Rio de Janeiro Hotels
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Looking Back at Rio
Entry 21 of 72 | show all | print this entry |
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How did I spend almost a whole month in and around Rio? I have to wonder as I motor away on the last bus of the day to Florinapolis. It is expensive in South American terms. Did it make sense to spend all that time and money there in that crazy city under God. It may not have been the smartest move fiscally for me, but it is very easy to see how it happens. Rio has an attraction that pulls people in who mean to stay for a week or two. The people you meet keep you there. The routine you fall into keeps you there. Their is too much to do in a week or two. Why not stay as long as you can and do as much as you can while you have the chance? When are you going to be able to experience again?
It takes you leaving Rio to see how it sucks you in. It seems like a city paradise with beauty sorrounding you in all terms. Stunning people and stunning scenery seem to swirl around you at all times. Living on Hostel Alley constantly causes you to meet people you met before on the road, people that you click with as though you have known them for years, friendships form. ``You can´t leave just yet.`` Wait for the Carl Cox Concert this weekend.`` There is a really fun boat trip around the bays for only 30 bucks with all day BBQ.``Don´t leave yet I want to say goodbye before you go tomorrow.`` Lets go to Emporio and chill for the night.´´ Being an easy going character who loves to go with the flow and see what happens managed to keep me in Rio longer than expected.
Being in Rio that long you start to learn about the seedy under belly that adds a nasty edge to the City of God. Prostitution, drugs, violence, massive police corruption, and nonstop street hustling and scams all are very prevelant . A perfect example of a little hustle is the Carolice BBQ run by Umberto and Ricardo. Located right by the Hostel Alley it´s a hang out for some local boys and foreigners like myself. It a cool place to meet the locals and other friendly folk. The deal is you can eat as much as you want as long as you pitch into the kitty. Which is usually anywhere from 5-10 Reis(3-5 bucks). Not to shabby for all you can eat. However ate the rate the meat comes out and is cut up into bite size pieces you may get about handful of BBQ in your belly. If you hang out long enough the drunk ones keep get hassled to put in more money. I saw this drunk Italian put in 100 Reis because Umberto, who was grilling, said 20 wasn´t enough. I was watching the corner boys counting the earnings and they made over 200 bucks for grilling 20 dollars worth of sausage and steak. This happens every night on the corner. It is smart little hustle. The local boys eat and drink for free putting aside all the extra to add to the personal funds. They also get to perve on the tourist girls who decide to join in on the BBQ. It´s really entertaining for me to stand back a bit a watch it happen.
An example of police corruption hit home hard for this Scottish traveler. While hanging out at the beach of Ipanema he was offered a small amount of cocaine. He said no, but the dealer kept pressing and gave the Scotch a price he couldn´t pass up. As soon as the exchange took place a cop walked up, hand cuffed and searched the stunned tourist as the dealer walked away. The cop told the Scotch he would be arrestted for four days, have a fine of 5,000 Reis (2500 dollars) and then be deported. The tourist asked if he could pay the fine now (bribe). The cop agreed. The cop shadowed him back to the hostel to get his credit card and continued to follow him from ATM to ATM until the tourist had gathered the daily max of 1000 Reis. He put it in a folded map and gave it to the cop. The cop smiles and said, ``Enjoy the rest of your stay in beautiful Rio.`´ , and walked off. The Scottish tourist felt releaved to have payed a cheap bribe until. Alex, the hostel manager, told him that he was set up by the cop and dealer, who recieved a small cut of the bribe, and that he should have gone down to the station to pay the true 50 Reis fine for the amount of cocaine he had purchased.
One afternoon I was walking to the Ipanama. The weather was beautiful and it was a weekend so the place was buzzing. I saw a crowd gathered in a circle on the street paralleling the beach. I heard some screams and weeping as two grown man knelt and hugged each other. I thought it was an over acting street performance until I saw the covered body and pale feet poking out from beneath it. The story of the accident goes like this. An Italian tourist was robbed by a local teenager who snatched his big silver chain around his neck. He fought with the robber and fell into the path of an oncoming bus. He was killed on impact. The robber escaped. The next day the cops raided the favela where the boy lived shooting the place up but they didn´t find the robber. Two days later the boy turned himself in after confessing to his pastor. Josy, my gracious host for parts of my stay in Rio, said that it was probably a publicity stunt by the police. That it probably not the true robber. That is how much the locals have faith in their police force.
However, all the seediness of Rio seemed to add an allure to the place for me. It added a bit of an edge to city as you walked down the streets after dark. You learned to look over your shoulder to watch the beggar who decided to follow you after you didn´t give him a coin. It kept me on my toes. Plus I was surfing consistantly at the fun beach break out front and napping under an umbrella waking up to yelling vendors and beautiful babies tanning all around me. How could I leave? But my time in Brazil is running out ,so I must move on to my long time sought after location of Florinapolis. Saying good bye to all my Rio friends I barely made the last bus out of Rio for the day to Floripa as they call it. I felt hum of tires on the road and smelled the rank scent of a bus bathroom next to my seat and smiled. I was back on the road.
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