Adventures of a Gringa

A Tale of Two Rios

Even a few years ago as Rio's resurgence was beginning, there were two Rios as far as outsiders were concerned. There was the postcard Rio: the beaches in Ipanema and Copacabana, the Christ statue and Sugarloaf, Maracanã and the Sambodrome. Then there was another Rio, incredibly rich in history and full of cultural gems: Santa Teresa, Escadaria Selarón, the old city center, excellent museums, the Portuguese Library, the Teatro Municipal, Praça XV..the list goes on. Sometimes tourists would experience both Rios, but the allure of the city for outsiders--considered for years to be a city in decline--lay in the attraction of its natural beauty, Carnival, and soccer. In other words, Rio has always been an interesting destination in terms of culture and history, but it was never quite taken seriously because of a combination of lack of security, investment, PR, and a reputation as a "real" cultural center. And despite being the headquarters for Petrobras, BNDES, and other large Brazilian corporations, it was never really taken seriously as a business city, either.

But as the city's renaissance began, the two Rios began to move closer together. This became abundantly clear this week when The New York Times named Rio as the number one place to visit in 2013 "because the whole world will be there in 2014." Appearing on CNN, Times travel editor Dan Saltzstein explained why Rio was the paper's top pick--and not just because of the World Cup and Olympics. "It's not exactly a new destination," he said, "but there are new reasons to go." Echoing the article, Salzstein listed mostly cultural destinations, and said "the arts are booming." In addition to "formly decrepit areas being revived," namely the port area, he named literary festivals, the partially inaugurated City of Arts cultural center in Barra, the forthcoming Rio Museum of Art, and the planned Museum of Tomorrow as reasons to go. Now, with the mega-events and growing investments, Rio is being taken more seriously as a "high culture" destination.

Rio, too, for expats was traditionally a place for researchers, English teachers, oil company executives, and the occasional multinational employee. Now, there's been a small explosion of foreign correspondents and a growing tide of foreign professionals. When I moved to Rio in 2007, there was almost no English news coverage of Rio--just a few major international outlets which would publish mostly about major events. Now, there are dozens of sources, some reporting daily. "For many years, São Paulo has been the place for multinationals to open a Brazil office," an August 2011 Economist article explains. But, it goes on, "it is no longer foolish to let prospective expats fly down to Rio to take a look." More and more young American professionals are heading to Rio for short-term stints to get "Brazil experience," opting to work in growing number of companies in the Cidade Maravilhosa rather than São Paulo.

Still, expats and frequent Brazil travelers often argue that tourists should avoid Rio and see what the rest of the continent-sized country has to offer. (I find that the argument is more common among expats based in São Paulo, but anyway). Rio, some say, isn't the "real" Brazil and that tourists should experience other places. And while it's true that you could spend a lifetime exploring Brazil, I can't see any reason why a first-time visitor would skip Rio. There was no good reason before, and there still isn't now.

Photo: Rio's historic downtown, Ariane Mittidieri

Off the Beaten Path from Rio

Those who enjoy the great outdoors and are interested in going off the beaten path in Brazil often travel a long way, heading to the Amazon, the Pantanal, or out to Fernando de Noronha. But for those with less time or money heading to Rio who are also interested in seeing some beautiful, wild places, I have two suggestions worth considering.

The first is a no-brainer: Ilha Grande. Accessible by boat or ferry from the ports of Mangaratiba and Angra, the aptly named Big Island is a relatively quick journey from Rio with lots of day trip boat tours. But it's worth it to stay the night. The island is a popular destination for foreign tourists, though less so for Americans. Development is very limited, and accomodations are basic. While some chose to stay in the main port, Abraão, one of the most beautiful places to stay is Palmas.

In Palmas, there are a scattering of small homes, a restaurant, a campsite, and two pousadas overlooking the beach. Both pousadas have gorgeous views of the bay with simple accomodations and electricity that goes off around 10pm. Tapera das Palmas, on the far end, boasts a large patio with stunning views and rooms overlooking the ocean. Run by an affable paulista and her sweet chatterbox daughter, the pousada also offers excellent and reasonably priced meals, with a yummy breakfast of tropical fruits and pastries included. Local characters also include an angry rooster ("Watch out--he bites," the owner warned us) and the lovable local dog, James. There's also a small dock where you can hail a boat taxi or sit and watch the sunset.

Both pousadas can only be reached on a short trail, where you might spot tropical birds, micos, snakes, and other wildlife. While you can take a 20 minute boat ride from the main port to Palmas, you can also hike there from Abraão, with spectacular views on the way.

Palmas has a lovely little beach, but one of its main perks is its proximity to Lopes Mendes Beach, considered one of the most beautiful in Brazil. At Lopes Mendes, there are a few vendors and a small building at the far end of the beach, but the beach is otherwise empty. If you get there early enough, you can walk nearly the whole length of the sand without seeing another soul.

But if you want to really go off the beaten path, you can head inland, leaving Rio for the mountains of Minas Gerais: specifically, Ibitipoca State Park. (In Tupi-Guarani, Ibitipoca means Serra Fendida, or Split Mountains.) It's easiest to drive--between 3.5 and 4 hours--but you can also take a marathon of buses from Rio to Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora to the small town of Lima Duarte, and from Lima Duarte to Conceição do Ibitipoca.

The park itself encompasses 15 square kilometers of rolling forests, soaring rock outcroppings, and  beautiful waterfalls. Managed by the state government, the park is one of the cleaner, better-run parks you'll find in this part of Brazil. There are a number of trails to chose from, including the toughest Janela do Céu (Window to Heaven) and the easiest, Circuito das Águas (the Water Circuit). On the Water Circuit, you can dip your feet in a tea-colored stream along a mountain "beach," swim in waterfalls, dangle over cliffs, and climb in grottoes.

While the vistas alone make the trip worthwhile, you might be lucky to spot some of the local fauna, ranging from cougars to Brazilian wolves (lobos guará), from several species of monkeys to ‪the vinaceous-breasted amazon‬ bird and toucans, to the coati.

You can camp in the park or nearby, or stay at one of the many pousadas in the small mountain town of Conceição do Ibitipoca. There are also a wide variety of chalets to rent with basic but cozy accomodations. In town, you'll find a scattering of stores and restaurants, as well as a grocery store proudly announcing a butcher--coming soon!--and a number of town announcements, including a local forronejo show (bom demais!). It's a great place to eat delicious comida mineira and try xiboquinha, a delicious concoction of cachaça, cinnamon, and honey, as well as cloves, lime, ginger, and herbs.

Photos by me and Eliseu Cavalcante.

Back to Recife

It had been nearly six years since I'd been to Recife, where I visited on my first trip to Brazil. At the time, everything was so new and exciting that I was fascinated by every single place I went, so after living and traveling in Brazil and going back, I was curious to see how'd I feel about the city. I didn't have very much time, but I think I actually liked it even more.

The mixture of the stunning coastline, the incredibly rich history, the beautiful colonial architecture, the food, and the urban center all together gives the city a feel that is somehow distinct from Rio or other historic coastal cities in Brazil. It actually reminded me much more of the Caribbean this time; wandering through the outdoor markets in Centro, I felt I could have been in Santo Domingo. On the other hand, other parts of the city feel more like Miami, with rows and rows of high rises. It's a weird mix, but it works.

Photo: Guilherme Jofili

I also think that while Rio has had a renaissance in the last few years, you can feel Brazil's growth and development much more acutely in Recife. Not only is the sense of optimism strong, but the signs of construction, new businesses, and the growing middle class are nearly everywhere you look. That's not to say there's no longer poverty; you can see the favelas as you fly in, and there are still people living on the streets. But based on what I've read, this trend of exploding development is all over the northeast. So for those looking to see change and development in Brazil, it's a good idea to head north.

That said, the cult of Lula is strong here, since he is originally from Pernambuco. Dona Lindu Park, named after the former president's mother, was built on the waterfront a few years ago, and now has a theater and leisure area. There park also has this statue of Dona Lindu and all of her children.

Photo: Raul D

The other thing I noticed this time was the Pernambuco accent. It used to sound strange to my ears, even to the point of being a little irritating, but this time for some reason, I got used to it, and even grew fond of it.

Recife doesn't seem to be an obvious destination for American tourists; many of the foreign tourists I saw were European. But beyond Rio and Salvador, for example, Recife is the perfect mix of beaches, culture, and history, with plenty to explore outside the city and along the coast. There's so much to see.

But one of the problems is getting there. I had to fly through São Paulo, three hours in the wrong direction when flying from the U.S. There are direct flights from Miami, but I did quite a few searches using different dates, and only came across them occasionally. Now, tourism officials are in talks to establish a direct flight from Recife to New York, which would be pretty great.

So I guess what I'm saying is that if you've already seen Rio and São Paulo, it's time to head north. It's well worth it.

São Paulo Airport Mayhem

Last week, the Brazilian government finally took the step of starting the privatization process for the country's airports, starting with São Paulo's Guarulhos, Campinas, and Brasília. Rio will likely come next, as well as Belo Horizonte and Manaus. Because of the growing economy and burgeoning middle class, airports across Brazil are bursting at the seams: demand for air travel grew 194 percent in the last decade and 16 percent last year, with over 107 million passengers in Brazilian airports in 2011. Guarulhos and Galeão, two of the largest airports in the country, are among the worst, and the government hopes to improve airports across Brazil before the World Cup and Olympics. But the reality is that the airports need to be upgraded right away to handle the skyrocketing number of Brazilian travelers, as well as an influx of foreign business travelers and tourists.

São Paulo is a case in point. Brazil's biggest city has an international airport that was rated the worst airport in Latin America for business travelers, given "long lines and inefficiencies." A Brazilian grad student at the University of Manchester dedicated his dissertation to a case study on Guarulhos, examining its problems and possible solutions. In it, he identifies seven big issues: "existing safety and security procedures; lack of political will from the airport administrator to implement the solutions; inefficiencies in different elements of the process; existing physical infrastructure and lack of flexibility; necessity of stakeholders cultural change; conflicting stakeholders interest; and existing procurement legislation." I would soon experience most of these.

                                                                          Photo: David Gacs

The first thing I noticed when I flew in to São Paulo last week was that we had to disembark right onto the tarmac and take a bus to the terminal. I've flown in to Guarulhos before from abroad and from within Brazil to make connections and don't remember this happening. But this time, it happened for every flight, both domestic and international flights. I wasn't sure why they couldn't just get a jetway, especially for the larger international flights. The buses were ok, but they slowed things down, especially when we were running late for a connection on the way back to New York. I figured it would be okay though, since we didn't have to check in. I was wrong.

When we got to the international departures entrance, my heart nearly stopped. There were hundreds of people in line, which snaked around four times before stretching back down the hallway.

                                                                                Photo: David Gacs

After waiting in line for twenty minutes or so, slightly feverish with anxiety, the clock ticked to the exact time our flight was supposed to start boarding. Finally, at the advice of a guy at the information desk, we got out of line and went to speak to the lady checking tickets in front of the immigration area. "No, no, you can't come in here. Sorry," she said, after we explained our flight was boarding. "Talk to that guy." She pointed to a TAM employee, who was studiously switching back and forth between a walkie-talkie and a cell phone. We hurried over. He acknowledged our presence, but refused to put down his two devices, and continued switching between them while occasionally holding up a finger in our direction to recognize that he realized we very much wanted to speak to him. This went on for a few minutes, at which point I was literally squirming with impatience. He shot me a half-annoyed, half-bemused look before putting down his phones.

"Do you speak Portuguese?" was his first question. English was a nonstarter, apparently - gringos be damned. He then proceeded to explain that a guy would take us and other passengers from our flight over to another terminal, which would theoretically be faster, and then we would go back to the other terminal to board our flight. He did not seem concerned that our flight was supposed to leave in less than an hour. Soon, other passengers began gathering, and a group of maybe twenty people began following the guy appointed to march us to the other terminal. On the way, I overheard him telling another employee that there were only five federal police working at the original terminal, which was part of the reason for the horrendous line. I didn't find out why this was, or what the real number of agents that should have been working. One time when I was leaving Rio, a strike caused some pretty bad lines going through immigration, but it was nothing in comparison to this one.

The pack leader walked pretty fast, with mostly Brazilians in tow. We snaked through a strange back corridor with only airline employees idling in the narrow doorways, some of whom I nearly crashed into as we swept through. It was a decent walk, and I couldn't tell if we lost people along the way. When we got to the terminal entrance, the guy checking tickets said, "Miss? You can't come in this way." I pointed to the leader. "He said we could!" I proclaimed, and off we went. As it turned out, we were in for more lines. The Brazilian line at immigration was long and very slow. The foreigner line was shorter, but also painfully slow; there only seemed to be one agent for the line. When I finally got through, I was a little overheated; there didn't seem to be functioning air conditioning in the room. The female agent also seemed to have noticed, and she had stripped down to a white tank top as she stamped passports. After feverishly rushing through security, we were home free! Or so I thought. The pack leader was idling at the security exit. "Yeah, just go back to the other terminal now," he told us. "Is everything going to be ok?" I asked, stupidly. He was unfazed. "Yup. Just head over there." This strange scheme did not seem to be out of the ordinary. I wondered how often they did this passenger relay game.

We then discovered just how far we were from the other terminal, and the fact that our flight was just about to leave, we started to run. By the time we got to the gate, I was huffing and puffing and covered in sweat. Though the flight should have been taking off, to our dismay, our gate was marked Buenos Aires. Where the hell was our gate? We asked around and determined that yes, that tiny area in the basement was in fact our gate, and mercifully, our flight was delayed. If it hadn't been, we likely would have missed it.

We hurried back downstairs and miraculously, our flight was now on the board and people were lined up to get on the bus. It turns out they had switched the gate at the last minute and made all of the passengers run (literally run, according to an older woman in line) to the new gate. At this point I was shiny with sweat, my hair was in disarray, and I'd discovered a large sunburned patch on my arm from wandering around in the sun earlier in the day. Needless to say, I was picked for the extra security check.

When we finally sat down in our seats, I was never so grateful to be in the uncomfortable sardine can that is the very back of coach for a ten hour flight. I wondered how many other Guarulhos passengers felt the same.

First Impressions: São Paulo

After living in Brazil relatively close to São Paulo, I'd been curious to visit but never really got around to it. I'd been more eager to see coastal cities, and figured I'd eventually have a good reason to go, since I have lots of Paulista friends and there are tons of events in the city. So last week, when I finally had an opportunity to visit, I jumped at the chance.

I tried not to let me expectations cloud my impressions, to try to go in with a blank slate. But there were so many things I'd heard about the city. Some say it's the New York of Brazil. Gringo friends who loved the city said part of the reason was because they like "complicated" cities. Other friends said they found the city overwhelming. Articles I'd read in travel publications made it seem incredibly cosmopolitan. Almost everyone I know who lives there has complained about how expensive it is. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

It could have been that I was running on little sleep and struggling with jetlag, but the whole time I felt a little bit as if I was in a strange dream. The city feels like someone took a bunch of Brazilian cities and smushed them together to form this massive urban center. The city is a jumble of so many different forms of architecture, which can feel a bit jarring when seeing it for the first time: there are the gothic churches, the fancy luxury condos, the Niemeyer architecture, the modern skyscrapers, the gritty commercial underbelly, the contemporary mansions, peaking out from behind high walls, the brightly painted boutiques and restaurants, the car dealerships, the endless apartment complexes. I actually thought I might be hallucinating when I saw an enormous, undulating, shiny, very purple building rising over the smaller buildings of a leafy, upscale neighborhood. (I later found out it's a cultural center).

Photo: Tadeu Pereira

The city doesn't seem to end. Everywhere you look, the city keeps going and going. It's just incredibly dense;  if there ever was a concrete jungle, this is it. If you think about it too much, it can start to get a little overwhelming.

The juxtaposition of endless buildings and tropical foliage is somehow surprising; it seems odd that so much green could flourish in such a dense urban space. But beautiful purple trees and flowers and palms pop up all over the city. And even though it has been Brazil's largest and most prosperous city for so long, signs of the country's boom are everywhere.

I didn't have enough time to go to all of the places I wanted to see--there's so many museums and cultural centers I'd love to visit. Also, though I only saw a tiny sliver of it, the nightlife looked great; the bars in hip Vila Madalena were an interesting contrast to Rio's Lapa neighborhood. I'd also go back for the food. It's true what they say about food in São Paulo. It's so good. Everywhere I looked, there was mouth-watering food.

But I think what I loved most about the city was the people. I feel really fortunate to have friends there, and it was much more fun to see the city with them as my guides. Plus, the city really is the rainbow of people that Brazilians love to tout as representative of Brazil's diversity, even more so than in Rio, given the large Asian population as well as Latin American and Middle Eastern immigrants. The city makes for great people watching, no matter where you go.

And like Cariocas, Paulistas are warm, welcoming, and eager to show off their city. In that respect, they're not so different after all.

Visa Changes Afoot

Since I last wrote about visas in December, things are changing. On the U.S. side, the pro-tourism lobby had some success with pushing for changes to increase the number of Brazilian tourists. In Brazil, immigration changes are reportedly on the way, as the government seeks to increase professional immigrants, particularly from Europe, and cut down on the number of undocumented immigrants from Haiti and South Asia.

Last Thursday, President Obama announced a number of changes to U.S. tourist visa policy, specifically to benefit high-spending Brazilian and Chinese tourists. Here are the changes that pertain to Brazilians:

• Increase non-immigrant visas in Brazil by 40% this year. That includes the plan already in place to add 50 consular employees in Brazil in 2012, and to emit 1.8 million tourist visas in 2013.
• Speed up the amount of time visa applicants wait for an interview. In Brazil, the goal is to interview 80% of non-immigrant visa applicants within 3 weeks of their application.
• In what is perhaps the biggest change for Brazilians, the State Department will implement a pilot program that will waive the required interview for "low-risk" non-immigrant visa applicants, including "younger or older first-time applicants," and those renewing expired visas. The program is expected to affect tens of thousands of Brazilians and to open up more spots for visa interviewees.
• Consider nominating Brazil to participate in the Visa Waiver Program. This talk has been going on for quite awhile, but now it seems to be getting a little more traction. In order to be considered for the program, Brazil must have a visa rejection rate of 3 percent or less; it's currently 5 percent. Though this will be a lengthy process, the same tourist lobby is pushing hard for the government to really consider Brazil for the visa waiver program.

In Brazil, it is immigration visa policy that's come to the fore. After an increasing amount of Haitians arriving in the Amazon (and even immigrants from the Middle East and South Asia) and a spate of media coverage, the Brazilian government announced that it would close its borders to undocumented migrants. It had been giving out visas and work authorization to the several thousand Haitian migrants that arrived in Acre state. In doing so, it also announced a limited legal immigration program for Haitians, in which the Brazilian consulate in Port-au-Prince will issue 100 visas a month.

The other big news is about proposed changes for skilled professionals looking to move to Brazil. The federal government is putting together a commission to study new visa policies that would benefit foreign professionals, particularly Spaniards and Portuguese, who represent the highest number of skilled professionals moving to Brazil. With the crisis in Europe and Brazil's economy still humming along, the government increased the number of work authorizations by at least 32 percent last year, from January to September, issuing nearly 51,400 work visas. The commission will explore ways to simplify and speed up the visa process, in a bid not only to fill the gap of skilled professionals in the Brazilian workforce, but also, according to Globo, attempt a "new cycle of European immigration to Brazil." Not only is the current process difficult and bureaucratic, but it's also very slow, so often immigrants or temporary workers will simply enter on a tourist visa while they await their papers. As Greg Michener points out, for some there are even more hurdles after getting work papers: validating college degrees, or in his case, his Ph.D, are very painful processes. In short, the changes to help facilitate immigration for skilled professionals have yet to come, but the topic is now on the government's agenda.

Rio de Janeiro: Tourist Mecca?

Recently, the Rio de Janeiro government announced its desire to make the city a gay tourist mecca and to compete with other gay-friendly destinations like Buenos Aires and Mexico City for travelers. The city's mayor, Eduardo Paes, declared that Rio is "a city without prejudice," and a newly appointed "diversity secretary hopes Rio's allure and gay events will attract more travelers. While the initiative is a worthy one, it's just part of the city's plan to attract more tourists leading up to the World Cup and Olympics. In 2010, the city received 1.61 million foreign tourists, pouring US$2 billion into the city. It was an increase from 1.49 million in 2009, and marked the largest amount of foreign tourists visiting the city in the past five years.

But considering that Rio is such a stunning city with so much to offer, the numbers are much lower than they could be. Compare last year's 1.6 million foreign tourists to 2.6 million in Buenos Aires, 3.3 million in Sydney, 6 million in Miami, and 7 million in Barcelona, to name a few. There are now more flights than before from North America, Europe, and Latin America, and a range of accomodations for different budgets, so why aren't there more visitors?

One cause could be prices. With the real at an all-time high, as well as inflation, Rio has become extremely expensive. Between the exchange rate and bigger price tags, especially for hotels, it's possible visitors are turning to cheaper destinations. Attractions are more expensive, too: a report this week showed that entry to the Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf are more expensive than a ticket to the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. The other cause could be the economic crisis; with fewer traditional travelers taking vacations, there's fewer visitors to be had.

Another likely cause is fear. Sadly, many potential visitors have erroneous assumptions about the city, thinking that city is a war zone, and that the worst of the city's violence takes place everywhere, even the wealthy areas. There are real risks, though, mainly being the victim of theft or a mugging. There are even stranger risks, like falling off a streetcar, or getting hit by an exploding manhole.

But most people are concerned about violence, so when prospective visitors see stories like this one from earlier in the week, they panic.

"Armed robbers have invaded a luxury Rio de Janeiro hotel, robbing guests of money and phones, Brazilian police say. Four men scaled the wall to enter the Santa Teresa Hotel in central Rio early in the morning, officers said...The Santa Teresa hotel, located in the neighbourhood of the same name, offers "peace of mind and safety" to guests, according to its website." (Read the full article from the BBC)

Santa Teresa is not exactly known for safety, but the most common crime there is getting mugged while walking on empty streets or at night. But this wasn't just any robbery. It was planned by an ex-employee, who also participated in the crime, and the hotel was just 100 meters from a police station. Plus, the nearby favelas are occupied by a pacification force.

Though the UPPs have been lauded by the local press and international media, some have questioned their efficacy, noting that in some cases, traffickers have simply been driven to other favelas. There's other issues too: this week, the director of the Special Police was robbed in his own office when R$5,000 in cash were taken from his desk (what he was doing with all that cash, though, is an entirely different question). Also, the construction company responsible for building UPP buildings as well as government-run health clinics is under investigation for being a shell company, failing to begin construction they were already paid for, and tax evasion.

With more attention on Rio and with public security policy in the spotlight, it's hard to find a strategy to convince potential visitors that the city is a secure destination. One of the newest major international reports is a Vanguard documentary from Current TV called City of God, Guns and Gangs, that premiered tonight. It was really well done, but the overall message wasn't entirely encouraging. The whole episode should go online sometime soon, but for now, here are some excerpts:

 

 

In light of these issues to contend with, tourism officials can only hope that visitors will overlook crime and exercise caution, and that the city can limit bad press leading up to 2014. Meanwhile, Cariocas can only hope that the governor's security strategy will actually pay off for those who call the city home.