Brazil - Belem Listing

Area Code The area code for Belém is 091.

Banks & Currency Exchange Banco do Brasil, Av. Presidente Vargas 248, Comércio (tel. 021/2223-2537). Open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. 24-hour ATM on-site. Turvicam on Praça da República, Av. Pres. Vargas 640, loja 3 (tel. 091/9609-5539), changes cash and traveler's checks. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm.

Car Rentals Avis is at the airport (tel. 091/3257-2277) and Hotel Hilton (tel. 091/3225-1699). Also at the airport is Localiza (tel. 091/3257-1541).

Consulates U.S., Rua Oswaldo Cruz 165, near Praça República (tel. 091/3223-0800). Great Britain, Av. Governador José Malcher 815, suite 410 (tel. 091/3222-5074).

Emergencies Police tel. 190; Fire and Ambulance tel. 192.

Hospitals Hospital da Ordem Terceira, Travesia Frei Gil de Vila Nova 59 (behind the Colegio Sto. Antônio), Centro (tel. 091/3216-2777).

Pharmacies Farmacia Big Ben, Av. Serzedelo Correa 15, near Praça da República (tel. 091/3241-8642), open Monday to Friday 8am to 10pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm. Big Ben also has an order-by-phone service (tel. 091/3241-3000) that is open 24/7.

Safety Pickpockets and purse snatchers are common in The Ver-o-Peso Market. They're especially fond of the two-man distract-and-snatch technique, so keep your wits about you and your bag or purse in front of you. Avoid the Old City completely on Sundays, and on weekdays after dark stick to main streets and squares (the Praça da República, Av. Pres. Vargas, and the Estação das Docas are well-lit and policed in the evening, but as always, look out for pickpockets).

Taxes Hotels add a 10% accommodations tax directly to your bill. There are no other taxes on retail items or goods.

Time Zones Belém is 3 hours behind GMT, the same as Rio.

Visa Renewal Go to the Policia Federal, Av. Generalísimo Deodora 697 (tel. 091/3242-5267), open Monday to Friday 8am to 11:30am and 2 to 5:30pm. The fee is R$63 (US$26), and you may need to show a return ticket and proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay.

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Brazil - Belem Nightlife

Nightlife draws people in for music and dancing. Samba shows, traditional music and dance, carimbó and popular music and dance at boates are popular.

Belem's top 5:

1: AFRICA BAR.
Located 2 blocks north of the tourist office, this mid sized disco, decked out in African theme, will keep almost anyone happy night after night. Until about midnight, people congregate outside, drinking the cheap 50 cent beers and mixers (As opposed to the steep $1.50 inside). The Disco itself consists of to large rooms, or huts. The inner room, which is very nicely air conditioned, plays modern dance music. Techno, hip hop, top 40 and brasillian pop. There are platformed polls and stages for people to dance on and the fake smoke and lazers necer seem to sieze. The other room, about twice as big, accomodates the bars, tables for resting, and a large stage with the typical Bahuian enseble. All the popular carnival hits, sychronized dancing, and ass shaking that defines Brasil are out in full form. Plus its all fresco. Go back and forth between the two room and you'll never get bored.

2: CANAL AREA:
Tons of outdoor bars, live entertainment, and restaurants here. If the national team is playing, this place gets nuts. Get your seats early because the house fills up.

3: BAR DO PARQUE
In the middle of the central park, a stones throw from the teatro de paz, this upperclass bar is filled with students and beautiful people (not too formal) until sunrise. Sit down, order a choppe, and make friends with your neighbors.

4: BILLAR BAR
Packed and happening 7 nights a week, this pool bar spills out onto the street with Belems 20 something population

5: VENTANAS DO AMAZONAS:
A few blocks north of the warehouse district, this cluster of bars overlooks the rolling amazon. Watch the enormous tankers roll in while sipping choppe, fending and fending off various touts.

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Brazil - Belem Eating and Drinking

Belém's culinary heritage is predominantly Indian, and demonstrate both the richness and the tastiness of local favorites.
The cuisine of the north draws heavily on its Indian heritage. One of the best-known dishes is pato no tucupí, duck marinated in lemon juice, oil and garlic, then roasted, and finally boiled in tucupí, a sauce made with the liquid extracted from grated manioc tubers and seasoned with jambú leaves and chicory. Jambú is an intriguing jungle plant whose leaves and stem produce a very faint numbing sensation in the lips and tongue. This herb is also an important component of a flavorful seasoned soup called tacacá, which contains dried shrimp and tapioca topped with tucupí sauce. It is traditionally served in bowls fashioned out of gourds, or cuias. The classic dish maniçoba is a stew containing various dried, smoked and fresh meats, along with giblets. It is flavored with ground manioc leaves, or maniva, which also color the stew a dark green.

The more common plates are:

• Açaí: soup-like dessert made from the Açaí fruit
• Maniçoba: stew with pork and meat in a gravy made from manioc leaves (looks strange but tastes delicious)
• Pato no Tucupí: duck with jambú (vegetable) cooked in tucupí (delicious)
• Tacacá: soup with tucupí, dried shrimps and jambú (also delicious)
• Sorvetes (ice creams): made with regional fruits like Açaí, Cupuaçú, Taperebá, Bacurí, etc. Best ice cream maker is Sorveteria Cairú (they have several stores in Belém).

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Brazil - Getting to Belem

By Public Transportation Most of Belém's main attractions are within easy walking distance of Praça da República. For destinations farther afield, Belém's buses are fast and efficient and the city's taxis are plentiful and affordable.

By Bus Bus fare is R$1 (US40¢) with no transfers. The buses' origin and destination are given on the front, while smaller signs on the front and sides give route information. Because of the many one-way streets in Belém, buses normally follow different routes going and coming, so the smaller signs list route information for the trip out -- IDA -- and for the return route -- VOLTA. For visitors the two most useful routes are the ones that take you from either The Ver-o-Peso Market or Praça da República out past the Nazaré Basilica, the bus station (rodoviario), and the Bosque Rodrigues Alves. The following will accomplish that, but as always there are others.

From in front of the Ver-o-Peso, the buses are: BENGUI -- VER-O-PESO; CIDADE NOVA IV -- VER-O-PESO AF900; JIBÓIA BRANCA -- VER-O-PESO AF 986.

From Av. Pres. Vargas (Praça República), the buses are: AGUAS BRANCAS -- PRES. VARGAS AU 988; CASTANHEIRA -- PRES. VARGAS AG 440; ICOARACI -- A. BARROSO. (This bus will also take you out to Icoaraci.)

By Taxi Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive. They can be hailed on the street or at numerous taxi stands. Rides are always metered. Sample fares: from the airport to Praça da República, R$30 (US$13); from the main bus station to Praça da República, R$15 (US$6.25); from Praça da República to The Ver-o-Peso Market, R$7 (US$2.90). Coopertaxi (tel. 091/3257-1720 or 091/3257-1041) can be reached 24/7 and accepts Visa and MasterCard.

By Car Belém drivers buckle up religiously and carefully observe posted speed limits; Belém's police enforce the rules ruthlessly. Roads and destinations are well marked, making travel straightforward if you decide to rent a car.

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Brazil - The city of Belém

The city of mango trees is the main port of the Amazon, and as harbor cities go a very busy and industrialized area. It's the economic center of the north and the capital of the state of Para. Being close to Equator line it's also very hot, and almost contradictory to this also one of the rainiest cities in the world. Attracted to the possible job offers, Belem has many poor inhabitants and quite extensive slum areas around it, but the center has quite some pretty places. When in Belem, you should not miss the Cidade Velha, or old town. Here are the best colonial buildings preserved, among which the Cathedral (1748). Also the Praca da Republica (Republica Square), a nightlife hangout, crowned with the Neo Classical Teatro Paz is a must. Other sights are the 1909 Basilica of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, with its astounding stained glass windows, paid for with the profits made on rubber plants, upstream. A peculiar sight is the replica of the Big Ben tower on the Praca do Mercado, just next to the fishing port. A very nice touristic center was recently opened in the old harbor area. There are three different spaces: one for events such like conventions, one for gastronomy and another one for arts. There you can also schedule boat rides. The most interesting of all leaves at four o'clock every mornig, and leads the tourists to the so called "Parrots Island"- these birds chose it to spend the nights, and the visit occurs at the time they begin to fly away: unforgetable for birds lovers...

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Brazil - Guide to Belém

Belém is a city in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital and also the biggest city of the state of Pará. Its metropolitan area has approximately 2.08 million inhabitants. It is the entrance gate and, together with Manaus, the most important city in the Brazilian amazonic region. It is also known as Cidade das mangueiras (city of the mango trees) due to the amount of those trees found in the city. Belém is served by the Val de Cães International Airport (BEL) that connects the town to rest of the country and other cities in South America. Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do Pará ("Belém of Pará") rather than just Belém so as to differentiate it from Belém (Bethlehem) in the West Bank.

Belém, like Manaus, is a jumping-off point for those seeking Amazon adventures, and also one of Brazil's busiest ports -- about 60 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. The river is the Para, part of the greater Amazon river system, and the city is built on a number of small islands intersected by channels and other rivers.

One part of Belém contains modern skyscrapers and the other part, the colonial section, has charming tree-filled squares, churches, and traditional blue tiles.

Belém is a hot and rainy city with very high humidity. The equatorial climate means little variance from day to day, but the wettest months are between January and May.

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Brazil - Travel to Brazil

Brazil is the biggest country in South America. It borders every other country of the continent except Chile and Ecuador.

Brazil is very much a country of contrasts. When someone hears the word Brazil, one thinks of the great Amazon forest, fantastic beaches, great soccer players, Carnival time - and that's all. Well, Brazil, the most important country in South America, certainly has MUCH more to offer - warm people, great cities with everything from slums to high technology, a wide range of weather patterns, an awesome mixture of cultures and races - and much more!    

The most visited places in Brazil includes Fernando de Noronha Island, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (the two bustling megacities of the south-east), the more relaxed city of Salvador in the northeast, or the old colonial towns of Ouro Preto and Olinda. For natural beauty, try a visit to Iguacu Falls. If you have the chance the best time to visit is Carnival.

There is nothing in the whole wide world like Carnival in Rio. Brasilia, the capital city of the country, is known by its great architecture. It is a planned city.

The most up-and-coming resort in Brazil is now the small friendly Praia de Pipa, in the NE of the country; serviced by international airports at Natal and Recife, this small town is popular with both Brazilians and foreign tourists. The laid back attitude of the open and friendly locals make this a welcome change to some of the more recognised but less safe and inviting destinations.

In Southern Brazil you can visit the state of Santa Catarina, which is visited every year by people who prefer not too crowded spots like major cities or places where all tourists go. Small beaches like Mariscal, Garopaba, Taquaras or Estaleiro beach are not too far away from medium size cities, so they provide all necessary structure, but at the same time still conserve their natural enchantments. Praia do Pinho (close to Balneario Camboriu - the most important touristic spot in southern Brazil) is the paradise for naturists as it is the first official nude beach in Brazil (http://www.praiadopinho.com.br). Many options of adventure activities such as rafting, diving, fishing, trekking are aso available in this beautiful region.

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