South America & Central America Megathread: Share or take the wealth.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > South America & Central America Megathread: Share or take the wealth.

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

DustingDuvet posted:

This thread makes me really happy! I leave for 3 months of backpacking in 8 days. I am starting in Colombia for 1 1/2 months, then a stopover in Lima for a week, and Brazil for 5 weeks.

I have traveled in Ecuador for 2 1/2 months, Colombia for 1 month, and Bolivia for 1 1/2 months so let me know if you have any questions about backpacking in those countries. I can answer any travel related questions like what there is to do in each place, sample itineraries, which hostels are most fun, which clubs are the best, etc.

I do have some questions for you. I have a free 7 day stopover in Lima. I figured i would spend the week in the city. I am looking for a great party hostel. I have heard The Point and Loki are great. What do you think? Do i have time to go anywhere interesting in a week besides Lima? Are there any special foods i have to try. I know about ceviche and the pisco sour, anything else? Any interesting things to do in Lima that are not in the guidebooks?

As for Brazil, its pretty expensive so I am planning to just stay in Sao Paulo, Rio, and Salvador. Is $70 a day realistic for someone who stays in cheap hostels, eats out at decent restaurants, and likes to party at night? Would you recommend a Favela tour in Rio? Have you heard of the Fortal festival in Fortaleza?

Did you say Fortaleza? I'm going to be residing there over the next couple months (and I would like to find out more about Fortal too, http://www.fortal.com.br says July 24-27; everything I've heard about Fortal (admittedly not much) tells me it's like a mini-carnaval) and one thing I would like to remind you of is the presence of malaria in the more rural parts of Brazil (and other parts of South America, really). The threat is mostly non-existent in Fortaleza, Rio, Sao Paulo; pretty much the coastal cities and southern areas are fine.
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/malariamaps/brazil.htm

# ¿ May 14, 2008 07:00

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 11:18

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

DustingDuvet posted:

There really is not much information about it in english on the internet. If i do make it to Fortaleza, would it all be possible to stay with you for Fortal?

Also, i am finnally traveling in Colombia now so if anyone is interested in reading my blog (with lots of pictures), its http://jasonsinsouthamerica.blogspot.com/

I would be willing to let you stay with me if it weren't for the fact that I will be living with a host family until at least August, sorry =P But if you wanna meet up I can probably do that! When I arrive in Fortaleza and find out more about Fortal, I will try and update this thread with more information. Best of luck.

# ¿ May 17, 2008 05:46

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

Any questions about Brazil? I am currently living in Fortaleza, Ceara. I have been to Manaus/Amazonas, Florianopolis, Curitiba, and Rio as well.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2008 22:11

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

DustingDuvet posted:

I think you are really underestimating the distance you are planning to cover. For instance, Belem to Sao Paulo is over 45 hours by bus. I would really limit it to fewer destinations in Brazil that are closer to each other because because bus travel is incredibly expensive in Brazil. In fact, it's often cheaper to fly rather than go by bus. But if you are set on seeing various places in Brazil I would really recommend you research a flight pass (at least $700) that allows you about 6 flights in 1 month. You need to purchase the flight pass before entering Brazil and with the flight and airline that will take you to Brazil.

I also wanted to mention that if you are American you need a visa, which requires you do certain things like showing proof of an entry/exit ticket and yellow fever vaccination certificate (since you are coming from Peru) before you can apply for the visa.

I am probably not the best to recommend places as I visited few in Peru and Brazil (Lima and Cusco, Rio, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Paraty, Morro De Sao Paulo).

But from what I heard from other travelers and my own reccomendations, Places to consider (not including places below Sao Paulo) are Rio of course, Salvador, Ouro Preto and Tiradentes, Ilha Grande (highly unrecommended by others, Paraty, Manaus, Belem, Jericoacoara, Olinda, etc.

Brasilia is supposed to be boring for tourists unless you are into city planning or something.

Jericoacoara is about 6 hours by bus from Fortaleza. There exists another beach town which is called Canoa Quebrada, which has a crazy nightlife and is about 3 hours by bus from Fortaleza. I'm staying in Fortaleza until December (been here since June) and in December, I will be traveling to the south to see Florianopolis, Curitiba, Rio, and maybe a couple other cities. If someone comes through here, drop me a line.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2008 20:13

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

I lived in Brasil for almost 8 months. I spent most of my time in Fortaleza, Cear�, which is in the Northeast (poorest) part of Brasil. It's not a bad city to stop by in, but I wouldn't plan on staying more than just a handful of days.

To the guy going to Rio, have a great time. I've been there twice. Rio is a VERY wild city... Niter�i is right across the bridge and has a nice Oscar Niemeyer museum...

To the woman asking about Amazonian cities - the only one I know is Manaus. I was there for a few days in May, during this time it was extremely humid and the rain came and went randomly. It's basically a poor shithole (like pretty much most places above Rio and SP) - but if you do go there, check out the opera house.

If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask them =)

roflcopter thief fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Feb 5, 2009

# ¿ Feb 5, 2009 23:39

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

DustingDuvet posted:

Because you are a tourist and are traveling to see/experience things that are different. It's interesting to see how a huge population of Carioca's live and its much different than the slums you would see most other places in the world.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa...tBody;col1

The biggest problem that I have with these favela tours is that you don't really get to feel the true danger of some of these places. It's hard to completely understand what it's like to be one of these people when you still have some (actual or perceived) safety within your group. However, if you've never seen a favela in person before (this is a good thing), it certainly wouldn't hurt to take one of these tours and expand your horizons. I'm sure they're still pretty educational.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2009 23:41

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

September posted:

I will be traveling in Brazil for 10 days next month. I fly into Sao Paulo and fly out of Rio. I'm rolling with a few buddies from college and we're looking for a party. I know it's winter and all, so I'm looking for a beach or rainforest spot that also has a good nightlife to hit in between the big cities. Recommend away!

I've heard Recife is cool. Bahia. Jericoacoara (heard this might be an older people spot).

I started learning Portuguese with Pimsleur mp3s once I heard about the trip. I'll only have about a month under my belt before arriving. I have a background in Spanish that will help once I get comfortable with the differences in pronunciation. I don't have any experience with Rosetta Stone. Could that be helpful to supplement before my trip?

There's a small beach town 3 hours southeast of Fortaleza, it's called Canoa Quebrada. It fits what you're looking for, but it's farther away from SP/Rio. I haven't been to Jeri myself but I always got the impression that it's more scenic beauty, less party.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2009 02:13

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

September posted:

Are the northern beaches way better than things around Rio? My friends want to party hard in Rio and that would leave only 2 nights, maybe 3 if I pushed for a northern beach spot. Many of the places are a 6+ hour plane ride (with stops) followed by a bus ride of 3+ hours. Jericoacoara is a plane ride, up to 7 hour bus ride (really?), followed by a dune buggy ride over the dunes. The dune buggies would be awesome! Canoa Quebrada is also a plane ride + bus ride which will kill a couple days in travel. That's a big investment for an unsure benefit.

Buzios is supposed to be a cool beach and it's close to Rio. That eliminates a plane ride and saves the day for chilling on the beach instead of cooped up on a bus. It's not in the north, so the weather will be 75F highs instead of 85F. We've been in 100+F Texas so that doesn't seem that bad for chilling on the beach. Am I missing anything by going to Buzios for a couple days?

Also, we're currently planned for 5 nights in Rio. My group is ready to party hard and their friends that have been around Brazil a bit (likely not as much as many in this thread) recommend spending more time in Rio. Is 5 nights too long?

Here are some places around Rio that one friend recommends:

Yes, the bus ride to Jeri from Fortaleza is at least 6 hours. I would probably just recommend to you what you plan to do already (Rio and its vicinity). I have never been to Buzios nor Angra dos Reis but I know two people, each went to one of those sites, and they both enjoyed it. 5 nights is not too long in Rio. Rio is a loving insane city. You will find a party everywhere. It is a cosmopolitan international party city. Just be sure to watch your back. There are a few clubs in Botafogo that are actually pretty classy inside (plenty of hot girls, there is no shortage of this in Rio). Do those 5 days include the weekend? Do you speak Portuguese?

In regards to the heat, Rio can get just as hot and hotter than the places in the Northeast. Northeastern cities average 85f air temperature but there is virtually no deviation from this. Rio has more typical weather.

By the way, the views from Pao de Acucar and Cristo Redentor are both breathtaking.

To the other guy about the hostel prices, where (which bairro/neighborhood) is that hostel located?

roflcopter thief fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Jul 2, 2009

# ¿ Jul 2, 2009 21:18

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

Hadlock posted:

What's the outlook on Manaus, Brazil?

I hope you like poor conditions. Manaus was nothing like the other Brasilian cities I've been to (well, Fortaleza was somewhat closer to it than the others). It's extremely humid and hot. There's a lot of poverty and the standard of living there is particularly low, but if you're ok with that, go ahead. Keep in mind you may need a yellow fever vaccine; the mosquitoes may also carry malaria.

In terms of nightlife I didn't explore that, but from what I hear, it's lacking. One plus is that you have the potential to explore the Amazon, which may or may not be up your alley.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2009 01:09

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

Any tips on Valparaiso, Chile?

# ¿ Jun 24, 2010 08:36

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

Thanks for the info on Valparaiso. I'll be there in a few days... can't wait

# ¿ Jul 3, 2010 23:36

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

a japanese pop icon posted:

Definitely take a map of some kind because about half of the Valparaiso hills are super pretty and the other half are super dangerous, so you don't want to go the wrong hill!

Where can I find a map that shows me the lugares peligrosos? I'm guessing it doesn't exist

Programmable Soda posted:

This.

May I ask roflcopter thief, when are you arriving and are you meeting with someone here? I'm gonna be in the area til July 9th, so if you need some help you could contact me in case you are coming on your own. I don't have PM, but you could email me at aparecido dot viteh @ gmail dot com

Sent.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2010 05:43

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

a japanese pop icon posted:

Um you might have to ask someone local (but don't ask someone you meet on the street since they're just as likely to want to take advantage of you as they are to be happy to help a tourist). If you have AIM or something I could help you out? Otherwise, I know that Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre are pretty tourist friendly and safe. In general try to not go too far from the water, and once you get to the tiny hill range in the back of the city you should probably back off. I'd say you can tell which ones are touristy and which are not, but as an American (?) I doubt you'd be able to tell at a glance, since it requires knowing the country/city, I think.

I haven't read the Chile Lonely Planet, but they've always helped me out with that kind of thing, so maybe read it at a bookstore and see if it mentions which hills are safe. They always come with pretty good maps, too.

Well, I lived in Brasil for 7.5 months so I'd say my street smarts are pretty good. But it always helps to know beforehand. The close to the water thing is a handy rule of thumb, and I'll definitely ask some locals when I get there. We could talk more on AIM, how can I send you my AIM name? Your profile disallows emails.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2010 08:10

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

a japanese pop icon posted:

Woops totally forgot about this thread Hope you didn't get mugged raped and killed!

DO NOT MISS IGUACU it owns. I didn't think the brazil side was meh at all though, it's an amazing view. The Argentinian side looked pretty meh to me.

I just came back today

Had a loving blast. Valparaiso was awesome

# ¿ Aug 7, 2010 01:52

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

"Drinkable" tap water in Brasil? Drinkable, in the sense that if you can bear the god-awful taste, you won't die from it? No one drinks the tap water in Brasil, but when I was living there, I did brush my teeth and bathe in the stuff, and I was fine. Anyway, if you try to drink it, it tastes like poo poo and will probably give you the runs.

Seriously, the only Brazilian I've ever met that drank tap water was poor as gently caress and lived in the poorest favela I've ever been to, to the point that the cops stopped us and told us we shouldn't be there.

roflcopter thief fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Aug 16, 2010

# ¿ Aug 16, 2010 00:04

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 11:18

roflcopter thief: Nov 22, 2007; �por que no te callas?

I'm going to be flying down to Rio for 5-6 months in January to train Jiu-Jitsu. Any goons in the area right now? I'm looking for a room in or around Gavea. It'll be my 2nd time in Brasil; I lived there for 7 months in 2008, up in Fortaleza.

I'm also considering taking some short trips to Argentina and Colombia.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2012 06:07

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > South America & Central America Megathread: Share or take the wealth.