Rua do Sol 132-3° andar, s.12

65000-100 Sao Luis - MA

BARBERS For men, a visit to a barber is one of the cheaper luxuries Brazil affords. Wherever it says " Cabeleireiro " you can treat yourself to an old-fashioned, non-automated haircut and shave, invariably with hot towel and cut-throat razor, with Brylcreem and facial massage as optional extras, for no more than a dollar or two.

CINEMA Most films shown in Brazilian cinemas are American with subtitles. These all reach Brazil very soon after they're released in the USA (and often before the UK) and entrance is very cheap. Both Rio and Sao Paulo have a good art-house cinema network; in Rio the Estacao chain, with branches in Botafogo, Catete, Flamengo and Copacabana, is especially good. If you understand Portuguese, look out for movies by two great Brazilian directors, the modernist Glauber Rocha, and the more conservative Nelson Pereira dos Santos. Also try to see the definitive film of modern Brazil, Central do Brasil (or Central Station; 1997), directed by Walter Salles.

ELECTRICITY Electricity supplies vary - sometimes 110V and sometimes 220V - so check before plugging anything in. It's a fair bet that you'll blow the fuses anyway. Plugs have two round pins.

LAUNDRY There are a few laundries in Brazil, and even the humblest hotel has a lavadeira (better but not always as cheap), who will wash and iron your clothes. Agree a price beforehand, but don't be too hard - livelihoods are at stake. Larger hotels have set prices for laundry services - usually surprisingly expensive.

LEFT LUGGAGE Most bus stations will have a guarda volume where you can leave bags. In cities it's usually a locker system, open 24 hours - there's a booth where you buy a key, and a token for every day that you want to leave things; you leave the tokens inside the locker. In smaller places it will usually be a lock-up room operated by a bus company, so check the opening hours before you leave anything. They're safe enough to leave your bags for short periods while you look for a hotel, but don't check money or anything really valuable, especially if you are leaving them for longer periods.

MUSEUMS Many museums in Brazil do not charge for admission; when they do, entrance is almost always modest, $1-2 being typical. Brazil's few museums that have the international connections, financial means and security occasionally host special touring exhibitions from abroad, and in these cases entrance charges are somewhat higher than normal. Admission prices are given in the guide only when they are above $1.

PHOTOGRAPHY Only regular 35mm 100 ASA Kodacolor or Fujicolour film is easily available in Brazil and even this is likely to be poorly kept, expensive and past its "use by" date. If you use anything else, bring it with you, or stock up in the first main city centre you get to. In the Amazon and other forests, 400 ASA film and possibly a flash and tripod will be necessary as it can be surprisingly dark. Small batteries are also hard to get hold of and will be very expensive if you find them. A polarizing filter is essential if you have an SLR camera. If possible try to keep the film at a constant temperature before and after use, and process it as soon as possible.

STUDENT CARDS An international student card, or an FIYTO youth card is well worth carrying. It will get you occasional reductions at museums and the like, but more importantly it serves as an extremely useful ID for bus drivers and hotels, saving you from having to keep your passport available at all times. Any official-looking card with a picture and number on it will serve almost as well.

TIME ZONES Brazil is large enough to have different time zones. Most of the country is three hours behind GMT, but the states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondonia, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul are four hours behind - that includes the cities of Manaus, Corumba, Rio Branco, Porto Velho, Cuiaba and Campo Grande.

TIPPING Bills usually come with ten percent taxa de servico included, in which case you don't have to tip - ten percent is about right if it is not included. Waiters and some hotel employees depend on tips, so don't be too mean. You don't have to tip taxi drivers (though they won't say no), but you are expected to tip barbers, hairdressers, shoeshine kids, self-appointed guides and porters. It's useful to keep change handy for them and for beggars.

TOILETS Public toilets are not very common and often disgusting. The words to look for are Banheiro or Sanitario : where they're marked (less often than you might hope) Cavalheiros means men, Senhoras or Damas women. It's always a good idea to carry some toilet paper with you.