christianpfc
September 30th, 2020, 22:12
Brazil Sep2020 General Observations Part2
continued (maximum 15000 words per post)
Money exchange and ATMs
10sep2020. In GRU, go to ATM Banco24Horas (red). A fee of 24 BRL is shown, followed by an offer for DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion with a very unfavorable rate) which I decline. Afterwards error message and card ejected.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRiCI7xge40/X3HWvgBby_I/AAAAAAAAQNA/rSz1qZwVVNMUcHlmNtcoIKlDu8lBGS76QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h475/20200910_112525.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRiCI7xge40/X3HWvgBby_I/AAAAAAAAQNA/rSz1qZwVVNMUcHlmNtcoIKlDu8lBGS76QCLcBGAsYHQ/s628/20200910_112525.jpg)
Go to blue ATM24hs. A fee of 39.90 BRL is shown, followed by offer for DCC which I decline. Afterwards error message and card ejected.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fie-4d_kQyk/X3HXCBJlZyI/AAAAAAAAQNI/dECruP1tzPIZTQ1XlMT79LU8Jp0Q4b2sACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h470/20200910_112834.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fie-4d_kQyk/X3HXCBJlZyI/AAAAAAAAQNI/dECruP1tzPIZTQ1XlMT79LU8Jp0Q4b2sACLcBGAsYHQ/s641/20200910_112834.jpg)
Both attempts were with comdirect visa card (bank account in Euro in Germany, bank offers worldwide cash withdrawal without fees which worked well in SEAsia).
Go to money exchange booth (at least there I deal with people). Their exchange rate is 1 EUR = 5.44 BRL. But that does not include fees/taxes. For 100 EUR I get 520 BRL, a loss of 17% against xe.com 6.29, my worst money exchange ever. In SEAsia, I have it down to 0.5-1% loss against xe.com.
In Frei Caneca shopping mall, try again at Banco24horas: communication failure. Try at bradesco: card declined. (Upon returning to Germany, I find that my comdirect credit card has been cancelled by my bank because there was fraud attempt two days before I went to Brazil. The first time such thing happened to me, and that explains why my card was rejected.)
I have another visa card (consorsbank), Try at Banco24horas: communication failure. Try at bradesco, finally works and I get 1000 BRL from ATM. Processed at 1 EUR = 6.21 BRL, a loss of 2 % against xe.com 6.30.
At money exchange (“Confidence Cambio” blue on white) in Frei Caneca shopping mall get 575 BRL for 100 EUR (a loss of 9% against xe.com).
Both money exchanges did not have rates displayed, and it took the clerk at Confidence Cambio a while to calculate the effective rate (5.80 before, 5.75 after taxes/fees). In both exchanges, passport was required.
16sep2020. There is an ATM in my hotel lobby (Hotel Atlântico Rio near metro Cantagalo), how convenient! WRONG! This ATM offers up to 2200 BRL (others maximum 1000), I go for 1500 and decline DCC. Without any further communication, a fee of 193.89 BRL is shown and the transaction is processed. That is 11% of the withdrawn amount. Exchange rate was 6.14, a loss of 2% against xe.com 6.24.
There is a small chance that DCC was displayed in a way that is misleading/confusing and I pushed the wrong button and accepted. The take-home message is: avoid ATMs in airports and hotels, and when DCC is offered, rather press “cancel” on the keyboard than on screen.
For money exchange, SEAsia wins hands down over Brazil.
People
Brazil is a mixture of races like I have never seen before. There were White, Yellow, Red, Brown and Black; only an Eskimo would stick out of the crowd. That means everyone can blend in (whereas in SEAsia a White immediately sticks out as a foreigner). The downside is that everyone will approach you in Portuguese, and with mask they can’t see my helpless look because I don’t understand what they are saying.
Everyone I met was nice to me and tried to help, with or without speaking a common language.
Public transport
I took buses or metro wherever possible. Riocard is useful as it can be used on various public transport. Metro in Rio is 5 BRL, bus 4.05 BRL per trip (high inflation, on the internet you still find outdated cheaper prices).
I spotted these devices in the metro: rent a power bank, rent an umbrella, free condoms (size 52, too small for many of the dicks I saw in the saunas)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrgv0mNh4QM/X3HXcPDWnxI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/otZNEpL08XkNV4mSW6yjLEUdwIpMjWNWACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h366/IMG_7708edit.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrgv0mNh4QM/X3HXcPDWnxI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/otZNEpL08XkNV4mSW6yjLEUdwIpMjWNWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/IMG_7708edit.jpg)
Quarantine in Germany
During my trip to Brazil, a 14-day-quarantine for people coming from risk areas was introduced. That does not affect me much, as I don’t work and spend most of the day home anyway. Now I have to keep a diary and measure my temperature twice per day, and health officers call me every day to ask how I’m feeling. Since my birth, I haven’t gotten that much attention!
Safety
My biggest concern was safety. Warnings and stories about muggings and robberies are plentiful on the internet, and this video
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4x23ie9hNc Thieves stealing a phone on a walkway in the centre of São Paulo look The speed of these Jan 24, 2017
To be on the safe side, I left my good mobile phone in room and took only my old phone (bought in 2016) outside. I left my main wallet with cards in my room and carried money on two places on my body (a habit I have been following for years, everywhere). The only thing I did not have backed-up was my camera. In SEAsia I carry it on my neck all the time. I got advice not to carry my camera around my neck, and I didn’t see anyone in Brazil carrying a camera around his neck, so I put mine in my pocket and took a second camera (bought in 2009, doesn’t work any more) as a decoy. Thank god I didn’t need any of these back-ups and decoys!
While there are signs of increased safety measures (compared to Europe or SEAsia) like money transport cars look like tanks, presence of police in bulletproof vests and carrying rifles, most properties walled or fenced, with entrance via a (lock chamber? what would you call it in English? In German "Schleuse" like the lock (water navigation)); I never felt insecure (and I did plenty of walking around town SP and RJ at day or night).
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-3HK12Wc8/X3MP_l-roWI/AAAAAAAAQN4/wxBAOxG13QUvY-JYt0HHQMz8YfbWZC8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/P_20200911_122559_1_p.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-3HK12Wc8/X3MP_l-roWI/AAAAAAAAQN4/wxBAOxG13QUvY-JYt0HHQMz8YfbWZC8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P_20200911_122559_1_p.jpg)
People I observed behaved just like anywhere else I have been (i.e. wear wristwatches, use their phone in public, carry backpacks or tote bags).
On my first trip to Cambodia in 2014 I almost had my mobile phone stolen. I was standing at the road and holding it high and away from my body to get GPS when two men on a mocy drove past and tried to grab it but failed. Since then, I stand on a wall or on a post when using my phone in public.
SIM-card
Couldn’t find the TIM shop closest (by google maps) to my hotel. But I spotted Claro in Frei Caneca shopping mall. Go there and with help of google translate get a SIM-card (10 BRL for prepaid SIM-card and 40 BRL for 4 GB data within two weeks, the card will be valid for 3 months).
Tap water
I drank liters of tap water in SP and RJ without negative effect. Now I can add these to my long list of cities where I drank tap water (Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket; Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Pakse; Hanoi, Danang, Saigon; Yangon, Mandalay; Phnom Penh, Siem Reap; Taipei, Taizhong, Kaohsiung). Wile hiking in the mountains, I drank water from a stream.
Uber
I prefer walking and public transport over taxi. Everything under 5 km I rather walk, everything over 10 km I rather take public transport. I used uber only twice during two weeks.
What I did not consider was that you either have to verify your identity with a CPF (individual taxpayer registry identification, which I don’t have) or submit your credit card information (my credit card was in my room, and the paper where I wrote down the numbers were in my room, and I don’t know them by heart), so my first trip I wanted to make failed and I had to walk.
Weather/Climate
Most of my trip, weather was great. Only my last days in Rio gave an outlook of what their next months will be: rainy. I didn’t have big plans, so staying in all day because it was raining all day was not a problem for me.
Rainy season in Thailand usually one short and heavy downpour in the evening. But I had travel plans spoiled by rain in Thailand.
Climate has a strong influence on my travel. With rainy and hot summers in SP and RJ, I rather go to SEAsia where it’s dry and cold (by local standards).
Yellow fever
No vaccination against yellow fever required for SP and RJ. I checked in Germany and it would cost me 160 EUR and I would have to go to Berlin to get a vaccination. A friend from the USA said it would cost him 450 USD there (doctors and the pharmaceutical industry are holding the entire USA hostage!), whereas in Brazil it’s free for everyone. In hindsight, I should have gotten a vaccination this trip (for possible future trips in Latin America), and will do next trip.
Copyright 2020 ChristianPFC
continued (maximum 15000 words per post)
Money exchange and ATMs
10sep2020. In GRU, go to ATM Banco24Horas (red). A fee of 24 BRL is shown, followed by an offer for DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion with a very unfavorable rate) which I decline. Afterwards error message and card ejected.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRiCI7xge40/X3HWvgBby_I/AAAAAAAAQNA/rSz1qZwVVNMUcHlmNtcoIKlDu8lBGS76QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h475/20200910_112525.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRiCI7xge40/X3HWvgBby_I/AAAAAAAAQNA/rSz1qZwVVNMUcHlmNtcoIKlDu8lBGS76QCLcBGAsYHQ/s628/20200910_112525.jpg)
Go to blue ATM24hs. A fee of 39.90 BRL is shown, followed by offer for DCC which I decline. Afterwards error message and card ejected.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fie-4d_kQyk/X3HXCBJlZyI/AAAAAAAAQNI/dECruP1tzPIZTQ1XlMT79LU8Jp0Q4b2sACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h470/20200910_112834.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fie-4d_kQyk/X3HXCBJlZyI/AAAAAAAAQNI/dECruP1tzPIZTQ1XlMT79LU8Jp0Q4b2sACLcBGAsYHQ/s641/20200910_112834.jpg)
Both attempts were with comdirect visa card (bank account in Euro in Germany, bank offers worldwide cash withdrawal without fees which worked well in SEAsia).
Go to money exchange booth (at least there I deal with people). Their exchange rate is 1 EUR = 5.44 BRL. But that does not include fees/taxes. For 100 EUR I get 520 BRL, a loss of 17% against xe.com 6.29, my worst money exchange ever. In SEAsia, I have it down to 0.5-1% loss against xe.com.
In Frei Caneca shopping mall, try again at Banco24horas: communication failure. Try at bradesco: card declined. (Upon returning to Germany, I find that my comdirect credit card has been cancelled by my bank because there was fraud attempt two days before I went to Brazil. The first time such thing happened to me, and that explains why my card was rejected.)
I have another visa card (consorsbank), Try at Banco24horas: communication failure. Try at bradesco, finally works and I get 1000 BRL from ATM. Processed at 1 EUR = 6.21 BRL, a loss of 2 % against xe.com 6.30.
At money exchange (“Confidence Cambio” blue on white) in Frei Caneca shopping mall get 575 BRL for 100 EUR (a loss of 9% against xe.com).
Both money exchanges did not have rates displayed, and it took the clerk at Confidence Cambio a while to calculate the effective rate (5.80 before, 5.75 after taxes/fees). In both exchanges, passport was required.
16sep2020. There is an ATM in my hotel lobby (Hotel Atlântico Rio near metro Cantagalo), how convenient! WRONG! This ATM offers up to 2200 BRL (others maximum 1000), I go for 1500 and decline DCC. Without any further communication, a fee of 193.89 BRL is shown and the transaction is processed. That is 11% of the withdrawn amount. Exchange rate was 6.14, a loss of 2% against xe.com 6.24.
There is a small chance that DCC was displayed in a way that is misleading/confusing and I pushed the wrong button and accepted. The take-home message is: avoid ATMs in airports and hotels, and when DCC is offered, rather press “cancel” on the keyboard than on screen.
For money exchange, SEAsia wins hands down over Brazil.
People
Brazil is a mixture of races like I have never seen before. There were White, Yellow, Red, Brown and Black; only an Eskimo would stick out of the crowd. That means everyone can blend in (whereas in SEAsia a White immediately sticks out as a foreigner). The downside is that everyone will approach you in Portuguese, and with mask they can’t see my helpless look because I don’t understand what they are saying.
Everyone I met was nice to me and tried to help, with or without speaking a common language.
Public transport
I took buses or metro wherever possible. Riocard is useful as it can be used on various public transport. Metro in Rio is 5 BRL, bus 4.05 BRL per trip (high inflation, on the internet you still find outdated cheaper prices).
I spotted these devices in the metro: rent a power bank, rent an umbrella, free condoms (size 52, too small for many of the dicks I saw in the saunas)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrgv0mNh4QM/X3HXcPDWnxI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/otZNEpL08XkNV4mSW6yjLEUdwIpMjWNWACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h366/IMG_7708edit.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrgv0mNh4QM/X3HXcPDWnxI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/otZNEpL08XkNV4mSW6yjLEUdwIpMjWNWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/IMG_7708edit.jpg)
Quarantine in Germany
During my trip to Brazil, a 14-day-quarantine for people coming from risk areas was introduced. That does not affect me much, as I don’t work and spend most of the day home anyway. Now I have to keep a diary and measure my temperature twice per day, and health officers call me every day to ask how I’m feeling. Since my birth, I haven’t gotten that much attention!
Safety
My biggest concern was safety. Warnings and stories about muggings and robberies are plentiful on the internet, and this video
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4x23ie9hNc Thieves stealing a phone on a walkway in the centre of São Paulo look The speed of these Jan 24, 2017
To be on the safe side, I left my good mobile phone in room and took only my old phone (bought in 2016) outside. I left my main wallet with cards in my room and carried money on two places on my body (a habit I have been following for years, everywhere). The only thing I did not have backed-up was my camera. In SEAsia I carry it on my neck all the time. I got advice not to carry my camera around my neck, and I didn’t see anyone in Brazil carrying a camera around his neck, so I put mine in my pocket and took a second camera (bought in 2009, doesn’t work any more) as a decoy. Thank god I didn’t need any of these back-ups and decoys!
While there are signs of increased safety measures (compared to Europe or SEAsia) like money transport cars look like tanks, presence of police in bulletproof vests and carrying rifles, most properties walled or fenced, with entrance via a (lock chamber? what would you call it in English? In German "Schleuse" like the lock (water navigation)); I never felt insecure (and I did plenty of walking around town SP and RJ at day or night).
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-3HK12Wc8/X3MP_l-roWI/AAAAAAAAQN4/wxBAOxG13QUvY-JYt0HHQMz8YfbWZC8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/P_20200911_122559_1_p.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-3HK12Wc8/X3MP_l-roWI/AAAAAAAAQN4/wxBAOxG13QUvY-JYt0HHQMz8YfbWZC8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P_20200911_122559_1_p.jpg)
People I observed behaved just like anywhere else I have been (i.e. wear wristwatches, use their phone in public, carry backpacks or tote bags).
On my first trip to Cambodia in 2014 I almost had my mobile phone stolen. I was standing at the road and holding it high and away from my body to get GPS when two men on a mocy drove past and tried to grab it but failed. Since then, I stand on a wall or on a post when using my phone in public.
SIM-card
Couldn’t find the TIM shop closest (by google maps) to my hotel. But I spotted Claro in Frei Caneca shopping mall. Go there and with help of google translate get a SIM-card (10 BRL for prepaid SIM-card and 40 BRL for 4 GB data within two weeks, the card will be valid for 3 months).
Tap water
I drank liters of tap water in SP and RJ without negative effect. Now I can add these to my long list of cities where I drank tap water (Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket; Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Pakse; Hanoi, Danang, Saigon; Yangon, Mandalay; Phnom Penh, Siem Reap; Taipei, Taizhong, Kaohsiung). Wile hiking in the mountains, I drank water from a stream.
Uber
I prefer walking and public transport over taxi. Everything under 5 km I rather walk, everything over 10 km I rather take public transport. I used uber only twice during two weeks.
What I did not consider was that you either have to verify your identity with a CPF (individual taxpayer registry identification, which I don’t have) or submit your credit card information (my credit card was in my room, and the paper where I wrote down the numbers were in my room, and I don’t know them by heart), so my first trip I wanted to make failed and I had to walk.
Weather/Climate
Most of my trip, weather was great. Only my last days in Rio gave an outlook of what their next months will be: rainy. I didn’t have big plans, so staying in all day because it was raining all day was not a problem for me.
Rainy season in Thailand usually one short and heavy downpour in the evening. But I had travel plans spoiled by rain in Thailand.
Climate has a strong influence on my travel. With rainy and hot summers in SP and RJ, I rather go to SEAsia where it’s dry and cold (by local standards).
Yellow fever
No vaccination against yellow fever required for SP and RJ. I checked in Germany and it would cost me 160 EUR and I would have to go to Berlin to get a vaccination. A friend from the USA said it would cost him 450 USD there (doctors and the pharmaceutical industry are holding the entire USA hostage!), whereas in Brazil it’s free for everyone. In hindsight, I should have gotten a vaccination this trip (for possible future trips in Latin America), and will do next trip.
Copyright 2020 ChristianPFC