Another convert

[Guest ihpguy]

Friday is the big day for me. With thanks to Jake for all of his help and to Trilingual for his numerous and very informative posts, I am another RJ convert. I fell in love with the Brazilian pace of life and this Friday, I sign the papers for my new home. However, it is on Ilha de Paqueta in Guanabara Bay and not in Copacabana with all of the rest of you. It is certainly mucm more calm, quiet and peaceful. I'll be in Rio from 14 January to 2 February and hope to get together with whoever might be down then. Also, although the house comes furnished, I'll still need sheets, towels, dishes, extra. Anybody with recommendations on where to do shopping?

Also, advice as to phone service providers and any other advice people may have would be much appreciated. Muito Obrigado!

[trilingual]

If you know your bed sizes, I'd suggest shopping bringing sheets from the U.S. There's a much wider choice available, and in higher-thread materials than are commonly found in Brazil. Just be SURE to measure the mattresses before you buy! I made the mistake of assuming that the only large bed size available in Brazil was a standard double (full) and bought a bunch of sheet sets in anticipation of that. Instead, the beds I bought turned out to be queen sized, so I'm stuck with a lot of sheets that don't fit anything except the sofa-bed in the living room, which IS a standard full size. It's gonna be the best-dressed sofa-bed in Rio!

 

Towels are somewhat like bringing coals to Newcastle, as Brazil is one of the world's largest manufacturers. However, it's harder to find the best-quality towels here (they end up being made for export and shipped abroad) and Brazilian taste in colors/designs may not match yours. So you may want to bring towels, too, but I'd suggest first looking around Rio to see what's available. There are many stores downtown in the Saara section (check with Gringo) that are like factory outlets and have a wide range of offerings, sometimes in attractive designs and good quality. If you're addicted to washcloths, bring them from the U.S., because they're not widely used in Brazil and aren't easy to find. Beach, bath and face towels are available everywhere.

 

Of course, you CAN find nice linens in Brazil, if you want to shop here. You just won't have the same range of choice you'd find at Bed, Bath & Beyond! There are specialized shops that sell higher quality linens. Usually they'll have the words "cama e banho" in their name. Another word to look for is "enxoval", which means trousseau. When I realized I didn't have sheets that fit, I ended up buying a couple of stopgap sets that I'm very pleased with from M. Martan in the RioSul shopping center. There's at least one other specialized bed & bath shop there, but I don't recall the name. There are several such shops in Ipanema; just cruise Visconde de Pirajá until you stumble on them. One that's been recommended is called Alfaia (as I recall) and it's on the second floor of one of the shopping galleries in Ipanema. I think they also have some other shops in town.

 

I'm no expert on shopping out in Barra, but it's certainly become quite the shopping mecca, so I'm sure that dedicating a day to trawling the malls there could be very productive. Carlo lives out in Barra, so he can probably give you tips on good shops there. If all else fails, you can always go to São Paulo for a shopping excursion; if it's available in Brazil, it'll be available in SP! That's where Brazilians go to do their specialty/hard-to-find/one-of-a-kind type of shopping.

 

Congratulations of your new home! Let us know when it's ready and we can all come out to visit you and get a glimpse of island life in Guanabara Bay! I'm sure it's a HUGE contrast to the hustle and bustle in the city! :-) (For the uninitiated, Paquetá is an island that's part of the city of Rio. It's located in the middle of Guanabara Bay, with frequent ferry service to the rest of the city. It's about an hour ride on the old, traditional ferries; only about 20 minutes on the faster, more expensive hydrofoils. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it was a popular retreat from town, and a favorite spot for extra-marital dalliances! No cars are allowed on the island; transportation is mainly by foot and bicycle.)

[trilingual]

P.S. You won't have trouble finding dishes, utensils, etc. here. Depending on the level of quality you want (and I assume you probably aren't going the fine china route at your island retreat) you can start with Lojas Americanas and work your way up! (Never overlook the Saara, Rio's low-price shopping mecca where you can often find great stuff at rock-bottom prices.) Nicer quality stuff is sold at shops specializing in "presentes" and at specific kitchen/tabletop stores, of which there are several on the 4th floor of RioSul. One that has a fairly wide selection at reasonable prices is called Mamma e Nonna. They carry quite a bit of Portuguese Vista Alegre porcelainware in nice casual designs. (Vista Alegre also makes much more elegant formal stuff, but for that and other European brands you'd need to check out the higher-priced shops in Ipanema.)

 

Excellent quality stainless steel utensils are made in Brazil; the best quality sets will usually be found in the "presentes" stores. You can get a huge set, with fish knives and everything, for considerably less than a set of that size and quality would run you in the U.S. (Smaller sets, of course, are also available, and for strictly casual inexpensive stuff there's always Lojas Americanas, my favorite Rio boutique!)

[Guest ihpguy]

Dear Tri,

Thanks for your advice. It will certainly be of help. Do all of the Lojas Americanos carry the same stock? I visited the store near Hotel Atlantico while in Rio for the M4M Festa. Today, I sent off the power-of-attorney via FedEx and wired out the deposit to Banco Bradesco for the signing of the Sinal on Friday. Very exciting. Your welcome to visit anytime my tranquil island paradise. Just beautiful views over to the governor's from my front door on Praia Moreninha.

[trilingual]

On the whole, all the Lojas Americanas have the same merchandise, but some stores are larger than others and have wider selections, and stores in "better" neighborhoods are likely to carry some stuff that's a bit more "upscale."

[+ Axiom2001]

Just for the fun of it, or possibly for shopping (I don't know your budget or needs, etc.)--you might want to venture to Rio's Design Center in the area next to Ipanema. My mind just went blank. The place begins with an "L"! I had a very pleasant excursion there; and as Tri mentioned (in so many words) if you're up to shopping and obtaining what you're really after-- go to SAMPA. I went to their Design Center there, too, on a rainy Saturday afternoon and truly enjoyed perusing the very, very upscale designs of furniture and other offerings there.

 

I think I'm correct; I didn't notice any department stores (as such) in neither Rio or Sao Paulo, namely speciality shops of varying degrees of merchandise and quality. Perhaps someone can correct my thinking after reading this! Enjoy! I, too, would like to make the move, but I'd have to study and patiently as well as diligently learn the language.

[Guest ihpguy]

Hi Axiom,

Thanks for the input. It was great spending time with you in October at the hotel and the Pointe as well. Thanks for the advice and I'll be sure to check it out. In the three weeks that I'll be in RJ, perhaps there will be time to get to the design center in Sampa. For certain, the Design Center in Ipanema is a go. As far as furniture, the house comes furnished. There is even a piano. Perhaps after an interuption of thirty-five yeqrs, this would be a good time to play the piano once again. However, I will need the normal household items, TV, video, computer, DVD, etc. The biggie is getting bids and contracting for a small swimming pool and dry sauna. There already is a steam room and workout area.

[Guest Jake]

I just wanted to back Tri up on the advice about linens and towels. After looking around a fair amount, I brought both my linens and towels from the states. While this initially seemed a little strange to me, the price/quality/selection equation definitely favored Bed, Bath & Beyond et al.

 

Congratulations and feel free to call me anytime if I can share any experience.

[trilingual]

RE: TV/DVD

 

Buy your TV and sound equipment here. You can get good TVs everywhere; just buy a copy of O Globo and browse the ads 'til you find the model, size and price you like. There doesn't seem to be that much price difference between stores. If Model X is on sale at one store, it'll be the same price at all of the other big appliance chains! However, Brazilian TV operates on the PAL-M system, and not NTSC like the U.S. does, so a U.S. TV won't work here.

 

Also buy your DVD/home theater here, and MAKE SURE it's "unblocked" so it can play DVDs from all regions, or at least regions 1 and 4 (the U.S. and Brazil). Once it's unblocked, you can successfully play any DVD that's recorded using the NTSC system (the player and the Brazilian TV will automatically convert it into PAL for display on the screen). I'm thrilled with the Panasonic home theater I bought at BRASIF in RioSul (the same company that runs the duty-free shops): It's a combination DVD/mini-system and home theater, so it saves space and takes care of my movie needs plus my need for good sound to listen to classical and other non-amplified music. It ran R$2100, which was only about R$200 more than a Brazilian made Sony with just ordinary speakers. Gradiente (the biggest Brazilian brand) also seems to make a system similar to the one I bought (except mine plays up to 5 discs and I think Gradiente's only plays 3).

 

You also want to buy appliances here. Again, prices tend not to vary that much between stores; they all know what the other big chains are charging and price accordingly. There's a somewhat more "upscale" shop called AmbientAir on the ground floor of RioSul that carries some of the better/top of the line models available here. Check it out!

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: TV/DVD

 

Although gorgeous men abound in Rio-- you'll see some luscious eye candy amongst the salesmen at the above mentioned shop which Tri mentioned. Last February my friend and I almost creamed in our pants when we cast our eyes on two of these hot men. My friend went in to take photos of the fabulous stoves only to regret later that he did not get shots of the men, too, whom by the way, possessed the most gregarious personalities!

[Guest ihpguy]

RE: TV/DVD

 

Dear Axiom and Tri,

Thanks for the advice. I've been to RioSul and willbe sure to check out AmbientAir. Being Brasil and not the US, the seller does not have the correct paperwork for the Sinal and now it will hoepfully take place in the next couple of days before Christmas. I've started on the Pimsleur tapes and am two-thirds of the way through the first set. Speaking spanish fairly well, the tapes have been a breeze to practice with. I'v now got to acquire the next set.

It's great fun working another section of the brain.

[Guest miguelmiche1]

RE: TV/DVD

 

hope you've got a good lawyer! sounds like you do - since you didn't leave the sinal before the dox were ready... welcome to the wacky world of rio real estate. 2 wks ago took a pass on couple of places because of dox problems... in which case you'll never be able to sell! but much happier now, registrado... if can offer any pointers let me know... boa sorte... e paciencia

[Guest ihpguy]

RE: Sinal

 

MiguelMichel,

Sinal di not come off on Friday. The legalization papers and receipts for payment of taxes were neither ready nor produced ny the seller. Now he wants an extra 8000R for the furniture (a couple couches, three beds, a few chairs and a piano - all used and not very stylish)which is to be left. I hate this back-end chain yanking. I do not know if this is the standard Brazilian negotiating practice or this is the reason that the house has been for sale for three years. Does anybody out there have any opinions on the fact of the oil spill in Guanabara Bay in 2000 and the affect to the water quality? Does this scare you folks off of swimming in the bay? It hasn't myself. Here in Chicago, Lake Michigan has had it's ups and downs over my life as far as water quality and it hasn't killed me yet! Any opinions would be most appreciated?

[alankay]

RE: Sinal

 

I would be very concerned about swimming anywhere near Rio. It is my understanding that raw sewerage is pumped out into the ocean in the vicinity of Leme. While some of the sewerage goes away from shore it is my understanding that it is not recommended that anyone swim near Rio. I know nothing of the oil spill you speak of but in Lake Michigan the sewage from Chicago is treated (Mayor Daley once offered a glass of it to Richard Nixon!)and is NOT pumped into Lake Michigan but goes into the Chicago River which ends up in the Mississippi River. Comparing the two in terms of water quality is easy--Lake Michigan is undoubtedly much cleaner than Guanabara Bay. I would not preclude buying a home on Guanabara Bay because of water quality. I understand that Rio is in the process of developing a treatment plant to clean the sewerage (clorinate it probably) which is a step in the right direction. I would also think that the view is extremely important. I used to live on Lake Michigan and never swam in it (too cold) but I LOVED the view. Be well in the New Year! I trust you will make the right decision.:-)

[trilingual]

RE: Sinal

 

Well, if you want the house, tell him to keep the old furniture. You can go hog-wild with R$8000 at a place like Tok & Stok or one of the zillions of other furniture stores!

 

I haven't heard of any lingering effects of the oil-spill. I, too, would think twice about swimming in Guanabara Bay at any time. There's LOTS of pollution! There's a program to clean up the bay and treat all the sewage, but it has a long way to go before completion, and there are occasional setbacks. Swimming in the open ocean (from Leme/Copacabana and outward) is much safer. Sewage IS dumped into the ocean, but by pipes that run very far out into the sea. Sewage in the Zona Sul is being treated, but after big storms there can be overloads of the system. There is a flag system to advise when the water isn't suitable for swimming; it gets published on the weather page of the local papers, and the flags should be posted along the beach, especially near the life-guard stations.

 

One concern I would have about living on Paquetá is health-care. There's no hospital, just a clinic. In case of emergency, getting immediate assistance will be more difficult, and getting to a full-service hospital will take much more time than if you live on the mainland in a neighborhood like Copacabana. Depending on your own health history, you might want to take that into consideration before settling there. Otherwise, life on Paquetá undoubtedly is very "small-town" and with lots of charm.

[Guest miguelmiche1]

RE: Sinal

 

frankly i see similar red flags that (thankfully) prevented a couple of problem purchases. and i'm not talking - here at least- about the safety of swimming in guanabara.

 

first, the fact that the seller reneged - or at least changed the terms - of the transaction at the last minute. this potential character issue pointed, in my case, to future document problems. as tri states, r$8000 is a bundle by local standards and will take you to great lengths in terms of obras or purchases.

 

second, the obvious document issues you point out.

 

if i were you i wld ask to see ALL of his certidoes (yr despachante or lawyer will understand) even before the sinal, although generally they are produced only for the actual closing (or alternatively for the "escritura de promessa de cessao de direitos" where a 50% downpayment is made and which generally will allow you to take possession of the apto). however, this request will further delay the process, as they generally take the cartorios (local notaries public) well over a week to produce, and with the holiday season probably the third week of january....

 

best to consult yr despachante or lawyer.

 

swimming in guanabara - inconceivable to me! but if you plan to buy or rent a boat ... nothing like it... and the views of course priceless

[Guest ihpguy]

RE: Sinal

 

Tahnks Tri and Miguelmiche for the input. I'll think over what you suugested and speak to my representative Wednesday. Happy Holidays and hunting to you both. And Try, I'm sorry our paths aren't crossing next month.