Activities organised for Wednesday, 10 October   

A visit to the Center for Weather Forecast and Climatic Studies (CPTEC), is organised to take place on Wednesday, 10 October. CPTEC is part of INPE, but it is situated in Cachoeira Paulista, a city located about one and a half hours trip from São José dos Campos.
After visiting CPTEC we will have lunch in a restaurant called "Recanto do Bosque". The restaurant is set in a nice open area, where we can relax for a few hours and enjoy the outdoors.The restaurant will open for our group only, so we will take this opportunity to do some "group work" in the early afternoon, enjoying a relaxing "out of the office environment". Please, make sure you wear (or bring with you) some comfortable clothes and shoes. Suncream and a hat are advisable if you want to go for a little walk.
Lunch at "Recanto do Bosque" will be sponsored by EUMETSAT.


Tea/Coffee Breaks and Lunches   

Tea/coffee breaks will be kindly provided by the Local Organisers and will be taking place mid morning and mid afternoon.
Lunches will need to be paid by each participant. We will be using INPE's staff restaurant and so, will be taking advantage of lower prices compared to restaurants off-site. Meals are served in a buffet style and paid by weight. Participants should expect to pay approximately R$15 to R$20 (depending on the full weight of their food choices).


Social Events   

There are two social events planned to take place during the VLMG-6 meeting:

  • Ice Breaker - Monday, 8 October, 18:30
  • Conference Dinner - Tuesday, 9 October, 18:30

Both social events will take place inside INPE's premises, so we can just have a little walk together from the meeting room to the space we will be using for these events. As the place is quite open, it would be advisable to have some insect repellent with you to keep any unpleasant mosquitoes at bay. Transport from INPE to the hotels will be provided after the social events.


Health Advice   

The rainy season in the South of Brazil runs from November to March, but due to high humidity and the elevated temperatures already seen in October, it is common for the number of dengue cases to increase. There is no vaccine to prevent dengue. You can reduce the risk of infection by taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites such as using insect repellents, wearing appropriate clothing to cover up - such as long sleeve tops and trousers.


Insurance

It is recommended that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.


Currency

The official Brazilian currency is the Real. The currency sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. Real is subdivided into 100 centavos ("hundredths").

In Brazil banks are open Monday to Friday only (from 10:00 to 16:00). There are ATMs in the Shopping Colinas (about 5 minutes walk from the hotels) and also at INPE. You are advised not to carry large sums of money with you.

Credit cards are usualy accepted in most shops and restaurants. 


Power Supply

The power voltage in São José dos Campos is 220 volts, and frequency is 60 Hz. Brazil is standardising the electrical sockets to accept Type N outlets (see picture below), but you will still find a lot of sockets based on the various old standards (e.g. Types A, B and C).



Internet Access

Wireless Internet Access will be available in the meeting room at INPE. Participants will be provided with guest accounts and passwords on the first day of the meeting.


Time Zone

The standard time zone in Brazil (São Paulo state) is UTC/GMT - 3 hours. If you are staying longer in Brazil, be aware that the Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts on midnight between Saturday, October 20 2012 and Sunday, October 21 2012 local standard time.


Weather in São José dos Campos in October

Temperatures in October typically range from 25 to 28°C (77 to 82°F) during the day, and 14 to 16°C (57 to 61°F) at night. Rainfall during early evening is expected during this time of the year. 

Last modified: Tuesday, 16 October 2012, 10:56 PM