Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Because of the Olympics, Brazil has waived visa requirements for a lot of countries, including mine. I'm thinking about going between the games ending, and the visa free period ending, so late August to mid September. A few questions, but some are about places pretty far away.

Only person I know who has been there said other than flying, going between cities is pretty bad. He also said just about every flight was connecting via Sao Paolo. Would you agree?

I've heard a lot of mixed things about your cities. All of the big ones have nice safe parts, but they're also NA or Europe level expensive. There's also usually some poor places that tourists really stand out in. I don't have an interest in going to Rio or Sao Paolo. Are any of the other big cities on the coast, like Recife or Fortaleza worth going to?

Do you know anything about traveling the Amazon? From what I've found, you can ether go up on a cruise ship and spend thousands, or travel like a local on an old rusty boat, and it's pretty cheap. I was looking at going Manaus-Belem.

Is travel between places in Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande de Sul doable by bus? Have you been to Itaipu Dam? Are the German places like Blumenau and Pomerode tourist traps, or are the people actually like the pictures?

>>1140320
I can't help you in Amazon, but here it goes:
>Only person I know who has been there said other than flying, going between cities is pretty bad. He also said just about every flight was connecting via Sao Paolo. Would you agree?
No. The main Brazilian hubs are São Paulo (both), Rio de Janeiro (both), Campinas (for Azul company) and Brasília
>I've heard a lot of mixed things about your cities. All of the big ones have nice safe parts, but they're also NA or Europe level expensive.
In São Paulo, Rio, Brasília and surprisingly Manaus (a sort of tourist trap) yes. Belo Horizonte and Northeast capitols are way cheaper
>I don't have an interest in going to Rio or Sao Paolo.
There are many historical and interesting cities in São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro-Minas Gerais triangle.
>Are any of the other big cities on the coast, like Recife or Fortaleza worth going to?
Yes, yes and yes. Recife (and Olinda) has a lot of historical highlights, and Fortaleza is a good base to know goat Ceará beaches - I don't know about . But both are quite violents - and Recife has a shark problem (but you can always go to Porto de Galinhas)
>Is travel between places in Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande de Sul doable by bus?
Yes, but AVOID WITH ALL YOUR STRENGHTS PLUMA BUS COMPANY.
>Have you been to Itaipu Dam?
Yes. 2, max 3 days in Foz do Iguaçú are enough (one day for Itaipu Dam, other for birds reserve and other for crossing the boarders).
>Are the German places like Blumenau and Pomerode tourist traps, or are the people actually like the pictures?
I don't thing there's much thing to do there outside Oktoberfest. You'll have more fun going to Florianópolis and Itajaí.

I will be travelling for business to Sao Paolo. I will mostly stay around the intl airport. What should I absolutely do if I have 4-5 hours of free time?

What do Brazilians expect from a foreigner at first-meet, and is there any kind of invitations that is rude to refuse?

Obrigad-anon

>>1140352
>>I will mostly stay around the intl airport. What should I absolutely do if I have 4-5 hours of free time?
Nothing. You'll waste 3 hours to reach anywhere and another 3 hours to get back. Traffic is chaotic, public transportation sucks (and their subway/train/metro system is just ridiculous if you take into account the size of the city) and the city is extremely polluted.

should I have Reals on me at all time, or major credit card do the job everywhere?

>>1140367
Most civilized places accept CC.
Visa and Mastercard are the biggest ones and are the most widely accepted. Can't guarantee other cards, though.
Still, not sure if all taxi drivers will accept CC payment and some smaller store won't accept it either so depending on where you're going, it's wise to have some cash. And keep some cash in case you're robbed. It's not unheard of robbers killing their victims because they didn't have "enough money".

What are the typical slangs and swearings I may hear between Brazilians so I can know?

>>1140320
I mostly agree with the anon that answered you before, just wanted to add that going between the state capitals is doable by car (the international driver's license accepted in the US/EU is valid here). There are highways like the BR-101 that connect a lot of big cities, mostly by travelling in the north/south direction. Just beware of bad drivers and rely on a good GPS (Google Maps is great, Waze is pretty cool, Apple Maps aren't reliable).

As I mentioned earlier, Brazil is very polarized. You can see this in the picture I'm posting now. It's Recife, downtown contrasting with the favela. Everywhere you go, you can stumble upon wealthy and miserable people.

>Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul:
Great destinations in these states. Parana has a lot of big cities with different cultures, but no good beaches. Santa Catarina has incredibly beautiful beaches (just like the northeast coast), huge nightlife in Balneário Camboriú (beautiful real estate along the coasts too) and in Rio Grande do Sul you'll find a lot of similarities with Uruguay and Argentina (good steaks, cold weather, huge grasslands). And Gramado is a city known for its delicious handmade chocolates.

>Amazon travels.
Never visited, but I know a guy who organizes fishing trips there. It's what you'd expect from a rainforest: scattered cities among lots of rivers and trees. Travelling is mostly by boat.
To be honest, forests don't appeal to me. I like to camp, but no more than a weekend.

>Blumenau, Pomerode, etc.
Yes, some neighborhoods preserved their colonizing aspects. You can find a lot of german themed houses, stores, parks, etc.

>>1140352
I asked a friend who lives in Sao Paulo about your question. Will reply back to you.

About expectations, you'll realize brazilians are very interested about foreigners, but I know few people who can actually have a conversation in fluent english. I think you'd be better off by assuming that you're not gonna be well-understood. Google Translate can help you majorly. Most people will be patient with you and try to comunicate with gestures, or they'll ask someone else for help.
Brazilians are very welcoming. You can be invited to someone's house for dinner easily, and we are very prone to body contact. Almost all the men you'll meet will shake your hand, and almost all the women will extend their cheek for you.

>>1140367
My wallet has not seen a Real in months, but sometimes this gets me.
I recall some stuff that is only buyable with paper money:
-[IMPORTANT] Road tolls only accept Reals, no cards, dollars, pounds, etc.
-Pre-paid cards for parking in downtown area of big cities.
-Cigarettes (in gas stations).
-Some cabs.

You'll be fine with 50, 100 reals on your wallet for small purchases. Most of the smallest food stalls accept credit cards.

File: 6254766995_a6eefe5d18_b.jpg (695KB, 1024x768px) Image search: [Google]

695KB, 1024x768px

>>1140402
Forgot the damn pic. Here it is.

Another thing I wanted to add: Free WiFi coverage is not so great here, probably it is better in Sao Paulo and Rio, but the 4G (LTE) network spreaded quickly because of the Games. If you have any sort of worlwide SIM card or can do Roaming, you'll be fine.

>>1140352
It depends. If you arrive in Guarulhos, nothing. If you go to Congonhas, there are some luxurious brothels nearby.