Visit to Angra

Bus Schedule to Rio

Great Tourist Information Team

Fresh Fish Market

Angra Waterfront

11 August 2012

I walked to the bus stop at 7.45 AM and the bus to Angra arrived at 8 AM as that passenger's hand written schedule had predicted.  I arrived at Angra about an hour later and crossed the main street to the Tourist Information center where  was attended to by the same person who had been so helpful on my first visit.

The first question I asked was where I could find a computer store where I could purchase a Brazilian plug for my Acer's power transformer.  He showed the location of two places on the map then gave me directions.  I then asked a few questions about the plug (e.g. “Will the same plug fit on 110V and 220V outlets?”)  I learned that Brazil has recently switched from a 2-pin to a 3-pin plug with the round pins in an arc rather than a triangle, and that one plug should be good for both voltages.  He was surprised that the Bracui Marina is on 220V because the town of Angra is on 110V.  I asked why Brazil is on two voltages.  It appears (and I am prepared to be corrected by electricians) that 110V is the standard, but houses, organizations such as hotels, and marinas and presumably whole towns can go to 220V by going to 2-phase power.  In the town of Angra, for example, anyone wanting to run an air conditioner must put it on 220V 2-phase.

At the corner to where I had been directed I found two computer shops on adjacent corners.  I purchased the plug and lead for the Acer transformer in one of them for only $R10, but nether had one that would suit the Toshiba transformer (2 pins at the transformer end, not 3).  That was OK.  I need a Brazilian plug for the Acer because I expect to use it in the hotel in Rio and with its short battery life I must have wall plug power.  The Toshiba is the one with a healthy battery life but at last count 15 keys were not working and using the screen keyboard is very slow going.

The second question had been where to find a bank with an ATM that could handle my Visa card.  I was pointed to Bradesco across the street and HSBC farther up the road.  I tried Bradesco first because its branch in Ilha Bella had recognized my Visa card.  Unfortunately the one in Angra would not accept my PIN number.  After a few tries on different ATMs I gave up and walked over to HSBC, which not only recognized my VISA card but also had a hefty limit of 1000 Reals.  I withdrew the limit, which gives me a present total of just over 1100 Reals.  Assuming I pay $R500 for the hull cleaning and polishing I'll still have $R600 to carry me through to Rio, which should be enough.

By 10 AM my business in Angra was completed.  I headed back to the Information center, showed them the plug that I had purchased, then asked them where I could catch the Costa Verde bus to Rio.  He showed me the bus schedule, which listed 17 buses running per day from 4 AM until 10.40 PM.  I started to copy down the bus schedule and he suggested that I photograph it.  What a great idea!  I pulled out my camera and took the picture.  He then showed me on the map where to find the bus terminal.

I then walked to the bus terminal, and I'm so glad that I did because it was much farther than I had expected.  But it was in the right direction for me, and I noted where I would get off the bus from Bracui so that I could simply walk across the street to the “Terminal Rodoviario” inter-city bus terminal.  I strolled through the small but modern terminal and saw that one could take buses to the big cities such as Rio, Brazilia, and Sao Paulo, as well as other smaller destinations such as Ubatuba.

I then went back to the Information center for yet another “last” question.  He teased me about the number of “last” questions that I was presenting, and I told him to expect more because I would be around until December. He replied that this is the off-season in Angra.  In December the town will be packed  with people.  I consider myself very fortunate to have arrived in Angra during the off season, with all of the advantages that it presents to an English speaker trying to get his bearings.  I have great understanding and sympathy to those whose holiday time is constrained by responsibility to work and children at school, but anyone else who has a free choice on when to visit Angra would be nuts, in my opinion, to come in the high season.  The winter climate is wonderful, with very little cloud and rain, and the temperature moderate but definitely warm enough for swimming in the ocean.

In answer to my question, when I arrive at the Rodoviario terminal from Rio in November I can catch the bus to Bracui at a stop in front of the terminal.  They will not charge me extra for my luggage.  The only risk is that the bus may be too full by the time it arrives at the Rodoviario stop, in which case I would probably take a cab to the center of town to catch the bus to Bracui.  The exercise made me realize that I will have to travel as light as possible.  That will be easier on my way to the USA, but more difficult on my return because I will be bringing equipment for the boat.  I figure that my absolute limit is the backpack,  a laptop bag, and one duffel bag.

I was going to take the bus to Frade then get off at Rio Bracui and walk to Bracui but the next Frade bus was one of the ones passing through Bracui, so I was back at the marina at 1.30 PM.

Enclosed are photos that I took from the bus on the way to Angra, and in Angra itself.