Advice for someone moving to Macae, Brazil

I would encourage you to learn Portuguese, even if you will be working in English and spending a lot of time with expats speaking English.

Also, you may want to consider living outside of Macae in a neighboring town for a better quality of life.  Macae has grown a bit too much too fast.

There is a bloggger who lives with her husband in Macae.  You could check in with her/them.  http://lifeofnateandsara.blogspot.com/

Good luck.

Thank you for your reply and link to the blog.  Would you recommend living in Rio das Ostras or another neighboring town?   Thanks

Rio das Ostras is a bit far.  You are not moving to Brazil to recreate the commuting stress of the States, I presume.  ;-)

I can't say exactly, but I had a conversation with an expat who's husband works in Macaé (different person than the one mentioned above) and she went on at length about how so many of the English speaking company owrkers lived in a particular neighborhood and it was a real missed opportunity.  She said she lived a short distance out of town and LOVED her location and could not understand why everyone stayed so cloistered.

Her blog is: http://thetaoofme.wordpress.com/  Ask her for more details.

Rio das Ostras, by the way, is the new "It" beach town for middle class Brazilian tourists.  It was Cabo Frio (in that area) but now that any and everyone goes to Cabo Frio, the fancier set has moved on to RdO.  It has yet to be over run.  Visit it soon.

Best three things to take with you: patience, sense of humor and defensive driving.

I've lived in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro state on and off for the past 9 years and would be willing to share information with you.

I've been to Macae and Rio das Ostras a dozen+ times, lived in Cabo Frio and Rio de Janeiro and have a small farm outside Casimiro de Abreu - 45 minutes from Macae.

My husband (expat) and I have lived in Macae for 26 years. Your wife could join the Macae International Women's Club, which would be a wonderful source of information. There is a great new housing compound called Conceito A, with good security, a nice club and close to most companies established in the southern end of the town. There is a golf club under construction in that area as well. Of course the faster you learn Portuguese, the better.

Hi Marcia,


On behalf of the entire Expat-blog Team, welcome on board. I hope your experience here will be both enjoyable and informative.

To introduce myself, I'm a Canadian and I've been living here in Brazil for over eleven years now. I've lived in a number of cities here, most recently São Paulo. My wife and I moved here just under a year ago. She is Macaense and her entire family is here, our 5-year old son was also born here and living so far away from the family just got to be too much of a hardship for them.

I've been the Brazil Animator for the past two years and am really finding it gratifying to be able to help so many expats and give them the benefit of my experience here.

Hope we can get together sometime soon. It will be nice for me to meet someone outside the family who isn't one of my students. LOL

By the way, you are aware that this topic posting is two years old now, aren't you?

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

I am considering to accept a job in Macae, Brazil. I would like to get a clearer picture about living the city. Is there shopping outlets and security housing compounds? Is the safety issue a great concern in the city? Appreciate if anyone could share their experiences with me. Thank you.

Hi Andy,

I've been living in Brazil for 12 years now; the past year and a half in Macaé. Actually the city is relatively safe compared to other Brazilian cities, but you still need to take the standard precautions you would need to observe anywhere. See my posting on "A Gringo's Survival Guide to Brazil" for all the information you're going to need.

If you're living in areas like Cavaleiros then you're going to be just fine.

There are some shopping centers here, but they are rather pathetic compared to São Paulo or Rio.

Learn as much Portuguese as you can and as quickly as you can, you can't get by without speaking the language anywhere in Brazil.

Anything else, just ask.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team

Hello
my name is Lucy Linhares, I'm an anthropologist working at the intercultural field and I'd like to know if the Women's Club in Macae still exists. Any information or contact about expat's communities in Macae would be very useful! Thank you!

Hello,

I wanted to jump in on this topic in the hope to get some advice. I will be traveling to Macae this coming September to visit a friend who is teaching at the American school there in town. I will be visiting him for about a week. He is concerned that I won't have anything to do during the day while he is at work. I told him that being an international traveler, I am pretty independent and feel comfortable exploring the town on my own. But, he expressed concern about my safety. I was hoping to get other locals opinions on the safety of walking around during the day on my own.

If safety is a concern, I was going to try to find a class or a volunteer opportunity during the week. Thoughts on that?

I really just don't want to feel trapped in his apartment all week after traveling all that way to Brazil!

Thanks in advance for your advice and ideas!

Warmly,

Cynthia

Hi Cynthia,

Your friend (obviously a fellow gringo  ) is unnecessarily alarmed. Certainly while crime is much more prevalent in Brazil than many countries, you're not going to be at any greater risk of becoming a victim here in Macaé than you would be walking around in "The Windy City".

If you follow the common sense saftey rules that you should use wherever you travel you'll be just fine. Petty crime anywhere in Brazil is ALWAYS a crime of opportunity, if you don't present an easy target by not giving the opportunity then you don't become a victim. You can take that as gospel from somebody who has not only been living in Brazil for nearly thirteen years now, but also living in Macaé for the past two and a half years.

For a list of safety tips you should follow anywhere in Brazil see the following topic thread:

A Gringo's Survival Guide to Brazil

Hello.
I work with International Law.
And I would like to move to Brazil.
I lived there for a long time , and.....   I really love the country.
Well.
I consider that Brazil is  a place with plenty of opportunities, and I want to know how is the Law Field  in Northeast area.
Any advice, will be welcome/

Hello,

Well, Macaé is far from being the Northeast, but I can give you some information anyway.

First off, if you're planning to practice law anywhere in Brazil you are going to have to get your degree recognized here in Brazil through a process called "Revalidation". Essentially you find a university here that has a Law program and submit your degree and other required documents. See the following topic thread for more details:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=177474

If you are planning to set up your own law offices here and have R$150,000 (USD $50,000) to invest then you can apply for a VIPER Permanent Visa based on Investment through the Ministry of Labor here.

Otherwise you would need to find a law firm willing to contract you and help you through the process to obtain a VITEM-V Work Visa. You may want to try some of the online job search sites that are popular here. www.vagas.com.brwww.indeed.com.brwww.empregos.com.br   just to name a few.

Hope this is of some help to you.

Cheers,
James      Expat-blog Experts Team

Hi I am looking to find out the best way for a single female to get from Rio De Janeiro international airport to Macae? Any advice greatly appreciated

You can take a taxi (around R$50 - 60) or bus (Line No. 2018 Alovrada, ask to get off at Novo Rio - fare R$13,50) from António Carlos Jobim International Airport - Galeão (GIG) to Rodoviária Novo Rio. The bus stop is right in front of the Terminal at GIG and the bus company is REAL. It runs from 5:40 am til the last bus at 10:30 pm and it looks like the photo below:



There you can purchase a ticket at the 1001 ticket counter for Macaé. The bus will be either 1001 or Macaense (same company) depending on the departure time. During the daytime there are departures around every 30 minutes. Fares range from around R$53,04 to R$68,09 depending on the departure time. Unless you are leaving the bus depot on a national holiday you should have absolutely no problem obtaining a ticket for the very next bus departure.

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

Oh, by the way the 1001 "Mil e Um" ticket counter is on the second floor of the Novo Rio bus depot. Go up the escalator and turn to your right. There are a couple of steps up to a long corridor (shown below) that runs the length of the depot. This photo is taken from the opposite end so the ticket counter, which appears on the right in the photo will actually be on your left about half way down the corridor.



Do not go to the other two counters immediately upon entering the corridor, the one on your right is for tickets to São Paulo and the one on your left is for senior citizens and handicapped individuals seeking free or reduced fare travel.

Hi all

Thank you so much for your help. I  not worried about safety as my Mum and step dad lived in Rio for 6 years so know about being streetwise. I just have never travelled to Macae on my own. This is a great help! My partner is going to be on rotation there so I will advise him to get in touch. Thanks so much x

Not a problem hutchy120!!! If you need anything when you arrive just let me know I'm in Macaé too and what your partner can't fill you in on about the drill here, I sure can.

I don't know if you've been here before or not, while it's by no means a "touristy" kind of city it's really not too bad and I must say it's one of the most foreigner friendly cities I've ever seen in my 13 years here in Brazil. You try and speak to somebody here in Portuguese and you're as likely as not to get the surprise of your life when they answer you in English. It surprises even me!

Cheers,
James

Good Morning James,

Ive seen that you been living for a long time in Macae and its always willing to help. I am moving there in October and I have many questions about the city. Can I contact you directly in any way?

Thanks for all the information.

Hi! I've been living in Macae for 33 years. Let me know if you need any help.

Our good friend James was killed (RIP) there. Hopefully others can help.

It's a 15 mile trek from Rio das Ostras to Macae, at least according to Google Maps. 

I do not know how bad is traffic between these end points. , but if it does fit your eyesight on curbside appeal, and makes you happy then  go for Rio das Ostras. 

Boom towns have a way to make one feel at odds with the place itself. So escape to your outpost in Rio das Ostras and let the dwellers on Macae to fight and squable over their triffles. 

You are from Houston, for heaven's sakes. You live off your car already    If you can get a beater, or a reliable Brazilian style Mickey Mouse set of wheels, and  a  driver's license, then go for it. 

AS I understand, public transportation is a joke on those parts. 

Even if takes you to pay cab fare, for a while, If you make enough to afford it, then go for it.   

Brazilians are pansies when it comes to commuting.

Better yet.....

Stay in Macae , rent a hotel room, take a weekend, and pay a round trip to a reliable cab driver.  I meant Taxicab Driver. An old foggie cab driver with years behind the wheels.

Then take a Portuguese speaking companion with you.  Spend a day in town.  Ask the  cabbie how safe is the itinerary.   Yuk it up with RE Brokers.  Better yet, have your Brazilian companion to do so, so to avoid the possibility of being gouged.

If the route ain't Nothingham Forest, and there are no Robin Hoods waiting around the bend, you know you have licked it.   

Unless someone can justify and demonstrate this is unsafe, 15 miles is cake walk for a Texan.  Just make sure you get an econobox for wheels, and by that I mean, Mickey Mouse.  Toyota Corollas here are considered upscale cars.   

And when it comes to shop for your car, drive a Fiat Uno, a Chevy Corsa, a Chevy Onyx, a Renault Logan, a Ford KA, a Toyota Etios, a VW Fox. Just your run of mill ride Brazilians buy.   Get a stripper, no fancy doodahs, no  R$ 1000 stereos, no hot wheels.  None of that.  A Plain Jane. 

If the route is safe enough, then stay in Rio das Ostras.