Faculty-Led Study Tour of Brazil January 2012 Heather Gibson January 2012 Heather Gibson.

Faculty-Led Study Tour of Brazil

January 2012Heather Gibson

Pre-Departure Travel Tips

• Alert debit and/or credit card companies of your travel plans

• Make passport copies and keep in various places

• Pack clothes in large Ziploc bags– Easy to pack and unpack at hotels

Pre-Departure Travel Tips (cont.)

• Smaller items you don’t want to forget!– Luggage locks– Travel alarm cock– Sunglasses and sunscreen– Rain jacket– Camera and journal with pen– Band aids, sleeping aids, pain relievers, upset

stomach reliever

Day 1

• Left Kansas City Airport at 2:50pm for Dallas,TX.

• At Dallas Ft. Worth Airport we boarded our flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

• 10 hour flight and 5,127 miles

Travel Tip:-Overnight flights can get cold so pack a small blanket.-In your carry-on, pack items to freshen up before landing.

Day 2

• Landed in Sao Paulo at 10:50am• Had our first Brazilian meal at 11:30am• Boarded domestic flight at 6:00pm• Landed in Cuiaba and took a coach bus to our hotel• Showered and relaxed by the pool and then got

some much needed rest!

Day 3

• Had tasty fresh fruit for breakfast• Visited Maraba Farms– 35 years old– Building a 50,000 head feedlot– On site Cottin Gin and storage– Owned 27 combines and 12 cotton

pickers– Produced own biodiesel– Cafeteria for workers

• Served 500-600 meals a day

– Had picnic lunch at farm

Travel Tip:Always take your camera and journal everywhere!

Day 3 (cont.)

• 3:30pm we visited CooperFibra in Campe Verde– 60% of 34,000 population involved in CooperFibra– Cooperative for cotton farmers

Day 3 (cont.)

• 6:00pm we explored Campe Verde’s downtown area and shops

• Dinner was at a local pizzeria (they served fries with everything)

• Tower at the center of town that gave us a 360 degree view

• Returned to hotel to relax and enjoy the pool

Travel Tip:Pack a few nice cotton shirts for the evenings, but not too many!!!

Day 4

• Breakfast consisted of different types of cake and bread---the coffee was delicious!

• Traveled to Modelo Farm– Considered medium sized at 10,000 acres– Owned by one family– Workers are required by law to only work two

hours of overtime a day---longest work-day can’t exceed 10 hours

Day 4 (cont.)

• Had a traditional Brazilian lunch in the town of Primavera do Leste– Served all types of meat and

shaved it onto our plates – I took two glass coke bottles from

the restaurant as a keep-sake• Traveled to IMA-MT, an

agronomy research station– Financed through a check-off, $7

of each cotton bale goes to IMA– Many plots testing new varieties

of cotton

Travel Tip:Take every opportunity to get souvenirs and don’t wait until the last minute!

Day 4 (cont.)

• Relaxed at hotel pool for 2 ½ hours before going to eat supper at a pizzeria (we were told it was “the best in town”)

Day 5

• Our translator presented on Brazilian AgPolicy prior to leaving Hotel

• Traveled 2 hours on our tour bus towards Cooperbio

• Ate lunch at a Brazilian Truck Stop---Serra Sao Vicente

Travel Tip:It is a good idea to carry motion sickness medicine with you at all times---some bus rides were very bumpy!

Day 5 (cont.)

• Cooperbio was a cooperative for biofuels– Extracted oil from

soybeans and other commodities

– Produced 400,000 liters of diesel per day

– Located in Rondonopolis

Day 5 (cont.)

• Travel to Cuiaba airport for our domestic flight to Brazilia

• Board our flight from Brazilia to Rio de Janeiro– Landed in Rio at 3am, traveled

on bus for 1 hour to our hotel, Hotel Windsor Martinique

• It was a long day of travel but we were excited for our city tour of Rio the next day!

Day 6

• Coach tour of Rio De Janeiro– Train ride to Christ the

Redeemer statue– Visited Maracana Soccer

Stadium– Lunch at a very nice restaurant

(I had sushi for the first time and it was delicious)

– Cable car ride to Sugar Loaf Mountain

– Copacabana Beach– Plataforma Samba Show

Travel Tip:-Wear comfortable shoes even if they aren’t fashionable-Ladies…Carry a medium cross-body purse when exploring the cities

Travel Tip:Warning!!! The Samba show left little to the imagination…

Day 7

• We were allowed to sleep-in until 9am!!!

• A few of us went to a craft fair in the center of Rio

• Lunch was at the Barbecue Carretao Lido Restaurant on the beach and then we headed to the Rio airport

• Departed for our flight to Campinas, took a charter bus to Piracicaba

Travel Tip:-Never carry all your cash in your purse---I kept half locked up in my suitcase in the hotel-If your hotel rooms have safes, use them!!!-A lot of tourist locations like Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer have common souvenirs, but if you want original Brazil-made gifts plan on visiting a craft fair or venders on the beach

Day 7 (cont.)

• Dinner was served at the hotel • One of our trip sponsors gave a presentation

on his ranching operation and the keys to his success

• Our hotel, Bristol Center Flat, had a rooftop pool where we could look out over the city!!!

Day 8

• Traveled to the campus of ESALQ-USP, the agriculture university in town

• Two university professors presented on history of the college

• We were offered espresso and sweets!!!

• The founders of the University were buried in front of the main building

• Lunch was at a local restaurant

Day 8 (cont.)

• Traveled to Tozan Farms, a Japanese owned coffee plantation

• Bought by the Iwasaki family, founders of Mitsubishi

• They lost plantation in World War II but were able to get a portion of it back after the war

Day 8 (cont.)

• We left the coffee farm and started traveling towards Sao Paulo

• Supper was at an Italian Restaurant (they also served fries)

• It was our last night in Brazil so our group decided to relax at the hotel bar

Travel Tip:-The hotel staff is very helpful if you are needing directions or want to know where to go on a walk.-Never go anywhere without knowing where you are going---practice safe exploring!

Day 9

• We woke up to RAIN!!!• After breakfast, we traveled o the

U.S. Consulate– U.S. requires visas for all members

wanting to visit– The consulate administers 3,000

visas a day to Brazilians• After lunch, we visited JBS

headquarters– A large international meat

processing company

Day 9 (cont.)

• After JBS we had a few hours before we had to leave to go to the airport so we went to a stone shop!!!

• They had raw gems but also finished jewelry • We traveled to the airport where we said goodbye to our tour

guide and boarded our flight home to Dallas at 11:30pm!!!

Day 10

• Landed in Dallas, TX at 6:15am• We were very glad to hear the U.S. Customs

Officials say, “Welcome back to the United States of America”

*First Kansas sunset since leaving for Brazil!

Travel Tip:Be thankful for your opportunity to travel and be thankful for the USA!