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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Sep 2, 2008
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The distinctive clothing and cowboy lifestyle of the southern Brazilian gauchos are synonymous with Rio Grande do Sul, and the week-long festival of Semana Farroupilha is an excellent opportunity to see a celebration of gaucho culture.
Traditional music, colourful costumes, dancing and...
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Tags for this Travel Tip:
tradition
carnival
gaucho
barbeque
festival
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Sep 2, 2008
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With its enormous brick tower, the Usino do Gasometro, a former thermoelectric station that has been reborn as an art gallery, cinema, cafe and cultural centre, is a landmark on the Porto Alegre...
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Jul 3, 2008
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The main rodoviaria (bus station) in Porto Alegre is not the easiest of places to navigate, and you should be careful of your possessions in this busy transport hub. As I schlepped along with my backpack, trying to find an exit that would take me into the city centre, a helpful local called at me...
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Jun 9, 2008
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Rio Grande do Sul may be the land of the gaucho cowboy, but Porto Alegre is no backwater when it comes to nightlife. Even coming from Rio de Janeiro I was pleasantly surprised by what I found here. Acting on advice from a local tour guide I headed down to the Cidade Baixa area around 10pm, and...
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Tags for this Travel Tip:
nightlife
wine
beers
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Jun 3, 2008
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The capital of Brazil's southernmost state throws up a few surprises for those with preconceptions about life in Brazil. The favelas that dominate the skyline in major cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are noticeably absent, and a huge amount of time, money and effort has been put into...
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Tags for this Travel Tip:
culturalcentres
portoalegre
museums
galleries
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Apr 3, 2008
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Rio Grande do Sul is famous for it's 'gaucho' cowboys and for the quality of its meat, and Portoalegrenese is probably the best spot in Porto Alegre to sample some of the local produce. Here it's served 'rodizio' style - all you can cuts served sizzling at your table. Being a veggie, I was...
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Tags for this Chapter:
familyatmosphere
barbeque
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Apr 3, 2008
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Brazil is a country that has often been praised for the seemingly effortless interaction between various races and religions, but few visitors to the country can fail to be struck by the disproportionately high number of white faces on television. Earlier this year black models complained about...
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Tags for this Chapter:
racism
classdistinction
wealthy
poor
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Apr 2, 2008
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
While social problems are endemic in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Salvador, southern cities such as Florianopolis, Curitiba and Porto Alegre have relatively low levels of crime and poverty (by Brazilian standards). Refreshingly, the distribution of wealth is also relatively equal....
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Tags for this Chapter:
participatorybudget
publicspending
culturalcentres
health
education
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Jan 16, 2008
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
After roughing it for four nights, camping in the Serra Gaucha, I was over the moon to be back under a solid roof, and the fact that I was lucky enough to be being put up in the relative luxury of...
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Tags for this Chapter:
sunset
view
rooftoppool
bar
gym
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Dec 19, 2007
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Porto Alegre is very proud of its open-topped tourist bus trips, which were inaugurated a couple of years ago. The trips are extremely popular- as I discovered when I had to make three attempts to find a time that wasn't booked up. While they're good fun on a sunny day, the trips really highlight...
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Tags for this Chapter:
sunnyday
opentopbus
tourists
view
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Dec 18, 2007
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I'd been advised that much of the nightlife in Porto Alegre centred around the Cidade Baixa area, although I was somewhat sceptical as by day there really didn't seem to be much here other than a few snack bars. After 9pm, however, scores of bars opened their doors and the place became packed...
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Tags for this Chapter:
bars
european
lively
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LucyHB
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Globetrotter
Dec 18, 2007
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
After four nights taking it easy in Canela (well, as easy as it'sm possible to take it while camping in a tiny tent in alternating blistering heat and thundery downpours...) it was on to the bright lights of Porto Alegre - the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state. Despite having been advised that...
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Tags for this Chapter:
museums
culturalcentres
sunset
lake
trees
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