Cultured Travel Guide Books - Brazil (Country Guide) |
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List Price: $26.99
Our Price: $16.90
Your Save: $ 10.09 ( 37% )
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 918.10465
EAN: 9781741042979
ISBN: 1741042976
Label: Lonely Planet
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 768
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Studio: Lonely Planet |
| Spotlight Customer Reviews: |
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Muito Bem!!!
Comment: I've been consistently impressed by the Lonely Planet series. These books allow you to navigate a new country and culture like a pro, and find all the hidden spots that a tour guide probably wouldn't take you to. Worth every penny!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: The best guide out for Brazil - With room for improvement
Comment: Initially, I took three guides with me on my 5-week journey through Brazil: Footprint, Frommer's and Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet gets the nod.
No other guide except Footprints (see my review) comes close to the covering all of Brazil. Lonely Planet is the best guide to have if you are backpacking and/or thinking of crossing into other countries at remote border crossing.
Lonely Planet has EXCELLENT sections on Brazil's history, economy and culture. Lonely Planet segregates Brazil into five geographical areas and introduces each city or region by explaining the history and climate. KUDOS! The descriptions of the towns and cities are top rate. There are many maps, easy to use and well defined.
Sadly, unlike other L.P. guides, this guide has few sidebars or text boxes that give you interesting tidbits about the country. Lonely Planet gives you enough restaurant and accommodation recommendations, but most all have terse descriptions that leave you wishing for more, i.e., "menu is low-key, most pizza and standard rice-beans-meat dishes."
Though this is the 2008 edition (I also reviewed the 2005 edition earlier), I found (too often) places that were recommended but were closed or had moved. Thus, the editors did not `due diligence' and send the writers of this edition back to the places that the 2005 guide raved about and lists. Rather, they just transferred them over. NOT GOOD. Beware. This was especially prevalent in Manaus. Best to call first before you spend the taxi money.
Speaking of money... If you are from the European Union, sing praises for the Euro. If you're from the USA, weep. The fall of the dollar's value is very evident in Brazil. Reality check: Rio, a decent hotel (not great a hotel, just decent) is at least $100 and up. A good, not great, meal is at least $20 to $30. I traveled during the "Low Season" and I found that I needed $100-$150 a day to travel at a 3-4 star level and eat OK (not including my airfares). You should add at least 20-30% in high season and at least 60% at Carnival. Backpackers can do it for less, but not near what the guide quotes. Be Aware - Be Prepared for money shock.
Lonely Planet is my first choice, but I have it on good authority (Amazon.com) that Footprint Brazil 2009 will be out this December. IF you are going to Carnival 2009 then get Footprint over Lonely Planet, it does a much better job of guiding you through this huge event. Also, I highly recommend Culture Shock! Brazil 2007 for anyone wanting to know more about the ethos and customs of the diverse, colorful country. Happy travels.
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| Editorial Reviews: |
Discover Brazil
Wander the streets of bohemian Lapa, where samba spills from every doorway
Swim eyeball-to-eyeball with hundreds of exotic fish in crystalline waters
Brave near-vertical descents on a wind-whipped dune buggy ride
Sling a hammock and relax as your riverboat glides up the Amazon
In This Guide:
Seven authors, 375 days of in-country research, 33 types of transport (including water buffalo, mine car and canoe)
50% more coverage of chic, dynamic Sao Paulo
A samba musician, a wildlife tour guide and other locals introduce you to their Brazil
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews and traveler suggestions
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