Some Brazil facts...

Well, to prove that I have actually learnt something from my time in Brazil and didn't just spend it lying about on beaches, here are some very exciting BRAZIL FACTS for y'all! Yes, the Cheeser does try to be educational...so unless you're already an authority on Brazil I bet there's something new for you to learn. Read and absorb!

The Brazilian currency is the Real. In terms of conversion/worth a Real is (at present) approximately one third less than the British pound i.e. 37 Brazilian cents (like British pence) = 1 British pound. Therefore if you’re a tourist it’s totally wonderful e.g. a beer costs the equivalent of about 40p; you can get a decent pair of shoes for £10-15… shopping paradise! From the p.o.v. of Brazilians though this means that anything outside Brazil is horrendously expensive e.g. an air ticket to the UK.

Brazil is a second world country and has a “developing” economy but there is quite a lot of unemployment. Unlike the UK, people who are jobless get no benefits or supplements from the state i.e. they have absolutely no money to live on. On a similar note one thing that has repeatedly struck me about Brazil when I’ve visited is the stark contrast between people that have money and people that don’t – you can literally see it all around you. One of the most notable examples of this was the children who came up to me on the beach in Rio asking for money! In Rio in particular, there are a lot of crooks and pickpockets around too and Gustavo was continually telling me to be on the lookout – don’t dress expensively or ostentatiously as it can draw attention to you, don’t carry a wallet (I put all my cash in a waist bag thing inside my pants – and as attractive as I am I didn’t get many people coming up to me attempting to touch my crotch – not such a pity after all); don’t leave your iPod on the beach etc. All extra things to think about, but then again better to err on the side of caution! Unlike the UK, the rich and the poor in Brazil tend to coexist side by side. In your average English city you’ll have your “deprived” areas, council estates and “rough” districts like Hackney in London for example, where inhabitants are mainly only poor or working class people and they tend to be confined to one area. In Brazil it’s more mixed up and there's a much sharper distinction between rich and poor.

The most physical manifestation of the extreme poverty in Brazil are the favelas, shanty towns often found on the edge of a city but also on hillsides (as in Rio). You thought some council flats/estates looked depressing? Wait until you see a favela, then you'll really open your eyes. Yes, back home you might live in a bit of a run-down flat or an undesirable part of town, but be grateful that you’ve still got a proper roof over your head, not to mention heating, hot water and electricity. People that live in favelas don’t have all of these things; and a lot have none atall. For instance, on our tourist trip in Rio we were on the bus, on our way to see the statue of the Christ and were travelling through a long tunnel which unusually, had absolutely no lighting. This was because apparently the people from the nearby favelas had stolen the lights for their homes. Desperate times.

There is no major rail network in the country. The only cities which have underground rail systems are Rio and Sao Paulo. Consequently, to get from A-B you either need a car or motorcycle or have to make long bus journeys. Or take an internal plane flight (but these can be expensive and not something you can do all the time). So given the size of Brazil, if you're travelling by road (as most people do) the distance and journey time between cities can be considerable. We made several trips by car whilst I was there, some of which took 7-8 hours. Most grueling of all for me was the bus ride Gustavo and I had to take from Rio to Uberaba, his family’s home town – 12 hours!! It was overnight and I don’t sleep well on public transport anyway so it seemed interminable. So basically if you don’t have your own method of transport, you’re screwed.

Brazil boasts some very funny product names. Did you know that the maker of one brand of bread in Brazil is called "Bimbo"? And there's a washing powder called "Snob"? You do now! Consequently a visit to a supermercado (supermarket) can be very enlightening.

The Gay scene in Brazil is both different and similar to the scene in other parts of the world. Gustavo tells me that the attitude amongst gays in Brazil is quite different. They're not quite as "showy" as in other countries and there is a harder, more macho kind of mind-set amongst some of the men, perhaps because in a Catholic country like Brazil it's harder for homosexuality to be accepted. To some extent gay guys have to "act normal" in order to pass and not attract trouble. Odd in a country that you'd associate with the carnival and being ultra-flamboyant! But in the clubs we visited I did detect a kind of "closedness" about some of the men there and I didn't find all of the people particularly welcoming or friendly either. Rather attitude-y in fact. A defense mechanism maybe? Yet, you still have guys who dress ultra-trendy, have fabulous bodies and six packs and whippety hips wherever you go. (Although they probably go back to sensible top and cord trousers when they go home to Mama). As for the music, from what I heard it tended towards Hard House or techno, which was very limited and unexciting. The English Gay scene for instance seems to have a much wider variety of music on offer and hoorah for that. Something Brazil needs to work on I reckon.

What about food? Brazilians love their meat and fish and consume large amounts. A typical Brazilian meal consists of lots of meat, rice and beans. Being a vegetarian can be problematic; there are not many vege restaurants and no meat substitute products like Quorn over there! One of the most famous Brazilian meat dishes is Feijoada, a stew of pork and beans and I have to say it's pretty delicious. In fact...confession time! Before meeting Gustavo I was only eating chicken and fish and eskewing red meat altogether in the name of health! But also, I admit, because I was too lazy to cook red meat - it can be a hassle sometimes. However the Brazilians do wonderful things with their meat (perhaps I should rephrase that) using herbs, spices, chilies, sauces and a variety of ingredients to really bring their dishes to life - and I am now a happy convert. English cooking is very bland by comparison. I'd also highly recommend the Brazilian hot dog which is sooo much tastier than the English version. I remember eating one when we left the gay club in Santos and it was fabulous - not only a sausage in a bun, but with loads of accompanying condiments like mashed potato, peas, olives, corn and others. Totally delish!

And confectionery? It's always fascinating to see how a country's sweeties compare to your own. Brazilian chocolate is for the most part, gorgeous and definitely tastes different to English – made from real coco beans unlike the so-called chocolate made in this country with re hydrated fats and so forth. You can really taste the difference. I brought back a ton in my suitcase and still haven't finished it. Will I ever lose weight?

Soap operas or as they are known in Brazil, telenovelas, are very popular. Unlike their UK counterparts however, they usually run for a short period - i.e. about 9 months or so - before a brand new one comes along! The Brazilians must have short attention spans mustn't they? Can you imagine them trying to endure Coronation Street or Eastenders for years on end? Whilst I was there, a novela was showing called Paraiso Tropical, set in none other than Copacabana, Rio, and populated by a cast of rich and beautiful characters. I got to see a few episodes and actually quite enjoyed it (in spite of my not being able to understand Portuguese - what the hell!) So it seems that Brazil likes its glitz and glamour too. It also had a hilarious "romantic" theme tune with some crooning guy going on about "Copacabana" with wonderful accompanying aerial shots of Copacabana beach etc (as in the shot above - how strange that we didn't get any shots of favelas though). And tinkly piano interlude bits for the advert breaks. The funny thing is, although I can hardly speak any Portuguese, I could still tell that many of the situations (not to mention the acting) were still pretty melodramatic and OTT with lots of characters snogging, arguing, fainting and doing all the requisite dramatic things that you encounter in soap operas. The language might be different but the situations are pretty much the same, the world over.

Well...hope all of that proved enlightening. Ciao ciao!