A 28 years old grandfather

On top of Corcovado, Rio

Rio de Janeiro. One of the cities I wanted to see the most. But the adventure started rough and wasn't too enchanting.

The hostel I chose opened recently. They didn't let me access my room when I got in, at 7:30 AM, even if there was nobody in the room. Lack of experience.

I couldn't find a map of the city either. I was counting on them, because I couldn't get one at the airport. Like the ATM and the information desk. Missing. Or I didn't look at the right places. No map, in an unknow city, it feels a little strange.

When I finally got out to explore, I bought a bottle of water. First store, first scam. The old lady used the language barrier to shortchange me. But I was aware.

I lost a little bit of time organizing everything and determining what I wanted to do. To choose where I would go after. I decided to head to Paraty, starting tomorrow, a city right in between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. But it seems it is impossible to get a bus ticket online, in Brazil, when you don't have a brazilian social number. Damn! I will get to the station hoping they still have tickets.

Still in the cateogry "bad lucks", the lense of my small camera is scratched. It blurs some parts of my pictures. But I was counting on good old Bertha, a "bridge" I've owned for six years, I also brought with me around the world. After a sunset on Pao de Açucar (Sugarloaf), Bertha died suddenly. Useless.

I spent the morning trying to find a new camera. Because of importation fees, prices are way higher than they are in Canada. A man got to do what a man got to go. I didn't choose the best one, but I will at least be able to take pictures for the next few weeks.

In the stores of the city, it is recommended to pay cash. If not, the fees are very high. They would have charged me 40 $ more. Made it fast to the nearest ATM.

Security

Security wise, the question I get often is if it is dangerous to stroll down the streets of Rio. I admit I didn't know what to think at first. There are lots of weirdos everywhere. Homeless people are in every corner. I was paying attention to my camera to make sure I was safe (had I know it was about to break...)

On the first night, after a walk on Ipanema beach and a late dinner in Copacabana area, I went back with the metro, then walking, after 11 PM. No problem. Women could walk alone late at night. There was no danger at all.

Of course there is the favelas, those poor areas with small houses pilled up on one another. They are known for poverty, robbers and dealers. Gun shots can be heard there. It is not advised to go there on your own.

The truth is, since they got the 2016 Olympics in Rio, police officers are everywhere in the favelas. They started a big clean up. But people from other gangs are trying to take advantage of the other dealers to get their territory. Not a good idea to be there alone.

So I went on a tour with a company called Don't be a gringo, be a local. I felt no danger at all. Part of the profits of the tour are going to take care of the kids between 0 and 4 years old in Rocinha favela. The guides know everybody in there.

I rode a scooter to get on top of the favela, than visited local artists studios, a bakery... When you know most favelas citizens have big families and they start having children between 12 and 14 years old, it makes you think. There was even a man who was a grandfather twice... and he was only 28 years old.

Tourism

Rio is magnificient. We know about Corcovado, the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf. In the first case, it is recommended to buy a train ticket to go up the mountain as much as possible. Even if you need to come back later to get on it. In our case, we would have had to wait for three hours because we hadn't book anything. We chose to go up with a bus.

On top, the crowd left little room to see the landscape. But it is worth it to climb up there. Especially towards the end of the day, to see the sunset and the night view.

To get to the top of Sugarloaf, the best way to avoid the line for the first lift is to climb the Urca hill by foot. But it takes a little effort. A good one even. The view from the top will be your reward.

And there is the famous beaches like Ipanema and Copacabana, where the speedo and the string are proudly worn. For people of all sizes... Even in winter, with temperatures around 30 Celsius, beaches are full of people.

The Brazilian themselves are like the French : the less sympathetic you are, the more chances you have of working in the tourism industry. At almost every counter where you can buy tickets, they make a mad face like they hate us.

Brazlian are also like Chinese, in that sense where it is better not to say the opposite of what they told you. It is like that because it is like that. That's what happened with that post office guy who kept answering the same way when I asked for stamps. "No stamps" he says.

Where can I buy stamps? "No stamps!"

Ok listen. I want to send letters. How do I do? "No stamps."

It is because here, they print the "stamp" on the envelope. But this guy could have just understood that I wanted to send letters and do whatever he needs to do instead of getting stuck on the stamps matter... 

Same for that woman in the metro, who refused the exact change I was giving her to buy a ticket. I think she wanted to get rid of her coins.

See, that's what it does when I spend some days without writing. You're stuck reading a whole novel...