She Tales # 3 - Rio de Janeiro
I believe in the travel writing business that puff pieces are very readable and certainly the most popular. What you are about to read is obviously just two people’s experience from seven days in Rio de Janeiro. I would like to add that we actually extended our stay here in an attempt to connect with this city, but I regret to say that we would probably not go back to visit Rio in the future.

For those of you out there who love to PARTY, and you know who you are, Rio is a place for you. Clubs open around Ten o’clock and stay open well past dawn. There is no shortage of clubs, so if you do not like the look or feel of one club you can move to another easily. Women should not carry a purse or wear jewelry, and men should keep as little of value on yourself as possible as there were several muggings a night here to both tourists and locals alike. All of the hotels have guards with strict warnings not to walk around the city at night. Even if just walking home from a late dinner, take a taxi. After dark, stay off the beach. Of course, there are thousands of people who never get mugged walking around Rio at night. We walked around late at night to get back to our hotel from the Internet Café or dinner every night, until we met some local craftsmen who set us straight. We were only one mile from the Hotel and had walked it the prior five nights, but they insisted on putting us in a taxi, and paid for it themselves, insisting how dangerous is was to walk due to the thieves. Two weeks after we left Rio, just before Carnival (2003), the drug cartels took over the city in an effort to stop Carnival and in a coup attempt to take over Rio. The criminals boarded buses, poured gasoline on the bus and its passengers, and lit them on fire. They looted the stores and told owners if they attempted to reopen they would burn the stores down. Rio is not a safe city.

A Brazilian taxi driver kidnapped us. We picked him up near downtown and showed him our hotel on the map. He did not take us there and instead took us on a city tour in Portuguese. We asked to go to the hotel again, he refused. We told him that Christopher was sick to his stomach, but he pulled out some antacids from his glove compartment and kept going. We finally asked him to take us to the famous Christ the Redeemer statue because we knew there would be a lot of people there and it would be a safe place for us to get out. He went 50 MPH up winding streets that should be driven at 20 mph and then tried to severely over charge us. Christopher paid him what we thought was fair, the guy started yelling and Chris went over to find a policeman, than the cabby sped off back down the mountain.


The streets of Ipanema, Copacabana and the city of Rio de Janeiro are not welcoming. Practically every building in these high-rent districts near the beach has high steel gates and guards to protect against intruders. There is a big class distinction here due to the distressed economic situation and lack of education to the poorer people, which leads to the lack of jobs. So, the “have nots” are sometimes trying to steal from the “haves.” The streets are dirty, littered with garbage, and even though it had just rained hard here for 4 days the smell of urine still drifts through the warm air. It would apparently need to rain bleach here to kill the smell. People walking their dogs allow their pets to stop in the street and then do not scoop. On the way back from dinner last night there were men smoking pot out on the public sidewalk, and in midday in plain view of everyone, young boys and men relieve themselves in bushes, trees and soil in public plazas on the main esplanade. I just could not get a warm feeling about this place.


The streets of Rio were another disaster. Imagine a narrow one-way street only big enough for one parked car lane and one driving lane - then add locals, tourists, cabs and Mario Andretti bus drivers - and you have a potentially dangerous situation. I watched from the outside corner of an open-air café, as a cab stopped to pick up a fare across the street. The cab’s rear end stuck out a bit into the intersection, a speeding bus about 200 feet away started honking, but not slowing down. The bus honked again, still the taxi did not inch forward, and then the bus came, careening into the intersection, and swiftly swerved to the miss the taxi by inches. Pedestrians beware; these Mercedes Benz busses are hurling giants. They are typically driven extremely fast, some exceeding 50 miles per hour zooming down long narrow streets, and unfortunately safety does not seem to be important. The next day Topher and I watched in the crowded city as a speeding bus took a corner nearly on 2 wheels and almost turned on its side.

High above the crowded streets and favalas of Rio de Janeiro, over 2,130 feet above the city, rises the Sacred Christ the Redeemer Statue. This reverent icon guards Rio with his outstretched arms high atop Mt Corcovado, part of the Tijuca National Park, and from the statue’s base you are witness to both the 90 foot work of art and fabulous panoramic views of the city, the beaches, the sea and the mountains. Somedays you will find yourself with Jesus in the clouds and it looks as though he is floating over the city. Although you find yourself with a giant Jesus, you also find yourself with hundreds of other tourists. It was not the spiritual experience I had anticipated. Although you’re in the clouds and understand the devotion that went in to its construction, and what the statue means to the Brazilians and countless other Christians, it was just too crowded to feel much of anything. We attempted a second visit later in the day hoping the tour buses would be gone in an effort to avoid the crowds, but to no avail. This time is was sweltering hot and throngs of visitors crowded around to take pictures, many mocking the Jesus by putting their arms out the same way to their sides. The first time I saw some young kids doing it I thought it was cute, but then I noticed dozens mimickers and it struck me as almost anti-religious.

The Sugar Loaf Mountains are also very pretty. You ascended to the top of the mountain by a cable car that dangles thousands of feet above the city. The ride was surprisingly smooth and the views were fantastic.

The weekend beach experience is a must - from the look of inhabitants of this region, they live for the beach.
Half naked bodies, towels and beach umbrellas covered the entire five-mile stretch of white sand beach on the Copacabana coast. This is a site to behold, all different sizes, shapes and colors of people and umbrellas. It was wonderful to see the confidence that some people have, for sunbathing among the beautiful “Hollywood” types for example were pregnant looking men in Speedo’s and chubby women in string bikinis. Nobody looked twice at anybody else, as it should be. I think they might have a better idea of what a beautiful body might be down here in Rio. We climbed up a small retaining wall near one end of the beach to take a picture and truly there was no place left to see much beach, just a mass of humanity enjoying some fun in the sand and surf.

If partying all night and sleeping all day is not your bag, this may not be the place for you, unless you are a soccer fan - then go during soccer season, and try to catch some games. Brazilians are passionate about soccer. There is not much to see during the day except for the Sugar loaf Mountains and the Christ the redeemer statue. We went to the National Museum, which was filled with poor reproductions, and we tried to tour some of the municipal buildings, but you must have an appointment. Which means you must find a number to call and, of course, speak Portuguese. The Tour Company in town has giant buses and it picks up and drops off everyone individually, so you waste hours on the overpriced tours. Rio de Janeiro remains a popular tourist destination, I wonder if it is because some people do not know what to expect.