Sao Paulo was famously bought to a grinding halt this month as the PCC criminal gang produced a startling show of strength that sent shock waves around the world. The streets were deserted for three days and this great city of over 20million inhabitants seemed like a ghost town.I have been repeatedly told that this same lack of movement will be repeated shortly but thankfully not due to any criminal activities. “Brazil during the World cup is a country that stops” every Brazilian proudly informs me. From my experience I know that Brazil is a country that literally stops, Carnival weekend in reality is a week when banks, businesses and schools are effectively out of action and I have never been in country with so many random bank holidays, often two consecutive weekends in a row. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the world cup and can only imagine the power it will hold over Brazilian society at large.

This was confirmed to me through my weekly email from the British Consulate regarding the present situation in Brazil. The information passed on is generally related to the highest dangers or most likely disruptions to life over the coming weeks. Previous alerts have been about the PCC and outbreaks of the deadly dengue fever. This month the main area of concern:

Brazilian participation in the football World Cup is likely to affect bank and business opening hours during the tournament. Public transport will also be affected. See Local Travel Section for further details.