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[QUOTE=Hughdad]Walked the 2 blocks back to the hotel and they would not let us up to the rooms saying the keys wouldn't work. Fortunately I was on the first floor (which I hated at check in. But it turned out perfect in the blackout). I snuck into the stairwell and used my cell as a light up the two flights and my room key opened the door. [/QUOTE]
They are full of shit. The locks have batteries in them.
[QUOTE=Mr Enternational]They are full of shit. The locks have batteries in them.[/QUOTE]Right. Which is why I proceeded up to my room anyway to try.
Not sure why so hostile a response? I think they were honestly scrambling. Trying to adjust to the situation and keep everyone in order with just a few emergencies lights on in the lobby. There were some panicking tourists. I mean imagine just arriving in that crazy city a few hours earlier. In a neighborhood hotel, with a busy intersection just outside the front lobby door. And someone flips off the light switch. In the pouring rain. I have to say the staff at the Hotel Atlantico Copa is great, English speaking, holding and watching bags, sent up an attendant to assist with any need right away. And as I said previously rooms were spacious (if not the most modern and expensive furniture and bed) and the hot water was adundant with tremendous pressure. Their spaciou lobby has a nice little bar and plenty of seating areas to tuck away and do a meeting. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a moderate priced, centrally located launching pad into Rio. Luomo is 2 blocks away, Monte Carlo and the beach are 5 blocks away, the Metro is across the street, markets and stores everywhere. I booked it through Ipanema.comfor R$50 less than the hotel was asking directly. (I have had good success using Ipanema.comfor my short stay hotel needs. Very responsive and accomodating to travel changes.) I will be exploring a few more neighborhoods in the next month. And will start looking at long-term apartments with a business partner for late January or February. He'll be in Rio full-time, I'll be there 4 to 6 months next year.
In the lobby the day after the blackout, I was talking to a female guest. And we were trading travel disaster stories. She had been through hurricanes, floods, power outages, military actions. I had been through:
* an earthquake in SF (not so unusual),
* the massive Denver Christmas snow storm that shut the airport for a week (luckily I decided the airport was going to be shut down and to stay at the beautiful resort hotel I was at instead of trying to make the airport as a few colleagues did to get home for the holiday. And they ended up sleeping on cots for 4 days. I was sitting by a fireplace in the lobby drinking wine and playing pool and darts with the 10 other guests.)
* the NYC blackout a few months after 9/11. We weren't allow back in our hotels and ended up meeeting a nice restaurant owner that let us set up tables outside and drank wine with us all night. People were sleeping on the post office steps.)
* a tsunami evacuation in Hawaii (where you are ordered up the mountainsides. All the native Hawaiians stopped and bought cases of beer and starting make BBQs. Good times.)
Unfortunately, I was also working in mid-town Manhattan on 9/11. The saddest, most sobering day of my life.
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I've tried searching, but I can't find an answer. Can I bring packaged foods (sealed) into Brazil, like cereal, peanut butter or nuts?
Do the apartment buildings have back up generators? I was having a conversation last night with a friend and I said. "Imagine if you were stuck in an elevator when the power went out? No air conditioning, no bathroom, no water!!" From what I had been hearing, Rio has been brutaly hot the past week of so. I think I would have had a stroke if I had been stuck in the elevator for an extended period of time.
[QUOTE=Bravo]Do the apartment buildings have back up generators? [/QUOTE]
No, most do not. The Homeowner Associations are too cheap to buy them.
[QUOTE=Dboy]I've tried searching, but I can't find an answer. Can I bring packaged foods (sealed) into Brazil, like cereal, peanut butter or nuts?[/QUOTE]I have brought in packaged foods in both my carry on and checked baggage. Have never had an issue or question.
[QUOTE=Hughdad]Check out Filhos do Carnaval.
[url]http://hbo-br.tv/series.asp[/url][/QUOTE]
Anyone know if its available on DVD?
[quote=inbrazilsoon]i have brought in packaged foods in both my carry on and checked baggage. have never had an issue or question.[/quote]
i brought some canned tuna in once and it was confirep001ed by customs. however they didn't bother 2 half gallons of apple pucker! :)
[QUOTE=Dboy]I've tried searching, but I can't find an answer. Can I bring packaged foods (sealed) into Brazil, like cereal, peanut butter or nuts?[/QUOTE]
I have brought peanut butter for an American friend who lives in Rio and I have brought pretzels for Bobby of Blame It on Rio with no problems; however, in each case, this was several years ago. Recently, I know of an American who brings a suitcase full of packaged food with no problems.
[QUOTE=Dboy]I've tried searching, but I can't find an answer. Can I bring packaged foods (sealed) into Brazil, like cereal, peanut butter or nuts? [/QUOTE]I have brought in cereal, pancake mix and syrup, peanut butter, green tea mix on several occassions. They were in a 70 lb duffle bag. I made pancakes for some GDP morning guests I had one time and they loved them! And Arizona Iced Tea now makes a sugar free Pomegranate Green Tea mix that they love as well.
I had no problems bringing these in but they were in checked 70 lb duffle bags. Most people don't know you can bring in 70 lb bags from the US. Not 50 lb (check with your airline though.)
I also used a cargo shipping service to ship down small appliances, kitchen items, etc. Paid a flat fee by box size. Takes at least 2 months for it get to Brazil and clear customs. They combine with other shipments. Limitations on how many of certain items you can have and how they have to be packed (out of original boxes to make resale tougher.) I shipped 2 big boxes to a friend's (total of nearly 300 lbs) ahead of this trip for $650 US and they were there waiting when I visited her. Everything I need to help set up a place. I focused on things they (really) overcharge for here: pots and pans and kitchen utensils, good pillows/sheets and blankets (which I used one of those air bag storage devices to suck out all the air so everything is really flat and took up much less room. Also better protected in shipping), small appliances and electronics (ipod port system, fans, juicer, food processor, etc.) I needed to buy a simple hand can opener last time and paid R$19. I realized they charge a fortune for that stuff here.
I have found a peanut butter in stores here now (Magic Time). Creamy and Chunky. Like Skippy. But R$16 for a small jar. They also have lots of green tea mixes now too. My question is. Why is ice cream so damn expensive in supermarkets here? They have tons of cow farms, tons of sugar. I stay away from buying frozen ice cream in stores and treat myself to a large soft serve sorvette waffle cone for R$1. 30 at a local palce instead. Beats the hell out of that small bland cosqinha (sp?) you get at Mickey D's for R$1.50.
[QUOTE=Dboy]I've tried searching, but I can't find an answer. Can I bring packaged foods (sealed) into Brazil, like cereal, peanut butter or nuts?[/QUOTE]
I always take packaged foods and goods with me into Brazil. Usually I have canned luncheon meat, whiskey, peanut butter (it is said that Americans always crave peanut butter once they are away for awhile), and plastic silverware.
I have never been stopped at customs. They DO know what is in your bag, I now realize, because on my last return the airline people specifically asked of I had any alcohol in the bag. I am sure they have it listed somewhere that I usually carry whiskey in my checked baggage.
You can buy most food you would want in grocery stores in Rio. But some things just do not taste the same.
TJ
[QUOTE=TJ Fannatic]I always take packaged foods and goods with me into Brazil. Usually I have canned luncheon meat, whiskey, peanut butter (it is said that Americans always crave peanut butter once they are away for awhile), and plastic silverware.
I have never been stopped at customs. They DO know what is in your bag, I now realize, because on my last return the airline people specifically asked of I had any alcohol in the bag. I am sure they have it listed somewhere that I usually carry whiskey in my checked baggage.
You can buy most food you would want in grocery stores in Rio. But some things just do not taste the same.
TJ[/QUOTE]The Snickers don't taste the same. Neither do the peanut m&m's. Different nuts.
[QUOTE=TJ Fannatic]
I have never been stopped at customs. They DO know what is in your bag, I now realize, because on my last return the airline people specifically asked of I had any alcohol in the bag. I am sure they have it listed somewhere that I usually carry whiskey in my checked baggage.
TJ[/QUOTE]
Gee, I always thought when the airline screeners asked if I had alcohol in my bags they were screening for flammable liquids. Do you suppose they have a record of my drinking habits? ;)
[QUOTE=TJ Fannatic]I have never been stopped at customs. They DO know what is in your bag, I now realize, because on my last return the airline people specifically asked of I had any alcohol in the bag. I am sure they have it listed somewhere that I usually carry whiskey in my checked baggage.
TJ[/QUOTE]They also have it listed whether you like your martinis shaken or stirred. More important than security measures to them.
TAM and GOL are the two major companies for domestic air travel inside Brazil.
GOL: A good news is that they now accept payment with foreign credit cards when buying tickets online. Excellent! It also very good that all of you who still have points with Smiles (Varig) can use them for exchange for tickets with GOL.
TAM: TAM is strange. They only accept payment with foreign credit cards when buying tickets online as long as it's done on their website as "outside Brazil". Those prices are much more expensive than if you buy your ticket on their website as "inside Brazil". At least 50% more expensive.
To get their "national prices" you'll need a CPF (which I can find reasonable) and also a brazilian credit card.
I got pissed of and called TAM. They explained that it's supposed to be cheaper for brazilians to buy their tickets, than it's for gringos. Weird!
I've noted that in general the prices on air tickets within Brazil is considerable cheaper than one year ago. :)