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 Ipanema by racheljapiLeave a Comment
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I always read about these crazy scams that people think up to part tourists from their money but this is the first time one has ever happened to me.
We were walking down one of the major streets in Ipanema, but it was pouring buckets of rain for most of the morning and it was a Sunday so few people were out. A guy starts gesturing madly at my shoe, were my shoe laces untied or was I in danger of stepping in a large pile of dog crap? Nope. So I ignored him and then I looked again and where the heck did that mustard come from???? This wasn't your run of the mill yellow mustard, no this was fancy Grey Poupon mustard, right smack in the middle of my tennis shoe.
So I look at this guy, who is still gesturing at me and I notice he's got a shoe shine box and I think must be a really slow day if you're squirting mustard on tennis shoes, you see these weren't fancy white leather tennis shoes but mesh tennis shoes.
I just kept walking and eventually he went away and I found a nice big puddle on the sidewalk and a couple of hops and *poof*, the mustard was gone (don't think the mustard would enhance the taste of the shoe much anyway). Guess it could have been worse, I could have been hit by the dog crap shoe scam that I read about in Travelers Tales or it could have been yellow mustard or even worse yet, what if I had been wearing sandals?
I've also read they use mustard as a distraction and use it to part you from your wallet, my advice is to not stop, eventually they will go away Leave a Comment
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 Safety in Rio by nickyte
Take this advise: do not carry a lot of cash and be on constant watchful eye of your belongings. I would say that in Copacabana, Leblon and Ipanema, tourists are safer than anywhere else, but there is no guarantee that anywhere in Rio is the same.
Try to use your credit card as often as you could. Take note a cash advance from the bank machine or any banks can cost you hefty cash advance charges.
For cash advance I used HSBC as it carries Cirrus, Visa and Master Card, Visa Plus symbols. Local banks like Bradesco, Banco do Brasil do not entertain foreign debit and credit cards.
As much as possible use these machines daytime to avoid any temptations from muggers that lurk from the dark (although I never encountered any of this sort). Take precautions to cover your fingers when keying PIN. Keep your machine receipt and reconcile with bank statements when you arrive home from vacation. Your balance may not be available right away after withdrawal in the machine. Leave a Comment
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 Favella by hekate
Decent people live there as well but the crime rate is higher.
So if you really want to go and see the favellas better either go with a tour group (there are local tourist agencies that offer this service) or go with a local person who knows the place (of course, you should know and trust that person :)). Leave a Comment
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 Copacabana beach by tere1
Don't walk in the Copacabana interior area at night. it's a zone where robbery is usual. Be sure that you don't look like a tourist. That means not to have your camera at sight , don't use any jewels or watches. If you need a watch use a plastic one. Carry only a small amount of money and if you think you won't need your credit card leave it at the hotel.
This also apllies to the beach. Don't leave your belongings unattended. Groups of children and teenagers can appear suddenly in the beach and robb you even during daylight, so don't take with you anything valious. And the most important of all, if you ever get robbed don't offer any resistance. That's the worst thing you can do! I don't want to scare you but many people were injured or even killed because they offered resistance when they were being robbed. Leave a Comment
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Just be careful when running around Rio at night. It's easy to get lost as a tourist and there are many places that locals don't run around at night. All and all, I found Rio to be far safer then everyone says. Oh, and if you rent a car, stop lights are optional at night. Look to make sure there is no traffic (it basically becomes a yield sign) and go. A lot of car theft used to be done at stop lights at night. Leave a Comment
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 by ChrisRJ
You don't need to wear lots of jewelry, fancy watches and swinging your $500 camera loosely from your shoulder. The average monthly wage may only be between $100 - $200 so the temptation to grab that camera can be high.
Watch for the young kids walking closely behind you and just don't look like a target, same as anywhere else in the world.
When we were there the only potential situation that could have escalated into something unpleasant was at a police checkpoint near a favela on the way to Barra. (Note: The local police don't make that much money either.) Leave a Comment
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 Think You Can Make It? by ChrisRJ
About another 17 seconds go by and you're frantically pulling off your tee shirt so that you can slam it down on the sand and then stand on it, before you leave bits of your toes behind for the birds.
Then you realize what it must feel like to be stuck on a desert island, with no hope of rescue. You have only one way out. Gritting your teeth, playing hop scotch with your tee shirt, while vowing never to be such a *** again.
In Copacabana some enterprising chair rental salesmen have actually run a hose with holes in it from the sidewalk directly to their stalls. Leave a Comment
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 Walking the beach in the early
morning in Rio by nickyte
Blame it on vitriolic press reports and the movies. The controversial film City of God which earned a nomination for the best foreign film in the Oscars three years ago depicted the slums of Rio and the crimes perpetrated by the drug lords. Was it ever that scary!
It sent a wave of alarm to many tourists and quashed a multimillion dollar tourism campaign by the government of Rio to project it as a vital tourist destination.
Who are the victims? The poor people of Rio. In reality the level of crimes is nowhere different from the Bronx in New York, the underbelly of downtown LA and the ubiquitous Medellin cartel etc.. Crime is everywhere in this world and no nation should be pinpointed as the cradle of poverty and crime. Every nation, every city has its own share.
The danger that I find persistent in Rio is perhaps being hit by a car than being a victim of robbery. One evening during the carnival night I was in Ipanema at a street corner in a curve. I had my green pedestrian light when I put my foot on the pavement to cross the street, a cab just went by in front of me followed by a bus. It was just about 2 feet from me. I was confused and really found out that it was green for me and red for the passing cars. Carnival madness? Maybe, but watching your steps prior to crossing streets are your best shots. Most pedestrians do what they feel when they are in a rush and so many motorists do feel the same way oblivious of any traffic violations.
Story lines herein are truncated due to space limitations. For full coverage pls refer to the website link below. Leave a Comment
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 Stay Behind Them & They
Won't Run You Over by ChrisRJ
Personally I think that there is a secret grand prix going on that most people are unaware of. They start in the morning and whomever can complete their route in the fastest time gets all their beers bought for them by the other drivers. Leave a Comment
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