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Campinas
Campinas
Location
Country	Brazil
Latitude	22°54′00″S
Longitude	47°03′25″W
Time Zone	GMT/UTC -3 (Standard Time)
Statistics
Population	969,396 (2004)
Area	795,697 km²; (approximate)
Currency	Brazilian Real (BRL)
Electricity	110V
Language	Portuguese

Campinas Layover

City Overview

Campinas on Google Maps

Campinas has been dubbed the Brazilian Silicon Valley, since it is home to many national and multinational high-tech industries (IBM, Motorola, Freescale, Lucent, Nortel, Compaq, Celestica, Samsung, Alcatel, Bosch, 3M, Texas Instruments, General Motors, Honda, Magneti-Marelli and many others), as well as to several research centers and universities (such as LNLS, CPqD, CenPRA, EMBRAPA, UNICAMP, and PUCCAMP). It also has a sizable pharmaceutical industry sector, with companies like Medley Farma, Sigma Pharma, Altana, Merck, etc.

According to Wired Magazine, Campinas is one of the highest-growth high-tech areas in Latin America, second only to the city of São Paulo itself. Since 1995, the city has received over US$ 7 billion in investments in telecommunications, information technology and electronics. Of the 500 largest companies listed by Fortune magazine, 50 are already established in the Campinas region.

The Airport(s)

Viracopos-Campinas International Airport (IATA: VCP, ICAO: SBKP)

Besides being a busy passenger terminal, it is the second-largest cargo airport in Brazil. One of its main features is that it is rarely closed due to bad weather conditions (a mean of 5 days per year).

Layover Hotels

• The Royal Palm Towers, Free breakfast for crews in the mornings 6:00-10:00am. Internet is R$3,96 per day (equals about $2 USD) in room. Business Center on the 1st floor, with internet. There is a 15% discount for items on the room service menu. One shirt washed and ironed, free of charge, per stay.
  • Cash Machine/Money Change: If you go diagonally across the park from the hotel, turn a half right and cross the street you are a few yards from the entrance of a small mall. If you follow the wheel chair ramp to the right instead of going up the steps and in you will find yourself at the entrance to a Bradesco bank. They have 5-6 ATM machines and do not advertise any fee for taking money out.

Getting Around

• Taxi, use taxis that the hotel calls for you. It is not often you will need one in VCP, most everything is in walking distance.

Things to See and Do

• There is a steam locomotive that makes a trip out in the country to a depot with a lot of old trains in various stages of restoration (check with the front desk).

• There is also a small zoo/park that has a section of Amazon forest set aside in it supposed to be about a 15 minute walk from the Royal Palm Towers.

• The Cathedral of Campinas, the Church of Our Lady. It was built by slave labor in the 18th century; its interior is entirely made of jacaranda wood sculptures and works. Leave the Roayal Palm Towers, cut through the park diagonally, and cross the street (heading towards the mall where the cash machines are). Continue straight down this road and you will come upon the Church.

Shopping

• Iguatemi Shopping Mall

• Galleria Shopping Mall

• Parque Dom Pedro Mall

• Sundays there is a outdoor flea market set up around the outdoor theater that is at the top of the hill from the hotel Royal Palm Towers. Closes down around 2PM.

• When standing in front of The Cathedral of Campinas, the Church of Our Lady, the road to the right of it is a pedestrian only shopping walk. It goes on for quite a few blocks. Most shops closed Sunday.

Where to Eat

Celeiro

phone (19) 9102-5822 at Rua (St.) General Osorio, 1845 - Cambui (neighborhood)

I don't know if they do it every day but at least on Sunday one place close to the hotel does a nice buffet for 10.40 Reals. If you walk up the hill from the hotel to the grocery store (Pao de Azucar) about half way along the side of the grocery store it is directly across the street. It is a local type Brazilian place with a nice atmosphere.

They give you a ticket and you seat yourself. The waitress will take first your drink order and then your meat order. You serve yourself from the buffet (which includes roast chicken and lasagna) and the waitress serves you the meat. You have a choice of meats and she will serve you the variety first if you want then refill with whatever you ask for. My favorite was the "Pichana" (think thin New York strip).

Trevisan

Brazilian churrasceria, take a cab, it is too far to walk. Trevisan is a typical Brazilian churrasceria, featuring a huge buffet bar. There is a flip card in the middle of your table. It is Red when you sit down, and when you flip it to Green, the servers will descend upon you with a varity of BBQed meats like you have never seen. Steaks, Pork, Chicken, Sausage, it is endless. When you plates are full, simply flip the card back to Red and they will stop coming over. When you are ready for more meat, flip it back to green. They also have a pasta bar.

Giovanettis

There are about five Giovanettis around town. Some feature oven baked pizza, and other more traditional brazillian foods. They all have Choppe (beer on tap...pronounced Shoppe) and it is nice and cold. One word of warning, they will continue to deliver fresh beers to you as your glass gets low, until you tell them you are finished.

The one closest to the Hotel Royal Palm Towers is: Hang a right out the hotel, another right and head up the hill towards the grocery store. Take a left at the first cross street you come to. It is at the end of the block on the left. Outdoor seating.

Montebello

A good meat place within walking distance is Montebello. Go up the hill a couple of blocks towards the supermarket and turn left at the city bar. Montebello is another about 3 blocks on the right hand side.

Orly

For a light lunch try the cafeteria/bakery called Orly. It seems to be owned by Giovenetti but instead of table service they only have a lunch counter. The same steak sandwich they charge 10.70 for at Giovenetti is 6.70 at Orly. Turn right out the front door and turn left on the sidewalk, pass the park, cross the main drag and go for a couple of blocks until you reach the next square with a news stand named "Bancao" something, turn right and it is at the end of the block on the left hand side at the corner (if you do not turn and continue straight for about 1 or 2 more buildings there is another Giovenetti).

The Orly is located kitty corner from another square. On the far side of the square are several places to eat that have cheap beer and outdoor tables on the sidewalk

Seo Rosa

www.seorosa.com.br

Rua Emilio Ribas, 567 Phone (19)3255.1180

Excellent food! Leave the hotel (Royal Palm Towers), hang a right, and another right up the hill, past the grocery store. Begin heading down the hill. Cross the street and continue down the hill past Churrasceria Baby Beef, and stay to the left. Follow this block down the hill staying to the left, it curves down the hill to the left for a while. Seo Rosa is on the left hand side of the street.

Some of the best steaks, anywhere. Most meals are around $29-31R (about $15 USD). Try the Fillet Mignon butterfly cut (Goncalves). Comes with potatoes and Rice, the steak is seared and covered with roasted garlic.…this meal would cost you close to $40 in the states. They have an excellent drink menu including caipirinhas of many varieties.

On Sunday, they have an excellent buffet, and you can get a variety of meats or chose a steak from the menu. I ordered the Goncalves with the buffet and it was only $18R for the exact same dish that costs $31R at dinner, plus the buffet. I think it was #5 on the menu. Not bad!

In the evening after 9:00pm the place starts to get quite busy as a club.

Clubs, Bars, Nightlife

Red Lion

*NEED INFO*

Cafe Trevi

*NEED INFO*

Mustache Bar

*NEED INFO*

Safety Advisories

(JULY 13, 2006) Crime wave in Brazil city enters 3rd day. Use caution in Sao Paulo and Campinas.

Gangs torched buses and attacked banks and police stations across South America's biggest city Thursday, deepening crime fears as a wave of rampant violence entered its third day.

At least six people have been killed in nearly 100 attacks on police and civilian targets since Tuesday night in what authorities believe is retaliation for a possible transfer of gang leaders to Brazil's first federal penitentiary.

Sao Paulo residents had trouble getting to work Thursday morning after several public transportation companies refused to dispatch buses out of fear of new attacks.

The violence comes two months after imprisoned leaders of the gang First Capital Command — known by its Portuguese initials PCC — ordered attacks against police across the city and Sao Paulo state, causing the deaths of nearly 200 police, prison guards, suspected criminals and jail inmates in one week.

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