The reason, if you haven’t figured it out as yet, why the posting just stopped short is because I just came back from a life changing trip to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Now, if you have any friends who have visited Rio, talk with them right now! I was warned by the person who we (Alejandro and I) rented an apartment from (best decision ever: Lounge Six) that this trip will change our lives. I didn’t believe him or better yet I couldn’t see how 1 trip would do so much. But I am here to proclaim that he was so right. Now I do not claim to be this extensive traveler of the world twice over, but I think I am ahead of the curve on most of those my age and Rio is the most beautiful place in the world for many reasons, my reasons!
I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves, initially. Those who wish for me to go into greater detail, I will…but just try to catch a glimpse of what I saw through my lens. It doesn’t do it justice, but it will have to suffice for now or at least until you go!
In terms of the danger of Rio, it is true, but not as widespread as the media would have you believe. If you have traveled to a dangerous place before and take the same precautions you took while you were there, you will be fine. As an example, I took a lot of photos (700+, but you only see the ones I thought were the best), but I was sure to put the camera back into my pocket immediately so I wouldn’t be targeted. Nothing I wouldn’t do anywhere else I didn’t feel safe. If you are still worried, post a comment and I will see if I can refer you to a website on travel safety.
A couple tips for those who may be traveling in the near future:
1. Use Google Maps to know where you are going before you venture out. I did my due diligence and surfed the net for possible locations we may visit while down in Rio. I found their address online, saved them to my Google Maps and when we were going out I would draw a map of the cross streets if the location was a little out of the way. One time we were in a cab and told the driver to take us to Baronneti (a local night club), but he had no idea where it was. I showed him my drawing with the cross streets ( link ) and he took us to the cross street, not knowing if the club was there or not, but I trust Google Maps. Low and behold, the club was right there! Problem averted!
2. DO NOT TRAVEL WITH US CURRENCY! There are a couple of Citibank ATMs around that make taking money out so convenient and the rates are very good! There is also a branch location where you can deposit your left over Reais (Pronounced Hey-ice). One thing I wanted to do was get 100s, the ATMs would only give 50s. Another benefit to using Citibank ATMs was they gave the option of doing your transitions in ENGLISH! I went to this HSBC ATM before I knew about the Citibank ATMs and it did not give the option for English. Not good!
3. If there is nothing else you do, learn a little Portuguese. The more you know, the better your trip will be. Knowing Spanish definitely helps, whenever I didn’t know how to say something in Portuguese I would say the word in Spanish and most would get it. I definitely was doing a lot of hand motions, but I did 5 tracks from the Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese CD ( Amazon Link ) and it made a difference. Its not extensive, but it helps. So learn something…
I could fill up this page with tips, but I want you to enjoy the experience. Trust me when I say a trip to Rio De Janeiro is never a bad decision. Just listen to my travel companion Alejandro on his thoughts about Rio. This video was taken on our 3rd day, out of a 9 day trip!
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