Consulate General Rio de Janeiro
Av. Presidente Wilson, 147 - Castelo
20030-020 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Phone: (55-21) 3823-2000
Fax: (55-21) 3823-2003
Hours: 08:00 am to 04:45 pm
Website: www.consuladodoseua-rio.org.br/

U.S. Consulate General São Paulo
Rua Henri Dunant, 500,
Chácara Santo Antônio,
04709-110 - São Paulo - SP
Phone: (55-11) 5186-7000
After hours: (11) 5181-8730
Fax: (55-11) 5186-7199
Hours: 08:00 am to 05:00 pm
Website: http://saopaulo.usconsulate.gov/

U.S. Consulate Recife
Rua Gonçalves Maia, 163 - Boa Vista
50070-060 - Recife - PE
Phone: (55-81) 3416-3050
Fax: (55-81) 3231-1906
Hours: 08:00 am to 04:30 pm

US Trade Office - São Paulo
Rua Estados Unidos, 1812
01427-002 - São Paulo - SP
Phone: (55-11) 3085-2811
Fax: (55-11) 3085-2744
Hours: 08:00 am to 05:00 pm

Foreign Commercial Service - Belo Horizonte
Rua Timbiras, 1200, 7º andar
30140-060 - Belo Horizonte - MG
Phone: (55-31) 3213-1571
Fax: (55-31) 3213-1575
Hours: 08:00 am to 05:00 pm
E-mail: Belo.Horizonte.office.box@mail.doc.gov

Consular Agency - Belém
Edifício Síntese, 21
Avenida Conselheiro Furtado, 2865
66060-600 - Belém - PA
Phones: (55-91) 3259-4566
Fax: (55-91) 3259-2626
Hours: 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm

Consular Agency - Fortaleza
Torre Santos Dumont
Avenida Santos Dumont, 2828, Suite 708 - Aldeota
60150-161 - Fortaleza - CE
Phone: (55-85) 3486-1306 or 3486-1307
Fax: (55-85) 3486-1308
Hours: 08:00 am to 12:00
E-mail: fmcis46w@terra.com.br

Consular Agency - Manaus
Edificio Atrium Sala 306
Rua Franco de Sá, 310
69079-210 - Manaus - AM
Phone/Fax 55-92-3611-3333
Hours: 08:00 am to 12:00

Consular Agency - Porto Alegre
Agência Consular Americana
a/c Instituto Cultural Brasileiro Norte Americano
Rua Riachuelo, 1257, Centro
90010-010 - Porto Alegre - RS
Phones: (55-51) 3225-2255/3226-3344
Fax: (55-51) 3226-3344
Hours: 08:00 am to 12:00

Consular Agency - Salvador
Av. Tancredo Neves, 1632
Sala 1401 - Salvador Trade Center - Torre Sul
Caminho das Árvores
41820-020 - Salvador - BA
Phone: (55-71) 3113-2090/2091/2092
Hours: 08:30 am to 11:30am
E-mail: amcon99@terra.com.br

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Rio Grande do Norte - Opportunities in Tourism

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Rio Grande do Norte - Opportunities in Tourism

Rio Grande do Norte is one of the main tourism destinations in Brazil. The State receives more than one million visitors a year, most of them are Brazilians and Europeans tourists who come to Natal on 14 charter flights, attracted by the beautiful beaches with dunes and clear waters, warmed by the almost all year long and by the heavenly scenery and biodiversity.

Along the 410 km coast, there are more 140 beaches, some of them internationally famous, e.g. Ponta Negra, Pipa and Genipabu. Along the entire coast in the State, there are places proper to the development of big projects such as hotel, real estate for second home, resorts, golf courses, etc. These projects are being planned and some are being implemented by foreigners, mostly Europeans.

Handcraft, regional cuisine and other cultural manifestations also amaze visitors, who are unanimous to declare, as they leave the State that they intend to return here and that they will recommended it to their relatives and friends.

The increase in the number of visitors and the expansion of tourism demand more services, attractions and accommodations. Aiming that market, Rio Grande do Norte is investing in ecologic and religious tourism as well as adventure tourism in the country side of the State – which stages several landscapes like semi-arid, sertão (backland), agreste (typical northeastern forest), hills, architectural monuments and baroque style sacred images – as well as business, educational and event tourism. A great opportunity for those who seek to combine work with quality of life, investing in one of the most beautiful and promising tourism poles in Brazil.

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Albania Consulate in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Albania Consulate in Brazil

Country: Albania

Address of the Consulate:
Avenida Rui Barbosa - 1654
CEP 50052-000
Recife - PE
Brazil
Telephone/Fax: +55 (81) 3441-5606 / +55 (81) 3268-6185

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Brazilian Beach Volleyball

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Brazilian Beach Volleyball

Playing volleyball on the beach is something that has been around since the 40’s and 50’s, in countries of vast coastal regions such as Brazil. Beach volleyball gained strength in Brazil as of 1985, when it began to host regional and national championships. Today, national doubles in both the male and female categories, are among the world’s finest.

Beach Volley is quite strong in the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast. The main tournament of the modality is the Brazilian Beach Volley Circuit of Banco do Brasil. It is comprised of 16 stages, taking place in the coastal cities, and even the inland center of Brazil, in improvised arenas, but with real sand.

Many beaches have courts erected for the practice of the sport. In them, it is possible to find professionals training, instructors giving lessons and hints on the game to students of many ages.

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Sabara - Minas Gerais

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Sabará - Minas Gerais

Sabará is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the microregion of Belo Horizonte.

Located in a majestic valley where the Velhas and the Sabará Rivers meet, this beautiful city in Minas Gerais emerged from the 18th Century gold rush. Few cities were able to keep their architecture virtually intact like Sabará, so much so that the entire history of an era can be told just by walking down its streets.

Sabará is a faithful portrait of one of the most fascinating periods in Brazilian history, told through its churches baroque architecture, through the mines hidden in the mountains, through the wooden troughs and other crude instruments used in gold extraction. Many of these, by the way, can be found at the bottom of the rivers

To walk the streets and city neighborhoods is to know part of the glorious saga of those explorers who searched for gold, and how the emerging Minas society was formed. It is also to be in an open-air museum.

That’s why the city catches the interest of tourists and scholars alike who can admire the best representative engravings of the baroque movement in the urban center.

Sabará is located in the Gold Circuit in the central tourist area of Minas Gerais. The main attractions are the townhouses, churches and big houses spread about the city’s narrow and centuries-old streets.

Events
Holy Week
Holy Week is a tradition in the city and it is celebrated with the re-enactment of Christ’s Passion and Death in a very beautiful presentation. Presentations of solemn liturgies, the Via Sacra of Penitence and several processions are also part of the celebrations.

Sabará Festival
During the entire month of July, activities and cultural workshops are held to celebrate the elevation of Sabará to the Royal Villa.

Our Lady of Assumption Festivity
This is a traditional celebration in the Ravena district (former Arraial da Lapa), one of the first settlements in the region. A novena, little stands, Mass, music shows, auctions and a procession are highlights at the traditional event.

Cachaça (Sugar Cane Rum) Festival
This festival is held on the Esportes Square with cachaça tasting and selling of the best sugar cane rums in Minas Gerais. Little stands, music shows, the Best Cachaça Contest and the Best Snack Food.

Festival of the Divine
This is one of the city’s traditional parties, with the participation of the Butler and the Emperor, who organize the entire event together with the Society for the Divine Holy Spirit. The highlights include the raising of the flagpole and flag, processions, the distribution of bread and medals.

Attractions
Our Lady of the Rosary Church
Work began in 1768 and it portrays the faith and strength of the African Negro. The slaves decided to build their own church, but the decline in gold mine activity did not permit it to be completed.

Our Lady of Carmo Church
This is one of the most spectacular stages for the art and geniality of Antônio Francisco Lisboa, the Aleijadinho. The images of San Juan de La Cruz, Saint Simon Stock and the Atlantes are attributed to the artist.

Saint Francis of Assisi Church
Before its construction, the site was home to a simple, rustic chapel dedicated to Our Lady Queen of the Angels, to whom Saint Francis was devoted. Work began in 1781, and truly accelerated between 1798 and 1805.

Municipal Theater
This is the second oldest theater in Brazil, and still in full operation. It has excellent acoustics and its architectonic lines are influenced by the English Theaters during the reign of Elizabeth I. That”s why it is also called the Elizabethan Theater.

Museum of Gold
This is an authentic example of crude Brazilian colonial architecture of the 18th Century (1713). This old Foundry and Magistrate House (the only construction with these characteristics still standing in Brazil) served for some time as a school. It has a permanent exhibit of sacred art and furniture pieces on the upper floor, which was the Magistrate”s residence. The ground floor is paved with round stones and it exhibits pieces related to the extraction, foundry process, coining and control of gold.

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Urubici - Santa Catarina

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Urubici - Santa Catarina

The charming town of Urubici was founded in 1915, as the village of São Joaquim. Today, its natural beauties attract tourists and backpackers from all corners of Brazil looking for the landscapes of the mountain ridge of the state of Santa Catarina. Located in the valley of the Canoas river, the town has in its hills, valleys, trails and waterfalls perfect places for those who want to rest or go for ecotourism and adventure tourism.

Urubici is part of the important São Joaquim National park, which is very rich in flora and fauna. The park has an area of 493 km2 (190.34 square miles) and is divided between the fields on top of the ridge, where we have the lowest temperatures in Brazil, and the area at the foot of the ridge, with temperature around the 20°C (68°F). A visit to it reveals incredible landscapes, such as the Laranjeiras Canyon (Canyon of the Orange Trees) and the famous Pedra Furada (Holed Rock), which can be seen from the Morro da Igreja (Church Hill), known as the highest point in the South of Brazil, with 1,827 meters (5,994.09 ft.) of altitude. In the surroundings of the town there are other places that deserve a visit, such as the Avencal Waterfall, with 100 meters (328.08 ft.) of free fall, and indigenous caves that are found in the area. There it is possible to see rupestral engravings which date back to more than four thousand years ago. In the severe winter, between the months of June and August, there can be some snow, which gives a European appearance to its streets. In 1996, the town registered the lowest temperature ever recorded in thermometers in Brazil, -17.8 °C (0.04°F). It is the ideal weather for those who like chatting in front of a fireplace, sipping some good wine, or just relax.

Throughout its history, Urubici suffered the influence of Portuguese, Italian, German, African and Latvian settlers, who have left their characteristics in its culture, arts, architecture, and cuisine. The city is also known as the land of the vegetables because of the variety and quality of the local production.

Attractions
Morro da Igreja (Church Hill)
Located in the center of the São Joaquim Park, the Morro da Igreja is one of the most beautiful mountains of the area. With 1,822 meters (5,977.69 ft.) of altitude, it is the highest peak of the state, greatly sought by those who like mountain climbing and mountaineering. In clear days, it becomes a great belvedere to see the scarps of the General Mountain Ridge (Serra Geral) and the coast, at more than 60 kilometers (37.28 mi.) away from there. It was in the Morro da Igreja that the lowest temperature in Brazil of -17.8°C (0.04°F) was recorded.

Pedra Furada (Holed Rock)
A rocky formation with a window-shaped hole, with approximately 30 meters (98.43 ft.) of circumference, sculpted by the action of nature, in the middle of the Atlantic forest. It can be seen from the Morro da Igreja.

Springs of the Pelotas River
The springs of the Pelotas river are in an area of flooded fields, where there are many trails. From there it is also possible to see the Morro da Igreja (Church Hill).

Corvo Branco Mountain Ridge (White Crow Mountain Ridge)
One of the town’s most visited places, there is a road connecting Urubici to Grão-Pará, crossing its highest point, at 1,470 meters (4,822.83 ft.) of altitude. On the way there, it is possible to see canyons and deep valleys from many belvederes. In the winter it may snow in the area.

Avencal Waterfall
One of the most beautiful waterfalls of the area, the Avencal Waterfall has a fall of 88 meters (288.71 ft.). To get there, we have to walk for an 800-meter (874.89-yard) long trail.

Campestre Hill
Located at 8 km (4.97 mi.) from the center of Urubici, in that hill there is belvedere which offers partial view of the valley of the Canoas river. The best time of the day for visitation is right before the sunset.

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