Outlandish
Land

 

DISTRITO FEDERAL

BRASÍLIA

I sought the curved and sensual line. The curve that I see in the Brazilian hills, in the body of a loved one, in the clouds in the sky and in the ocean waves.

Brasília architect Oscar Niemeyer

Brasília is a utopian horror. It should be a symbol of power, but instead it's a museum of architectural ideas.

Art critic Robert Hughes

The impression I have is that I'm arriving on a different planet.

Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin

Brasília must have looked good on paper, and still looks good in photos. In 1987 it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, being considered one of the major examples of this century's modern movement in architecture and urban planning. But in the flesh, forget it. The world's great planned city of the 20th century is built for automobiles and airconditioners, not people. Distances are enormous and no one walks. The sun blazes, with no trees for shelter.

It's a lousy place to visit and no one wanted to live there. Bureaucrats and politicians, who live in the model 'pilot plan' part of the city, were lured to Brasília by 100% salary hikes and big apartments. Still, as soon as the weekend comes, they get out of the city as fast as possible—to Rio, to São Paulo, to their private clubs in the country—anywhere that's less sterile, less organized, less vapid. Brasília is also one of the most expensive cities in Brazil.

The poor have to get out—they have no choice. Mostly from the Northeast, these candangos (pioneers) work in the construction and service industries. They live in favelas, which they call 'antiBrasílias', as far as 30 km from the center. This physical gulf between haves and havenots is reminiscent of South Africa's township system.

All this is the doing of three famous Brazilians: an urban planner Lúcio Costa), an architect (Oscar Niemeyer) and a landscape architect (Burle Marx), each the leading figure in his field. They were commissioned by President Juscelino Kubitschek to plan a new inland capital, a city that would catalyze the economic development of Brazil's vast interior. With millions of dirtpoor peasants from the Northeast working around the clock, Brasília was built in an incredible three years—it wasn't exactly finished but it was ready to be the capital (Niemeyer today admits that it was all done too quickly). On 21 April 1960, Brazil's capital was moved from Rio to Brasília and thousands of public servants fell into a deep depression.

The old Brazilian dream of an inland capital had always been dismissed as expensive folly. What possessed Kubitschek to actually do it? Politics. He made the building of Brasília a symbol of the country's determination and ability to become a great economic power. Kubitschek successfully appealed to all Brazilians to put aside their differences and rally to the cause. In doing so, he distracted attention from the country's social and economic problems, gained enormous personal popularity and borrowed heavily from the international banks. His legacy to the country was rampant inflation.

Orientation

Seen from above, Brasília looks like an airplane (symbolizing the fastest way out of town) or a bow and arrow (signifying the penetration of the interior and the destruction of the indigenous people). The planned city, the plano piloto, faces the giant artificial Lago do Paranoá. In the plane's fuselage (or the arrow) are all the government buildings and monuments. The plaza of three powers—the Palácio do Planalto, the Palácio do Congresso and the Palácio da Justiça—is in the cockpit. Out on the wings (asas) are block after block of apartment buildings (known as Superquadras or Quadras) but little else.

You can rent a car, take a tourist tour or combine a city bus (circular buses leave from the city rodoviária) with some long walks to see the bulk of Brasília's edifices. Remember that many buildings are closed on weekends and at night.

Information

Tourist Office

Setur is the government tourist information service. Its office, inconveniently located on the 3rd floor of the Centro de Convenções, is open Monday to Friday from 1 to 6 pm. Setur also operates a tourist desk at the airport, which is open from

8 am to 1 pm and 2 to 6 pm Monday to Friday (from 10 am to 1 pm and 4.30 to 7.30 pm on weekends). If all you need is a map or a list of attractions, simply pick up a brochure from any one of the big hotels or travel agencies. The best map that we found was in the telephone book Achei! (Found it!) O Guia de Brasília. It also has lots of tourist information in Portuguese.

Memorial JK

Along with the tomb of JK (President Kubitschek), the memorial features several exhibits relating to the construction of the city. It's open from 9 am to 6 pm.

TV Tower

The 75meter observation deck of the TV tower is open from 9 am to 8 pm. At the base of the tower, on weekends, there's a handicrafts fair.

Catedral Metropolitana

With its 16 curved columns and its stained-glass interior, the cathedral is worth seeing. At the entrance are the haunting Four Disciples statues carved by Ceschiatti, who also made the aluminum angels hanging inside. The cathedral is open from 7.45 am to 6 pm daily.

Government Buildings

Down by the tip of the arrow you'll find the most interesting government buildings. The Palácio do Itamaraty (open Monday to Friday until 4 pm) is one of the best—a series of arches surrounded by a reflecting pool and landscaped by Burle Marx. There's also the Palácio da Justiça, the Supreme Court (open Monday to Friday from noon to 6 pm), with water cascading between its arches, and the Palácio do Congresso (open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to noon and 2 to 5 pm), with the 'dishes' and twin towers. The presidential Palácio da Alvorada is not open to visitors.

Santuário Dom Bosco

As impressive as the cathedral, or perhaps even more so, the Santuário Dom Bosco (Dom Bosco's Shrine) is made of concrete columns, with blue stainedglass windows. Located at Quadra 702 Sul, it's open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

Parks

The Parque Nacional de Brasília ecological reserve is a good place to relax if you're stuck in the city. This park is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm, and is very popular on weekends. Apart from the attraction of its natural swimming pools, it is home to a number of endangered animals, including deer, banded anteaters, giant armadillos and maned wolves. The 'Água Mineral' bus from the city rodoviária goes past the front gate.

Another good park is the city park, Parque Recreativo de Brasília Rogério Pithon Farias, where you'll find a swimming pool, and small lunch places at which to grab a snack.

Organized Tours

If you want to save your feet, guided tours of the city cost around $18. The Hotel GarveyPark is the travelagency capital of Brasília, and most companies there offer sightseeing tours. You can also book bus tours at the airport or the rodoviária.

Places to Stay (See the book)

Places to Eat

Both the shopping complexes near the rodoviária have lots of places to eat, with many offering lunch specials. The one on the north side (Conjunto Nacional) has the best selection.

Restaurants are located along the main avenues or in between the quadras. A couple of places with a good selection of restaurants and bars are the spaces between Quadras 405 and 404 Sul and between Quadras 308 and 309 Norte.

In the following addresses, SCL means Setor Comércio Local, which is the space provided in the quadras for shops, restaurants, etc. N or S means Norte (North) or Sul (South), followed by the quadra number, the block number and the store number.

There are good restaurants scattered around, too. A popular place is the Bar Academia, at SCLN 308, Bloco D, loja 11/19.

For nordestino cuisine, the XiqueXique has carne de sol and feijão verde with manteiga da terra. It's at SCLS 107, Bloco A, loja I. Tiragostos is one of the city's oldest bar/restaurants. It's a famous meeting point for artists and musicians, and has outdoor tables under trees. The prices are reasonable. It's at SCLS 109, Bloco A, loja 2/4.

Vegetarians needn't feel left out. For some good, natural food, there's Cheiro Verde, SCLN 313, Bloco C, loja 20. It's open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm. Coisas da Terra, at SCLN 703, Bloco D, loja 41, is open from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm and 5.30 to 8 pm on weekdays; weekend hours are noon to 6 pm.

Getting There & Away (See Book)

Getting Around (See Book)

AROUND BRASÍLIA

Estância de Água de Itiquira

Itiquira is a TupiGuarani Indian word meaning 'water that falls'. From the viewpoint at this 170meter freefall waterfall, you can see the valley of the Paranãs to the south. There's forest, several crystalclear streams with natural pools for a swim, and the requisite restaurants and bars.

Itiquira is 110 km from Brasília; you need a car. Leave through the satellite cities of Sobradinho and Planaltina and the town of Formosa. The road is dirt for the next 35 km.

Cachoeira Saia Velha

This is a pleasant swimming hangout not too far from the city. Take the road to Belo Horizonte for about 20 km. When you reach the Monumento do Candango, a ridiculous statue made by a Frenchman for the people who built Brasília, there's a sign to the waterfall. The road is to the left of the monument.

For $8 per car, you can sample the live music on Saturdays, including food and beer. There are also several natural swimming pools. There are camping areas but no hotel.

Cachoeira Topázio

This is a pretty fazenda with a waterfall, camping facilities, food and drink. To get there, take the road to Belo Horizonte to the km 93 marker. Turn right, taking the road out to the cachoeira. Admission is $8 per car.

Brasília—Capital of the Third Millennium

In 1883 an Italian priest, João Bosco, prophesied that a new civilization would arise between parallels 15 and 20 and that its capital would be built between parallels 15 and 16, on the edge of an artificial lake. Brasília is considered by many people to be that city and a number of cults have sprung up in the area.

About 45 km from Brasília you'll find the Vale do Amanhecer (Valley of the Dawn) funded in 1959 by a clairvoyant, Tia Neiva. The valley is actually a small town, where you can see (or take part in) Egyptian, Greek, Aztec, Indian, Gypsy, Inca, Trojan and AfroBrazilian rituals. They take place daily at 12.30, 2.30 and 6.30 pm. The 2000 mediums who live there follow the 'Doctrine of the Dawn'. They believe that a new civilization will come with the third millennium. The main temple was inspired by the spiritual advice received by Tia Neiva. In the center is an enormous Star of David, which forms a lake, pierced by an arrow.

About 80 km from the valley, near Santo Antônio do Descoberto, is the Cidade Ecléctica (Eclectic City), founded in 1956 by Yokanam, an exairline pilot. The main aim of its 3000 believers is the unification of all religions on the planet, and the values of fraternity and equality are expounded. Their ceremonies take place on Wednesday and Friday at 8 pm and on Sunday at 3 pm. There are strict dress regulations, but if you're not dressed suitably, they will give you a special tunic to wear.