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Travel News December 2000
BrazilTravelNews
December 2000 - Happy Holidays!
Dear
fellow Brazil travellers,
your
family asked you about your strange interest in a trip to
Brazil over Thanksgiving...well, we’ve prepared the answer
for you to present over Christmas dinner.
1)
THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT
BRAZIL
2) RIO'S
BEACHES CLEANER THAN EVER
3) APART
FROM THE USUAL HIGHLIGHTS
1) THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT
BRAZIL: "Brazil? Why go to Brazil?" Just
imagine:
A
colonial city which became the the capital of it's former
motherland Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil served as the capital
of Portugal for quite some years, when Portugals
King took refuge from Napoleon's armies.
...or, a country which gained its independence, without big
wars and fights... When the father of the Emperor wished to
relocate the capital back to Portugal, the
son decided to stay and declared
himself Dom Pedro I, Emperor of the new state of Brazil.
Portugal's
territorial possessions in South America have always
remained as one country - Brazil - unlike the Spanish
dominated parts of South America, which were broken up into
many countries. Obviously and still visibly (!), Portugal
treated their (now former) colony well. Portugal left large
sums of money in the Brazilian colonial
cities, many of which have recently been declared UNESCO Historical
Heritage Sites...
And
then there are all these tropical
beaches... The Route
of Gold for example retraces the path between the
largest deposits of gold ever found in the world, to the historical
port of Paraty where the gold was loaded onto large galleons
headed for Europe.
The
Route of
Gold tour commences in Brazil's former capital, Rio
de Janeiro. The "marvelous city" is proclaimed
to be one of the most beautiful in the world by many. The
tour then continues to the historic port town of Paraty,
nestled between sea and mountains, through which the carriages
made their way laden with gold destined for the old world.
A schooner excursion through the islands presents the best
view of this dramatic landscape.
Along
the way, see how the arts have developed in São
João del Rei and Congonhas.
Explore Ouro Preto, the
former principle mining town, in its
peaceful setting among the mountains. Its streets were once
literally paved in gold. Nowadays,
precious gemstones
are still mined here...and they are a bargain! Food is a mixture
of French (the preference of the rich colonists) and many
tropical influences. No breakfast is complete without the
various delicious tropical fruits, plus a slight American
influence, which today's generation thrives on.
Today,
European style group travel is a viable option in Brazil.
Fifteen years ago, high inflation and political uncertainty
nearly brought tourism to a standstill. Now, tourism is seen
as a potential source of income for the country and is therefore
supported at all levels, and great strides have been taken
to combat the mistakes of the past.
With
nine years' experience in the European and Brazilian travel
industry, 4starBrazil.com
- as the name suggests! - guarantees superior quality throughout
your trip. Groups are always accompanied by a well trained
local guide who knows what North American groups expect and
require.
2)
RIO'S BEACHES ARE GETTING CLEANER
This
month two new sewer treatment facilities in the suburbs of
Rio enter operation, one in Pavuna for 410.000 inhabitants
and one in Sarapuí for 431.000 inhabitants.(Cedae,
veja 33,51 p. 26 & 27). Copacabana
has the best rating for water quality in Rio.
On 80% of all days this beach is now
perfect according to international(!) standards. After
heavy rainfall, however, Copacabana still experiences some
problems due to all that the rainwater brings along with it.
But with construction continuing in Morro dos Cabritos and
Morro Chapéu Mangueira, Copacabana's rating should
improve even more.
Once work is finished on three projects in
Ipanema, due
to be finished in March, beach-goers should be able to have
a good swim on 90 % of all days there. Barra,
the most fashionable part of Rio these days, is unfortunately
growing so fast with new housing, that the city is not keeping
pace with constructing new sewer treatment facilities. In
some places, a swim is not recommended 60% of all days per
year. (Veja, 33,51 p.12-16).
We
shouldn't forget where Rio stood in 1994, however. None of
the households around the Bay of Guanabara was connected to
any kind of sewer treatment... Everyday Rio's environmental
secretary publishes the latest water test results under http://www.rio.rj.gov.br/smac/balneab/
and makes a prediction for the following day.
See
you at the beach...
3)APART
FROM THE USUAL HIGHLIGHTS:
The
Beach Route ... Now including Maceió with its
Beaches that so far attract solely Brazilian travelers. World
class resorts are awaiting us there!
Or the "Three free nights in Rio" Special on our
Tango Samba
Waterfalls tour from Buenos
Aires to Rio de Janeiro passing by the fantastic Iguassu Waterfalls.
More Spring break specials
and Nature specials are
all found at http://4starBrazil.com/specials.html
.
Juergen
Keller
Universal
Understanding
get to know another mind...
Universal
Understanding
jk@universalunderstanding.com
http://UniversalUnderstanding.com
http://4starBrazil.com
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