AboutKen Rapoza Cruz Expertise I can help would be travelers find places to go, help them decide whether or not they should book tour packages in their home country or wait til they arrive in Brazil, and other relevant info about the country and its travel amenities. General questions about Brazil and living in Brazil.
Experience Ken Rapoza is a former contributing editor at International Living, a monthly magazine about travel and real estate. Rapoza has also given speeches about Brazil travel and real estate offerings at Int'l Living conferences in the US. He now covers Brazil for a major U.S. news agency in New York City. He lives in Sao Paulo.
Publications International Living, The Boston Globe, The Sun Sentinel, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal and many others.
Education/Credentials BA -- Antioch College
MFA -- Vermont College
Question My husband and I are coming to Santarem in January 2007 with two other couples aboard the Regal Princess. We are interested in hiring a private tour guide to show us the sights while we are there for a day. Do you know of any one that we can contact to do such? I have tried sending e-mails to Santarem Turs, but he does not answer. I have heard he does great tours, but I cannot seem to contact him. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Lu
Answer What type of tour? A nature tour, or tours in general?
If nature, I would suggest you contact Douglas Trent at Focus Tours at http://www.focustours.com/ (505) 989-7193. Tell him Ken Rapoza of The Sun Sentinel in Florida sent you. He will know who I am. If he cannot do it (he is pricey), then he can find someone for you. Now, if you are interested in something more general, then Id suggest you contact Bill Hinchberger at BrazilMax...www.brazilmax.com...and he can point you in the right direction. Tell himi I sent you. Just tell him Ken Rapoza...he knows me well.
Santarem huh? Thats a small port on the Amazon and controversial too. Greeenpeace shut it down in May, saying Cargill was shipping out soy grown in illegally deforested areas. Led to Brazil soy industry to ban purchasing of soy from newly deforested Amazon region farms of which Para state is certainly a part.
In January you should be prepared to sweat. It will be hot, and possibly rainy.
