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Meningococcal meningitis
- Not every headache is likely to be meningitis. There
is an effective vaccine available which is often recommended
for travel to epidemic areas. Generally, you're at
pretty low risk of getting meningococcal meningitis,
unless an epidemic is ongoing, but the disease is
important because it can be very serious and rapidly
fatal. You get infected by breathing in droplets coughed
or sneezed into the air by sufferers or, more likely,
by healthy carriers of the bacteria. You are more
at risk in crowded, poorly ventilated places, including
public transport and eating places. The symptoms of
meningitis are fever, severe headache, neck stiffness
that prevents you from bending your head forward,
nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, which makes
you prefer the darkness. With meningococcal meningitis,
you may get a widespread, blotchy purple rash before
any other symptoms appear. Meningococcal meningitis
is an extremely serious disease that can cause death
within a few hours of you first feeling unwell. Seek
medical help without delay if you have any of the
symptoms listed earlier, especially if you are in
a risk area. If you have been in close contact with
a sufferer it is best to seek medical advice.
Best time to go
Only in the South of the country are their extreme
seasonal changes as found in Europe and North America.
For the rest of the country, the temperature ranges
from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius or 70 to 90 degrees
Fahrenheit, irrespective of the season. The summer
months between December and February can be hot
and humid, taking temperatures to the high 30s.
The amount of rainfall depends greatly on where you
are but around the Pantanal, Manaus and the Amazon
basin, you can expect rain all year round. The only
respite may be between June and September when the
rains tend to stop. In the coastal regions of Recife,
Fortaleza and Salvador, the opposite is true. The
rains are heaviest here between March and August.
Rio and the area around Foz de Iguacu do not have
any distinct rainy seasons.
Upon arrival
Once you’ve reclaimed your baggage and cleared
customs, you will be warmly welcome to Brazil, assisted
with your luggage and taken you to your hotel by private
air-conditioned minivan/bus. Please do not leave the
airport terminal building unless you have made contact
with Amazing Peru staff. Also ignore the calls from
taxi drivers as your private transport has been provided
for you.
Food and drink
Drink only bottled water. Pasteurised milk is widely
available. Avoid dairy products that are likely to
have been made from unboiled milk. Avoid street food
vendors and the cheaper restaurants.
What to eat
To try some typical foods, here is a selection of
what we recommend.
Acarajé -
A specialty of the Bahian women garbed in flowing
white dresses. This dish consists of peeled
brown beans mashed in salt and onions, stuffed with
shrimp, pepper and tomato sauce and then fried in
dende oil
Bobo de camarao - Made with manioc paste cooked and
flavoured with dried shrimp, coconut milk and
cashew nuts
Barreado - Popular
in the Parana region. This state dish is a mixture
of meats and spices cooked for 24
hours in a clay pot
Caruru - The most popular dish brought to Brazil from
Africa. It’s a mixture of okra and other spices
boiled in water, drained and then onions, salt, shrimp,
malagueta peppers are added
Empadinhas de camarao - Shrimp patties with olives
and heart of palm
Coxinha - Manioc filled with meat or fish and deep
fried
Salgados - A savoury pastry
Esfiha – A spicy hamburger inside an onion filled
envelope
Cocada - A coconut and sugar biscuit
Fruits - So many types to choose from, many from the
Amazon that are unique to the area.
What to drink
Sucos - Fruit shakes found in every street shop. They
are usually blended with milk and sugar
like a smoothie. You can even mix and match. (tamarindo
and sapoti are recommended, as they are impossible
to find outside of Brazil)
Agua de coco or coco verde - A coconut water from
fresh, green coconuts
Caldo de cana - Sugar cane juice
Guarana - A popular carbonated fruit drink
Coffee - “Remember that it is normally served
with sugar.
Beer - Brahma, Cerpa and Antarctica.
Highlights
Rio de Janeiro
Praca Floriano - The heart of Rio today.
Take a bus or the metro to Cinelandia, the section
of the city
where you will find the main square on Avenida Rio
Branco. The area comes to life after lunch with samba
musicians, soap box orators and outdoor cafes. From
here, you can take a walking tour to many of the city’s
most memorable sites, such as the Teatro Municipal
(home of Rio’s opera and orchestra), Museu de
Arte Moderna, Convento de Santo Antonio, Biblioteca
Nacional and Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Lapa - Otherwise known as the “Red-light”
District. This is also where you will find many music
clubs. It
also provides the setting of many novels set in Brazil
Santa Teresa - Home to Rio’s most charming colonial
homes.
Copacabana - This famous beach has become the hub
of Brazilian tourism. There are live musicians.
Ipanema & Leblon - A much more desirable beach
location. This is where most of Rio’s upscale
shopping and restaurants can be found.
Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) - No visit to
Rio is complete without taking a cable car up the
396 m ascent to this scenic viewpoint. We suggest
going at dusk so that you can view the city both in
light and among the twinkling city lights of the evening.
Corcovado & Cristo Redentro (Christ the Redeemer)
- At 710 m above the city, this statue welcomes all
visitors to Rio. It’s 30m high and weighs over
1000 tonnes.
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