Blogs from Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America
Football and Trust...
Published: May 25th 2009South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Rio de Janeiro » Tijuca
May 22nd 2009
Greetings again from Rio! I hope this email finds you all in good spirits and good health. As some of you know there is a sport here that is so closely watched, followed and played that its presence is intricately woven into the national psyche of Brazil. This is not surprising since Brazil is the only country to have won five World Cup matches (1958, '62, '70, '94 and '02). From a young age, children learn to value a football (soccer ball) and pitch skills like a hoard of Spanish gold. It seems as though any stranger can become a friend simply by donning the favored colors of one’s most followed team. The frenzy of a match can drive crazed fans to fire cups of urine, dead chickens, and beer bottles in any direction, at friend ... read more
venturing outside comfort zone
Published: March 16th 2009South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Rio de Janeiro » Tijuca
March 16th 2009
Rio De Janiero is not the safest city in the world to travel solo, of the six million people in this city, much of them are thieves. Graffiti is the art of choice and unlimited amounts of crime are evident everywhere you go so I thought I'd just stay in today, but when I woke up at 6:30am and looked outside, I thought what the hell, you only live once, just go for it! I called the front desk and booked one of their tours even though I knew it was overpriced. It was scheduled to leave at 9am so I had time for breakfast. I strolled down at 8am, stopped at the front desk to pay for the tour only to find out that since I was using a credit card a 10% surcharge applied ... read more
