Going to Brasilia/Brazil

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I'm trying to find information on travelling to other countries. I'm planning a trip and possible move to Brazil, and I'm having a really hard time finding information about the technicalities of the initial trip. I'd also like to know about how their laws effect people with a duel citizenship, and how the people of Brazil treat Americans.

I've tried the embassies' websites, but they are a bit vague.

When you're planning and extensive trip to a foreign country (foreign country from whichever country you presently live) how do you go about finding information?

Thank you!

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There were several threads on here about Brazil, so I know there are some of you who have good info to share. If I was allowed to send PMs, this would be much easier Smile

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You could also post on those other threads; like, "Hi, I started a thread about visiting and maybe moving to Brazil, I'd love your take" and a link to here.

It's also possible that those people are no longer around. I can think of at least two who are associated with Brazil -- Craven de Kere and Superjuly -- who basically never post anymore. (Craven is the site owner and posts occasionally, but very occasionally.)

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Well, this has almost nothing to do with your thread, but will bump it up a bit higher in post order.

A brazilian has won architecture's key international prize -
http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-pritzker10apr10,0,6758633.story?coll=la-home-headlines

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Hi there HickoryS!!
Sozobe sent me here to help you out, but I'm not sure exactly what kind of information you are looking for.

A friend of mine from San Francisco just moved down to Brazil to teach english as a second language for a while and what he complains the most is that he's not being able to catch up on the Portuguese language as easily as he thought he would... He found that moving to Florianópolis was the best place for him to live while in Brazil - it's a very European like city infrastructural and cultural wise and relatively affordable. Not mentioning that it's located in the most developed area of the country, you wouldn't feel such a cultural shock as you would if you moved to the Northeast for example.

Brasilia is the Capital. I know some people who live there and it seems like there isn't much to do other than work. And also, it is a very expensive city to live in.

As far as immigration info, I'd call on of the Brazilian Consulates in the US to get help. There are people there who will be able to answer your questions accurately. It's safer this way.

As Sozobe mentioned, I hardly ever post on a2k now, so I'm sorry if I don't get to reply soon, but I hope I'm of any help with this post! Smile

Good luck!

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How are the Brasillians towards Americans? What kind of medical care is available?

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The US Department of State issues consular information sheets.

They have lots of general and some specific, useful information in them:

Quote:

DUAL NATIONALITY: U.S. citizens also possessing Brazilian nationality will not be issued Brazilian visas and must obtain a Brazilian passport (from the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate nearest to their place of residence) to enter and depart Brazil. In addition to being subject to all Brazilian laws affecting U.S. citizens, dual nationals may also be subject to other laws that impose special obligations on Brazilian citizens. Note that children adopted from Brazil are still considered Brazilian citizens and must be documented as such should they return to Brazil. For additional information, please contact the nearest Brazilian embassy or consulate. Please also see the Consular Affairs home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov for our Dual Nationality flyer.

and

Quote:

SAFETY AND SECURITY: Political and labor strikes and demonstrations occur sporadically in urban areas and may cause temporary disruption to public transportation. By nature, protests anywhere in the world have the potential to turn violent. While it is unlikely that U.S. citizens would be targeted during such events, U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Brazil are advised to take common-sense precautions and avoid any large gatherings or any other event where crowds have congregated to demonstrate or protest. Individuals with ties to criminal entities operate along the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. These organizations are involved in the trafficking of illicit goods, and some individuals in the area are financially supporting designated foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. citizens crossing into Paraguay or Argentina in that area may wish to consult the Consular Information Sheets for those countries.

Colombian terrorist groups have been known to operate in the border areas of neighboring countries. Although there have been reports of isolated small-scale armed incursions from Colombia into Brazil in the past, we know of no specific threat directed against U.S. citizens across the border in Brazil at this time. Colombian groups have perpetrated kidnappings of residents and tourists in border areas of Colombia's neighbors. Therefore, U.S. citizens traveling or residing in areas of Brazil near the Colombian Border are urged to exercise caution. U.S. citizens are urged to take care when visiting remote parts of the Amazon basin and respect local laws and customs. U.S. visitors should ensure that their outfitter/guide is experienced in the Amazon.

Department of State

Also from the site:

Quote:

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical care is generally good, but it varies in quality, particularly in remote areas, and it may not meet U.S. standards outside the major cities. The Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo is regularly used by expatriates in Brazil. The hospital phone is (55-11) 3747-1301.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC's Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization's (WHO) website at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

I could spend hours on sites like that.

Anyway, it'd be great to get some local feedback, of course. Good luck.

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that's so funny I'm learning brazilian portuguese and spanish as planning a move to Buenos Aries and visit Sao Paulo a lot.... i got friends in Sao paulo whom i'm gonna go visit in January (can't wait), i'm not sure what they like towards Americans as i am south african and they seem to like us, but they seem to be really freindly. Well the private health care is good (my friends parents are doctors- cardiologist and neurologist) but I guess it's like here (south africa) don't rely on anything goverment, get medical aid and use private health care, i know Jo'burg has got some of the best doctors (my dad's GP) in the world but you have to pay big for them same as in brazail I'm sure.

Yeah the biggest problem i find with the portuguese is the grammar.

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Dear Hickory,

I live in Brasília and was once married to a US citizen who lived with me here. I know you already have had some replies and probably have looked up more information on the internet, but if you still have some specific questions on this city, feel free to emphasize your doubts and I will try to answer - I am new to this site. I'm not sure how common it would be to send you my email address, so for now I will be in touch through a2k.

One important point: it's quite tough to have a good quality of life in Brasília without a car, and owning a car is not cheap. What kind of work would be you doing in Brasília? It's not as one-sided a city as it once was - where all you could was work - though it's still a bit "cold" compared to other cities. I have lived in several countries (US, France, Germany, Switzerland) and travelled to several others, but am Brazilian and have chosen this city to live and grow.

One big doubt: what are you coming to do in Brasília? If you don't already have a job and with the high cost of living this may not be the best place to try your luck.

Cordially,
Daniel Godoy.

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danielgodoy - thank you for your response! What I'm considering is retiring in Rio. I'd already have savings and interest for income, and I'm not worried about the cost of things. I'm worried about how dangerous Rio is. I've looked at some condos in the highrises there on the coast of Rio, and they say that they are guarded. But a friend of mine who has relatives there say that they are guarded with men carrying machine guns, and that just seems to indicate that the place is more dangerous than it looks on the net.

This friend of mine is originally from Argentina, and he has been to many places in South America. He has familys still in Rio, and they say that there are really rich people and really poor people - with not much in between. He describes the poor as people who "slit your throat first, and check for your wallet second". He said that during the day, its nice, but after nightfall, its scary.

Please tell me your thoughts on that. Thank you Very Happy

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going to brazil
here is what we observed during our recent cruise around south-america during march/april this year .
so this is just from a tourist's point of view .
spent a day each in rio , salvador and recife .

to put our impression of brazil in a nutshell :
if you are well of in brazil , you can live very well indeed.
the living standard of the rich is pretty fabulous , but the grinding poverty of a large part of the population is with you all the time .

even our local tour guides - who seemed to be reasonably well of , kept commenting on the huge disparities between the rich and the poor .

certainly , rio is a beautiful city - if you can keep you eyes away from the poor .

to give just one example : the lift taking you up to sugarloaf mountain costs about US $10 - not many ordinary people can afford that kind of money - so you don't see any poor people up there !
the views from up there are spectactular !
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we also stopped in three harbour towns going around patagonia :
puerto montt , punta arenas and ushuaia .
from what we saw and from what the tour-guides told us , people in the southern regions of chile and argentinia (patagonia) seem to be much better of financially than those living further north .( i understand the same is true in brazil ; people in southern brazil seem to be better of - generally speaking - than those living closer to the equator .)
in patagonia most people seem to live in good houes , there are good employment prospects , examples : salmon hatcheries , oil and gas exploration , tourism .
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there is plenty of information by simply going on a "googling" expedition .

as an aside : those three towns/cities we visited in patagonia had german clubs and german schools . i met two local travel guides(ladies)whot had come to patagonia from germany to teach in the german schools (private) and decided to stay . certainly not as exciting in patagonia as in rio or buenos aires - no tango being danced on the side walks - , almost like being in northern europe ; people are somewhat reserved and cool - but not unfriendly .
if you are interested in hearing more , let me know .
we certainly enjoyed seeing a bit of south-america . hbg

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brazil
there is a great ...BRAZIL TRAVELOGUE... by galen freysinger at this site . it shows a slice of life in brazil (and also from many other countries) .
i recommend having a look at it . it shows how the regular people live . hbg

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Hickory,

Brazilians consider the city of Florianopolis, further south on the coast, as a much better place to retire than Rio de Janeiro. It's certainly a much smaller city, its airport gets no international flights and it can be cool and rainy part of the year, more than Rio, but it is located on an island with a large variety of beaches and is considered a safe city. Actually, I have not been there personally, but if you have the time and money to invest in a condominium in Rio you will have time and money to spend a few days in Florianopolis. Its best known resort-hotel is Costão do Santinho.

Brasília is not a bad place to retire, so you should check it out, but if you really are thinking coast, just visit it for cultural interest.

There certainly are tropically-beautiful regions where Portuguese, Italians and Spaniards are investing - the region north of Salvador is showing potential for golf enthusiasts (check out Sauípe resort with its 5 hotels including a Marriott), Natal and Fortaleza are two very hospitable cities with some very nice hotels - Blue Tree Park or SERHS Natal in Natal or Blue Tree Towers or Oasis in Fortaleza.

To tell you the truth, if retiring in Brazil is your option, I only recommend Rio to those who already have a family history there - otherwise, just visit it on some vacation and leave it to its unfortunate history of violence.

Cordially,
Daniel Godoy.

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I somewhat agree with the statement of being careful about retiring to Rio. It's an incredible city with lots to do but you do have to be very careful. The southern part of Brazil is more cultured and European with a higher standard than the rest of the country but for beaches and the simpler life the northeast is very intriguing. In general the Brazilians really like Americans and will try to speak English with you but even in the large cities your normal contacts will be with non-English speakers so it would behoove you to learn the language. It will open a whole new world to you as the stories are rich and fascinating even with strangers. Also though cars are almost double of what you would pay in the states they will run on gas, alcohol or flexfuel which every gas station has had for years (Petrobras monopoly - what happened to the states?) Gas is double the US also but with good mileage it evens out. I lived there for eleven years, married a girl from Ipanema, now in Houston and would like to go back.

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Going to Brasilia/Brazil

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