Introduction

Welcome to the Gringoes.com email newsletter!
This newsletter pulls together some of the articles, photos, polls and other information that has been published on the Gringoes.com web site over the last week or so. Don't forget to visit the Gringoes.com site to checkout our article archive, useful information pages, classified adverts, services, forum and other pages. So read on and we hope you enjoy the newsletter. As always if you have any comments, such as what you'd like to see more or less of on the site or newsletter, don't hesitate to contact us at gringoes@gringoes.com.
Please note that although we are based in São Paulo, the site and newsletter are for the whole of Brazil. We are particularly interested in hearing from people outside of São Paulo city, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, so if you would like to write about your experiences or any topic related to Brazil see our request for "Article Writers" below.
If you're interested to know the origin behind the site name, then read the "Dear Gringo" article here by Dr. G.


Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 1

By Joe Lopes
The standard contract for many visiting vocal artists to Brazil allowed them to appear in a work of their own choosing, while it stipulated for others that they perform in at least one Brazilian national opera, usually those of composer Antonio Carlos Gomes.
But other Brazilian operas were also presented, beginning with the works of Henrique Gurjão (Idália, 1881) and Leopoldo Miguez (Pelo Amor!, 1897; Os Saldunes, 1901), followed by those of Henrique Oswald (La Croce d‘Oro, 1872; Il Neo, 1900; Le Fate, 1902), Francisco de Assis Pacheco (Moema, 1891; Flora, 1898; Estela, 1900), Alberto Nepomuceno (Electra, 1894; Artemis, 1898; Abul, 1905), Antonio Francisco Braga (Jupyra, 1898-99; Anita Garibaldi, 1912-22), Francisco Mignone (O Contrator de Diamantes, 1921; L‘Innocente, 1927; Mizu, 1937; O Sargento de Milícias, 1977), and Camargo Guarnieri (Pedro Malazarte, 1952).
Yet the most distinguished of the Brazilian classical composers was not even present in this hardly illustrious pack. As if to take up the compositional power vacuum left by the untimely death of Gomes in 1896, the young Heitor Villa-Lobos suddenly exploded onto the scene as a self-taught, and self-made, musical force onto himself.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Thinking of Bringing Your Dog to Brazil? Don‘t!

By Lee & Mariuza Safian
In July 2005, our niece brought a six month old miniature Schnauzer to my wife and me. This past December we decided to bring the dog with us when we went to Brazil for the holidays to visit her family. What a mistake! Let me tell you our story of what happened.
We learned that an international health certificate had to be obtained within ten days (December 1st) of our departure. Thus, my wife and I went to the veterinarian exactly ten days before departure to get the international health certificate. The document cost us US$60 and was about six pages long. We knew that we had to get it stamped by the Brazilian consulate, but first we needed to get the form stamped by the US Department of Agriculture. There is only one office in New Jersey, where we live. It is in the southern part of the state, near Trenton, seventy-five miles away from us.
Three days later (December 4th) my wife drove to the Department of Agriculture. Words cannot describe her anger after being told that the veterinarian had neglected to sign the document. She got in her car and drove the seventy-five miles back to the vet. After getting an apology from the doctor, and her signature, my wife drove back to the Agriculture Department. She paid the required US$24 and got the necessary signature on all copies of the International Health certificate. Then my wife drove into New York City to the Brazilian Consulate. She arrived at the consulate at 2 PM. She was told that in order to be processed, this paperwork had to be handed in before 1 PM. She was thus forced to return home.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Waits for Lula to Return from Holiday

By John Fitzpatrick
No-one could accuse Brazil´s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of being greedy for power. When he was elected to his first term of office he suggested delaying the transfer ceremony for almost a week because the official date, January 1, 2002, was a public holiday. This year, he was duly sworn in, addressed Congress and a crowd of supporters, carried out some official duties in the following four days then went off on holiday for 10 days without forming a new government. Since Lula himself has made it clear that he wants to see GDP grow by 5% a year - an ambitious aim by Brazilian standards - voters might have expected him to set an example by acting urgently and decisively. The country is now awaiting his return to find out his plans for the next four years.
The governors of all Brazil´s states assumed office on the same day as Lula but none went off to the beach. Instead they immediately began taking decisions, generally related to budgets. By going off like this, Lula is missing an opportunity to use the strong position he is in following his impressive victory in October when he gained just over 60% of the popular vote. He is also jeopardizing the solid-looking base he has formed in Congress headed by his own Workers Party (PT) and the PMDB, Brazil´s largest political party, plus some other smaller parties.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Around Brazil: Praça Pateo do Colegio

By Ricky Skelton
When I did a presentation course at college, a fellow student bravely stood up in front of his peers and announced in a camp voice ‘Today, I‘m going to tell you about campanology - which, for those of you who don‘t know, is the study of bell-ringing.‘ We sniggered greatly. I‘d never met someone who was interested in such a thing before.
But I was young then. Opinions change with age. So maybe it is a sign of my age (I won‘t say maturity) that one of my favourite things in Sampa is O Sino da Paz - The Peace Bell - in Praça Pateo do Colegio. I came across it by accident on a Saturday afternoon, never having heard of it before. The noise it makes is as dolorous as Big Ben or any other large bell when sounding alone, and it‘s not particularly pretty to look at - a 2ft high bronze bell-shaped thing hanging from a stone frame. Nor is it ugly though. The only good thing about it really is that it just hangs there alone in the praça, next to the entrance to the Museu de Anchieta. Because it is situated as such, anyone can ring it! For free!
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: The "Turistas" Storm in a Teacup

By Mark Taylor
The film Turistas, which was on general release last month in the USA, has been causing a big stir in Brazil's media. This started with a web site designed to market the film, ParadiseBrazil.com, although at first glance it is easily mistaken as a serious tourism site (it describes itself as "the hip guide to the wild side of Brazil"). Although the site does contain veiled adverts for the film, it also includes fake travel adverts for companies like "Teco Bus Lines" as well as supposed guides to Brazil. Visitors to the site may well not get the marketing joke though, particularly when there's a blend of fact and fiction; other examples of which include the blog section which has a true article about a Portuguese student that was killed on Copacabana beach, mixed in with stories that relate to the beginning of the film, and the general theme of organ legging which the film story centres around. The site links again to another marketing site, DangerousVacation.com, most of which is supposedly under construction. This site purports to be a guide on how to survive travelling in Brazil, which inherently implies that it involves taking your life in your own hands. Neither site paint Brazil in a particularly favourable light!
The Brazilian tourist organisation, Embratur, were already worried prior to the film's lanch about the impact it might have. The president of Embratur, Jeanine Pires, stated that they had been contacted by many people worried by the image presented of Brazil shown in just the trailer for the film.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Article Writers

Are you a "Gringo" (foreigner) living in or travelling around Brazil with experiences you would like to write about, or with advice to offer? Are you a Brazilian who would like to explain about Brazil to foreigners, and help give advice on what to do, and where to go? Perhaps you just write a frequent blog about Brazil, and would be interested in publishing some of this on our site. If you are interested in writing an article, or series of articles, or posting your blog content on Gringoes.com we are interested in hearing from you! Don't be shy! All we ask is that the articles are focused on Brazil, will be of interest to foreigners either travelling or living here, and are written in English.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who want to write about areas other than São Paulo, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, although other areas as well. If you are unsure about a topic then drop us an email or a draft article. Send your articles or any questions to gringoes@gringoes.com with "articles" in the subject.


Interviews

Thanks to those who responded to our request for interviews. We've almost run out though, so if you would like to be in our Brazil Through Foreign Eyes, or Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes series please send us an email. As you can see it doesn't matter if you're a foreigner to Brazil, or Brazilian, we're still interested to hear from you. The interview series is a fascinating look at how real people are enjoying Brazil, and equally how Brazilians really see foreigners. They also give various tips on what to see in Brazil, and how to survive here.
The interview itself is a set of around 15 easy-to-answer questions, and ideally we like a digital photo of you as well we can place with the interview.
So if you're interested, don't be shy, send a blank email to mark@gringoes.com with "Interview" in the subject. We will then send you the questions, and instructions on how to complete. We'd love to hear from you!

A gentle reminder to those who have been sent questions. Please don't forget to complete and return them!


Gringoes Poll

This week's poll, continuing from last week, is on what you'd like to see more on Gringoes.com, whether you want more articles on places around Brazil, practical tips on visas and other aspects of living or moving to Brazil, real estate, politics, current affairs etc. The current favourite is "Practical Tips" with 35% of the vote, followed by "Around Brazil" with 23%, and "Real Estate" with 15%. If you haven't yet voted go to our homepage and look for the poll in the left-hand column.
If you can't stand our poll ideas and have better ones, or are curious about some aspect of the Gringoes.com readers, then send your ideas to us at mark@gringoes.com with "Poll Idea" in the subject. If we choose your poll you will get a credit in the newsletter, as well as the satisfaction of seeing what the answers are!

Please send this email to anyone you think might find it interesting. If you have not yet registered with gringoes.com and would like to receive future newsletters click here. If you have mistakenly received this message, or would no longer like to receive mail from us, then please reply to this email with the word 'take out' in the subject line. If you are unsubscribing because the newsletter doesn't meet your needs then please let us know how we can improve it.

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Weekly Quiz

Last week's quiz question, from David Long was: which Ruler was Brazil's first environmentalist and what was his major project? Congratulations to Jacques Allain who was first to reply correctly with: Dom Pedro II, second emperor of Brazil, was a keen environmentalist, built a botanical garden in Manaus and, as his main project, reforested part of the Tijuca hill in Rio de Janeiro, creating the forest with that name, today part of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca.
We've run out of quiz questions so a special request to readers to send in some more. Do you think you can stump the Gringoes.com readers, then please send them to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Weekly Quiz Ideas’ in the subject line. Don't forget to send the answer to the question also! Remember it needs to be relatively difficult, and not something that can be found from a simple Internet search.


Photo of the Week

The photo of the week is Work Hard, Play Hard and was taken by Edward Gowing at the Lagoinha, Ilha da Santa Catarina. Click here to see the photo.
Thanks to all those who've sent in photos based on our request, but we can always do with more. So if you have a funny or unusual photo depicting life in Brazil please send it to gringoes@gringoes.com with ‘Photo of the Week’ in the subject line. Ideally we are after photos that are of something a little different, not traditional shots of beaches and sunsets. Please send relatively high resolution images (0.5 Megapixel / 640 x 480 or bigger), and let us know where you took the photo and if you have a title for it.


Tip of the Week

This week's tip comes from the Michael Thornton (thanks Michael!): over the last three years my wife and I have tried out four top end beach resorts, three in Bahia (www.kiaroa.com.br, www.txai.com.br and Praia do Forte Ecoresort, and one in Pernambuco (www.nannai.com.br).
None of these places are cheap, all are right on the beach and very restful with good food and surroundings, but it is interesting how different they are in terms of value for money and style. The best one as far as we are concerned is the Txai. We flew to Ilheus and were met by a hotel van for the twenty minute or so trip. The basics are on the web site but I would describe it as a honeymooner place for the well off. The whole place is very well designed and has a discrete feel to it with a wonderful spa complex attached. There are not many bungalows here so numbers are low, food good and service absolutely wonderful. It is a good twenty minutes to Itacare by road, so nothing nearby but there is transport arranged for shopping and a change of scene. We did tire of the menu after three days but who worries about that when the rest is so good.
Next up I would put the Nannai, south of Recife in Porto de Galinhas. It is a very close second and much bigger, attracting a cross section (some kids to!) and a larger number of people but it is very cool having your own bungalow with a pool just for you, and the buffet all-inclusive dinners are a treat. You defintely get the feeling things are well organised here and guests well looked after. Good quality all round and the proximity of the town for shopping.
In third slot I would put the Praia do Forte Eco resort. A bit more down market than the Nannai, lots more kids, but it works well, is big enough to cope and runs efficiently. It has a great buffet in the evening and maintains the Polynesian style of the Txai and Nannai. Being close to a small town is great too for shopping in the evening and lunches in the many restaurants and the inevitable trip to the turtle sanctuary. The tennis professional may look harmless enough but he knows how to make you sweat.
Bottom slot goes to probably the most expensive, the Kiaroa. It is the most remote (and disappointing) of the ones I mention (on the Marau penincula south of Salvador) and we got there on an 8 seater 40 minute sweaty hop from Salvador airport, otherwise it is 458 kms by road and ferry. If you get lucky and your airconditioner works you might be ok here but at the price they charge this kind of basic facility should not be left to chance. We had two rooms and neither of them had aircon that did the job. Management felt a bit amateurish which again at the price being asked you felt was below standard. It is remote and only has 22 units so probably suffers from not being able to get the staff. Who knows, but the Kiaroa is at the bottom of my list.
We've run out of tips, so a special request to Gringoes.com readers for more! Is there something you wish you had known while travelling, or something that makes life easier while living here in Brazil? Then share it, and let our readers know. Don't worry about the subject, it can be either a big or small piece of useful information. Send your tips to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Tip of the Week’ in the subject line.


Around Brazil: Santana de Parnaiba

By John Fitzpatrick
If you live in São Paulo or are spending some time in the city and fancy a short trip to a pleasant, interesting and safe place then Santana de Parnaiba is worth a visit. Santana is refreshingly different from somewhere like Embu which has become a bit of a tourist trap over the years. Santana is only about 35 kilometers from the city center and, if you choose the right time and route, you can be there in 30 to 40 minutes.
It has changed enormously since I first visited it 20 years ago. The population has quadrupled, due to the arrival of many migrants, mainly from the Northeast, making it the fastest-growing place in the whole of Brazil in the 1990s. This means that there are now lots of crude constructions and favela-like settlements on the "wrong" side of the track in the direction of Barueri. Another factor has been the growth of Alphaville - on the "right" side of the tracks - which has become a victim of its own success as more and more people have fled from São Paulo.
Despite this, the center of Santana is still charming, with brightly-painted little houses, an imposing Baroque church and an agreeable square with an English-style bandstand. As you look up at the tree-clad hills surrounding the town, breathe the fresh air and enjoy the silence, it is difficult to believe that São Paulo is so close. There must be something about the place since a recent survey showed that Santana is the town with the longest rates of longevity in the Greater São Paulo region.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Through Foreign Eyes

Meet Emile Myburgh, from South Africa, who regularly travels to and from Brazil with work. Read the following interview where he tells us about some of his most memorable experiences from Brazil and gives some useful advice to newcomers.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what do you do etc.?
I‘m originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but now live in Johannesburg and visit Brazil every three months. I‘m a lawyer, the only South African lawyer specialising exclusively on Brazilian clients in South Africa and South African clients who want to do business in Brazil.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
I arrived in Brazil in March 2000, to work for a law firm in São Paulo. The firm was specifically looking for a South African attorney. I sent my CV and was the lucky one to be offered the job, 5 days before my birthday in November 1999.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Weekly News Roundup

Lula Authorises Army in Rio
Rio de Janeiro's governor, Sergio Cabral, formally asked for help from the federal government yesterday afternoon, to combat the violence in the city. The forces are currently being mobilised without a clear timetable on when they'll be effective. Violence continued last Sunday, with gunmen shooting at police stations, and throwing grenades at fire stations. No-one was killed or injured in this action.
Brazil Reopen Trade Talks with USA
After talks about trade between the USA and Brazil collapsed last year there are now plans to reopen them in New York City. Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and US representative Susan Schwab have already discussed this week how to reopen the negotiations, with an aim to create a World Trade Organisation deal.
Tourists Robbed Again in Rio
The further problems in Rio come amid another robbery of tourists, this time German and Croatian. Police described the robbery as "fortuitous", in the sense that the gang weren't as specialised as those who previously robbed 18 English tourists last November. Similar to the previous robbery, the German and Croatian tourists were intercepted by a car as they left the airport. The thieves took money, jewels and cameras. The robbery occurred the day after Rio's governor announced police reinforcement on some roads.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Two Brazilian Charmers Part 11

By Joe Lopes
Here is the final part of Joe's article about two famous personalities from Brazil, Bidu Sayão and Carmen Miranda. To read the previous parts click the relevant links at the end of the article.
Life is a Carnival
But what was it that made the little diva so endearing to opera buffs? What carefully guarded secret had she possessed that so inspired the loyalty and admiration of even the most hardened of music critics?
On the whole, it can be added that in almost every respect the lovely lyric singer exuded that rare and indecipherable star quality known as charisma. Added to her matchless stage deportment, it manifested itself in the purity and ease with which she projected her small but penetrating instrument, beautifully self-contained within a miniature yet finely sculpted frame, and perfectly suited for the nobility and majesty of only the most theatrical of dramatic contrivances - chiefly, the opera.
With her usual, self-effacing modesty, Bidu Sayão saliently and quite succinctly summed up her own precious vocal artistry in a 1989 radio broadcast interview:
I had something appealing. I don‘t know what: the sincerity of my singing. I give my heart. I give my soul. I give myself.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Blog: Visas and Marriage Part 4

By Gringo Blogger
Here is part 4 of the Gringo Blogger‘s blog about visas and getting married in Brazil. To read the previous parts click the relevant link at the bottom of the article.
By way of introduction I'm a foreigner who's lived in São Paulo city for a few years. I came here for romantic reasons with the hopes of finding a job, like many gringos (only to find out that getting work in Brazil is a near impossible task). So I'm not your typical wealthy gringo. Thankfully I am now working part time in a great job, but am still on the Holy Grail-like quest of finding full time work. I married my girlfriend early last year, so have some idea of the highs and lows of a multicultural relationship.
In my blog I'm just documenting some of the day-to-day events that happen to me, amusing or not, to give an impression of what it's like for a gringo living in the bustling metropolis of São Paulo, and Brazil in general. It's at times also meant as a tongue in cheek look at gringo life, so shouldn't be taken too seriously.
The Ceremony
So there‘s not much left to the story, at least that of the wedding. We had the restaurant booked, where the wedding was to take place. we wanted the registrar to wed us at the restaurant itself, so had to visit the cartorio in the local area. This was necessary as we had to book a registrar from that cartorio to attend the restaurant, albeit the marriage would remain registered at our local cartorio. The registrars are quite happy to attend a wedding outside of the cartorio itself, for a fee of course.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Discussion Forum

If you've not had a chance yet then pop over to our web forum, register, and start joining in the discussion about Brazil. There are many forum areas such as Living in Brazil, Teaching English, Visas and Documentation, and even a place to Vent Your Frustrations! There's also a forum which allows you to comment on Gringoes.com, either with your views about past articles, areas of the site, or to make suggestions for future articles and content.
Each week in the newsletter we will choose a Post of the Week to give you some idea of what's happening in the forum, and a good thread to visit and read. This week we recommend the post "Jokes" started by the user Denise in our "Moving to Brazil" forum. The post is discussing the cost of living in Brazil.
If you have a recommendation for Post of the Week then send an email to mark@gringoes.com with "Post of the Week" in the subject.
Note that foul language and abusive posts in the forum will not be tolerated. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.

Forex

The US dollar has risen slightly this week, and is R$2.16, up from R$2.14 a week ago. The Euro has dropped slightly, currently at R$2.80, versus R$2.82 a week ago. The British Pound remains unchanged over the week, at R$4.17.