On Tue, 29 Aug 2000 03:00:42 -0800, Kent Lind <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Bob wrote:

>> Kent, thanks for the useful feedback!  On the strength of your not-too-
>> glowing characterizaiton, I think I'll leave my dive-gears at home
>> this time.  Although the TRAVEL takes a week, my DIVING window will
>> only be about three days, if that many.  :)  We'll just take in the
>> urban stuff there and remember NOT to make the "ok" scuba sign
>> which is an obscene gesture in Portugese.
>
>It appeared to me that a lot, if not most, Brazilian divers I met did not
>own their own gear and were used to renting at their destinations.  I guess
>the economy makes it tougher for the average middle class Brazilian to buy
>expensive imported scuba gear.

I forgot about their annual inflation of several hundred percent.  Or
was it monthly inflation at that rate?  :-)  I have a hard time
imagining what people DO with their money with that kind of run-away
inflation.  Some were said to spend their pay check as soon as they
get it and put the rest in the bank overnight before it dwindles to
nothing.

>So most of the shops are pretty well stocked
>with rental equipment if the dive bug hits you.  The stuff I looked at in
>local shops all looked pretty good and decently maintained.  Lots of US
>Divers, Sherwood, and Mares stuff.  But mostly analog gauges, no computer.
>You could toss your computer in your bag and rent the rest if the dive bug
>hits you.

Good point, though I've NEVER rented any gear except that drysuit that
choked me.  :-)
>
>I looked at a lot of guide books and the Lonely Planet guides were the best
>for Brazil, especially for remote locations.  But there are plenty of
guides
>on just Rio alone.  Drop into your local Barnes and Noble and pick up a
>decent guide book for Rio.

Already bought a FODOR's SA Guide in Books a Million, with more
touisy info about Rio than the books about Rio which had mostly
pictures.

> City guides in English will be more difficult to
>find in Rio and if you do track down an English language bookstore, guides
>will cost double what they cost in Atlanta due to the excessive import
>taxes.

I'll just go down there, give them the "ok" sign, and they'll tell me
where to go!  Right?  :-)

-- Bob.