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.


Around Brazil: Combing the Beaches and Tropical Reefs of the North Coast of Alagoas

By Bruce Jay
June 10, 2008
Too many tourists travel to Maragogi in the state of Alagoas and don't see the tens of kilometers of unspoiled beaches and the spectacular reefs that protect the state's second most frequented tourist destination. Daily, hundreds come off buses on excursions and board one of the fifteen large sightseeing catamarans to visit the tropical pools at what is called the Galés. Looking to their right and left, I am sure that some catch a glimpse of what they are missing and wonder. The beach, lagoon and the reef are a large eco system waiting to be explored. Maragogi is the gateway to the 130 kilometers of beaches and reefs of the region known as the Coral Coast - A Costa dos Corais.
Visit Maragogi and the Coral Coast while it's still being discovered. Maragogi, Alagoas is this region's gateway since it has a good infrastructure with great variety of resorts, hotels, inns and guest houses as well as a lively downtown water front. The city is only two hours on paved highway from both Recife and Maceio. Stretching north and south from Maragogi's urban core are vast stretches of almost deserted beaches, many with easy access to a uniquely welcoming reef. These unspoiled beaches are dotted with some of the most charming pousadas or inns in Brazil. These are located in a cluster of closely knit municipalities along the northern coast of the state of Alagoas and include, besides Maragogi, the towns of Japaratinga, Porto de Pedras, São Miguel dos Milagres, Passo de Camaragibe and Barra de Santo Antonio.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Around Brazil: Living the Amazon

By Marilyn Diggs
June 9, 2008
During my last two trips to the Amazon I stayed in a posh hotel and did the routine tours. This time would be different. I wanted to "live the Amazon," as the slogan of Amazonat Ecotours says. National Geographic magazine's rating of Amazonat enticed me, awarding it 95% in spirit of adventure and 92% in quality of service. From the Manaus airport my small group of six traveled 160 km east in an air-conditioned van to the jungle lodge. In a clearing smack dab in the rainforest, we walk past the thatched-roof reception area (see photo below) to our duplex bungalows, beautifully decorated with hardwoods and local handicrafts. The jungle lodge is one of three options, the survival camp and the riverboat being the others.
Trekking in the Amazon Rain Forest
After a buffet breakfast, red araras (parrots) send us off on hiking trails under a closed evergreen canopy. Our guide splits open the jenipapo fruit, squishing the seeds with his machete and finger-paints our forearms with Indian tattoos whose indigo color is visible only hours later. So begins our initiation. We proceed through giant tree-lined, leaf-carpeted trails, listening to the capitão do mato bird as he alerts the forest of our intrusion. Enrico, our bilingual Peruvian guide, stops and puts his hand against a tree trunk. Instantly it is covered by tiny, red tapiva ants. He rubs them into his skin and asks us to note the pleasant odor. Indians do this all over their body when hunting to disguise their human smell. We are silent and watchful of swaying branches that hide monkeys while our eyes dart back to the path, mindful of snakes. A 2-meter jibóia cobra relaxes behind a fallen trunk along the path, with only his head visible. Our guide's sharp eyes and lightning reflexes suspend the snake with a metal hooked rod for our perusal. Its black spots on beige stripes writhe and contort until it is safely lowered into the woods where it vanishes.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Article Writers - Gringoes.com Wants You!

Are you a "Gringo" or Brazilian interested in writing for our site? Have you...

Photo of the Week

The photo of the week is titled Waterfall taken by Sean Graham in Chapada Dos Guimaraes. 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.


Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes

June 6, 2008
This week in our continuing Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes series we have an interview with Helio Araujo. Read on as Helio tells us about his impressions of foreigners, and gives some helpful advice also.
1. Where are you from in Brazil and what do you do?
I was born in Lages, Santa Catarina. In 1993 I was accepted at UFSC in their Industrial Automation Engineering program, so I moved to Florianópolis, which is really today my 2nd home, whenever I go to Brazil. After I graduated I applied and got my first job at an international software company in Texas. There I worked for a couple of years as an Applications Engineer, helping customers solve technical problems and teaching different technical courses. I guess I wanted to keep travelling, and I wanted to find a place to live with a culture somehow closer to that of southern Brazil... That's when I heard of a sales position in the company's branch office in Montreal, Canada. Even though I could never have pictured myself working as a salesman, it didn't take me more than a couple of days to think about it and start the paperwork to move over there. So here I am since June 2000. Last year I decided to quit my District Sales Manager job, and go back to school to try something new more related to arts, architecture and design, which are things that always had a big appeal to me. In April I finished my first year of Landscaping Architecture at the Université de Montréal.
2. What are the main obstacles for foreigners in Brazil?
First and foremost, the language. As many people on Gringoes.com have said, it's often not easy for foreigners to learn the language, which is actually the bridge to understanding the Brazilian culture and people. I believe that this is actually one of the things that make Brazil special. Once you get the hang of it, if you're open to the new culture, you'll start really understanding the non-written cultural codes by observation and interaction with the locals.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Hidden Pousadas - Pousada Estrela do Mar, Bahia

By Alison McGowan
June 5, 2008
Pousada Estrela do Mar is a simple, unpretentious, pousada with an Irish/Brasilian flavour, located in the Farol da Barra area of Salvador. Rooms are whitewashed basic, with no phones or cable TV, but they are clean and comfortable and have all the important things like air conditioning, ceiling fans and a minibar. Downstairs at the reception there are great staff with a wealth of information on what to do and where to go locally, and although there is no pool or bar there is a comfortable area with internet and free tea and coffee 24 hours, where you can meet and chat to other travellers.
Location-wise Barra is great for those who want to be relatively close to the historical centre (20 minutes by bus or taxi), but also want to be by a beach. The pousada itself is only half a block from the Farol da Barra bus-stop (where airport buses stop), the same distance from the beach and only a block from a good number of restaurants and bars.
About the location
Salvador is simultaneously hot, chilled and laid back. And nothing like the south of Brasil! Home to the largest influx of slaves in the country (nearly five million between the 16th and 19th centuries) its population remains predominantly black and local customs reflect and incorporate African traditions in religion, culture, dance and dress.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Through Foreign Eyes

May 30, 2008
Meet Jeni Bonorino from the USA who has recently arrived in Brazil. Read the following interview in which she tells us about some of her most memorable experiences and gives some useful advice to newcomers.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what do you do etc.?
My name is Jeni Bonorino and I am from Reston, Virginia. I have spent the last 5 years traveling the world as an international wine buyer for a retailer in the US. Today I run my own company, wine4her.com, which specializes in interactive wine tastings for private events in Brazil. Soon we will be adding luxury wine and spa tours in South America.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
I arrived in Brazil 3 months ago and have been living in-between Sao Paulo and Rio. My husband, who is from Rio, recently expanded his company to Brazil. This is a great time for me to be in here as the interest in wine seems to be growing. I also believe there is a very bright future for the Brazilian wine industry!
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Lost Your Job on Wall Street? Head for Brazil!

By John Fitzpatrick
29 May 2008
The financial crisis which has hit American and European banks has cost tens of thousands of workers their jobs. One side effect of this has been a rise in interest by Western bankers in other markets, particularly in India, the Middle East and the Far East. The Times of London coined the expression summing up the dilemma facing those with no prospects in Western markets: ‘Mumbai, Dubai, Shanghai - or Goodbye". It quoted a headhunter as saying there had been an annual increase of 20% to 25% in the number of Western bankers heading East over the past two years. So far there has been no sign of many (if any) of these jobseekers heading to Brazil but there are a number of reasons why they should consider the idea.
Any Wall Street whiz kid would feel at home immediately in São Paulo. The city is obsessed with money, success, status and flaunting your wealth. Visit the old downtown area around the Bovespa and BM&F futures exchange, Avenida Paulista, Faria Lima, Funchal, Itaim and Berrini or head further out along the Marginal highway almost as far as Interlagos and you´ll see banks, brokerages, finance houses, insurance companies, accountancy firms, consultancies, actuaries and lawyers´ offices by the score. Countless sky-high buildings, gleaming as the sun reflects their glass exteriors, swarm with hundreds of thousands of busy bees, plugged into their computers, phones glued to ears as they gaze into their computer screens while holding conversations with a dozen people at the same time.
…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! If you've got some burning question about Brazil, or just want to discuss a particular topic, then you're bound to get an answer there.
There's also a forum which allows you to comment and give us feedback on Gringoes.com, either with your views about past articles, areas of the site, or to make suggestions for future articles and content.
Note that foul language, abusive posts and certain types of advertising in the forum will not be tolerated. Make sure to check the Read This First area first before posting. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.


Forex

The US Dollar has dropped over the fortnight, from R$1.67 to R$1.64. The Euro has also dropped, from R$2.61 to R$2.55. The British Pound continues the trend, falling from R$3.31 to R$3.22.