One is truly a city to avoid. But bring your wits with (and leave the jewelry and flowered shirts behind), and you’ll find the other much safer one the `Cidade Maravilosa’-a marvelous city intoxicating in its beauty and outrageous with its charms.
Sometimes, it seems as if there are two Rios.
One is the mecca of sand, sex and samba that for decades has lured tourists from all over the globe and sent them home sunburned and satiated. Its Carnival, which this year is Feb. 18-21, is justifiably world famous. As any resident, or carioca, would tell you, it is truly the “Cidade Maravilosa,” or marvelous city.
Yet the other Rio is more sinister, a seedy den of thieves. An average of 20 people a day are killed in Rio, while nearly a dozen people are kidnapped each month. One prominent newspaper has dubbed it “Brazil’s sickest city.”
It’s stories and statistics like those that in recent years have scared hundreds of thousands of tourists away from the city. International tourism has been cut by nearly half, to about 500,000 visitors a year, and most Americans who visit Brazil either skip Rio entirely or use it as a jumping-off point for other destinations such as Salvador, the Amazon, Recife or the Pantanal swamp.
Fewer and fewer international flights head directly to Rio–most stop first in Sao Paulo, South America’s largest city.
And that’s a pity. Although most businesses have forsaken Rio for Sao Paulo, and the government moved to the ultramodern capital of Brasilia more than 35 years ago, Rio remains the heart and soul of Brazil, a tropical cocktail that is as intoxicating as it is beautiful.
The danger? Well, it’s there. Yet it is not so prevalent as you might think, and with the help of a map and a little explanation, you’ll come to understand that for a tourist, Rio is as safe as any other big city in Latin America. Just be sure to bring your wits with you.
To begin with, most violence in Rio takes place in areas a typical tourist never sees, except during the cab ride in from Galeao International Airport.
Rio can be divided into three regions: The Zona Sul, or South Zone, land of beaches, boutiques and high-rise hotels; the Zona Norte, or North Zone, a working-class area pockmarked with several violent neighborhoods; and the Baixada Fluminense, or Alluvial Lowlands, an even poorer inland region of slums.
Perhaps 80 percent of the violent crime in Rio occurs in the Baixada and Zona Norte, mostly in hillside shantytowns known as favelas. As many as a quarter of the metropolitan area’s 11 million residents live in favelas, which frequently are run by drug gangs.
There are several favelas in the South Zone as well, most notably Rocinha, a giant complex of shacks near the fashionable Sao Conrado neighborhood. With more than 250,000 residents, Rocinha is said to be the largest slum in South America.
But unless they’re on a guided tour, no tourist will enter a favela while in Rio, unless they’re incredibly lost or incredibly foolish. Just as you wouldn’t walk through some of Chicago’s neighborhoods, you shouldn’t plan to walk in some of Rio’s. And that will take care of 90 percent of the crime problem for tourists.
Most visitors spend their days in the Zona Sul, home to the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, as well as the fashionable neighborhoods named for them. In these areas, violent crime isn’t unknown, but holdups and pickpocketings are more common.
“Yeah, there’s crime in Rio, but is the typical tourist going to feel it? No,” says Adam Carter, head of the Fairfield, Conn.-based Brazil Nuts travel agency. “When people come down here, they usually come back saying, `Hey, what’s the problem?’ “
In 1994, for example, Carter sent about 1,200 tourists to Rio. Only three reported problems: two pickpocketings and one mugging.
“That’s not good, but if you compare it against Paris, Rome, Milan . . .” Carter said.
Carter and other tourism officials believe that much of Rio’s problem stems from two issues: a plethora of news stories reporting on Rio’s ills, and a lack of offsetting publicity by the city to show that, for the tourist, Rio is safe.
“You have destinations in the world with much higher levels of (tourist) crime, but because of their magnificent PR, it’s overcome,” says Carter, pointing to Acapulco, Jamaica and St. Thomas, among others.
That’s a common refrain among the city’s hotel owners, who have suffered huge losses as tourists continue to avoid the city. Occupancy rates dropped as low as 55 percent in the early 1990s and have crept up by about 10 percent.
“Very few (tourists) actually do have problems,” said Philip S. Carruthers, general manager of the Copacabana Palace hotel and a vice president of Rio’s Association of Tourism Hotels. “It’s mostly petty theft, pickpockets or being approached by teenagers or street children with the threat of aggression.”
In recent years, the city has begun beefing up patrols in tourist areas. A special tourist police station has opened, and each weekend more than 100 police officers dressed in white hats, shorts, sandals and a T-shirt that reads “I watch out for you” prowl the beaches.
Officials say crimes reported by tourists have dropped to about 20 a month. (Before records were kept in 1992, officials say the crime rate was as high as 20 incidents a weekend). The rate does go up during busy periods like Carnival, when pickpockets take advantage of the huge crowds and general jostling.
And the U.S. State Department, while still saying tourist crime is “very serious,” agrees that it has gone down since the inauguration of the special tourist police.
One personal note: After living in Rio for more than a year, we have had almost no problems with crime. One of us was mugged while walking alone through a tunnel–not a good idea. Even so, the two teenagers flashed no weapons and took only a cheap plastic watch.
By contrast, a pickpocket nearly got one of us after less than 48 hours in Lima, Peru, and there was a similar run-in with a street urchin waving a knife in Bogota, Colombia.
Still, there are several things a tourist can–and should–do to avoid problems.
First: You’re not in Honolulu. Leave the flowered shirts at home, as they’re a dead giveaway that you don’t belong. Instead, try dressing like a local: T-shirts (NOT the type that say, “I (heart) Rio”), shorts or jeans and flip-flops. Cariocas are known for being informal; only a handful of restaurants have dress codes.
Next: If you walk around with a Nikon dangling from your neck or gold jewelry dripping from every digit, you’re asking for trouble. Keep the cameras out of sight until you’re ready to take a picture. And leave the jewelry at home.
Be especially careful on the beach. Too many tourists bring everything–cameras, wallets, rolls of money–and wonder why it all disappears when they go for a quick swim. Do what the cariocas do: Wad up a few bills–enough for a couple of cold drinks–and tuck them into your swimsuit. Leave the rest at your hotel or in its safe.
Follow the advice of your hotel’s staff about where to go and which areas are safe for walking about. When in doubt, take a taxi (many five-star hotels have special, though expensive, taxis complete with English-speaking drivers).
Finally: Don’t yap constantly in English. Keep your wits about you; some thieves will try to distract you by talking to you while a companion makes off with your bags.
Now that you know what not to do, here are a few suggestions on what to do while in Rio.
Unlike most of the world’s great cities, Rio is not a dream destination for the checklist traveler–the type of person who will arrive with a list of 20 things to see and considers the trip a failure if he doesn’t visit at least 19 of them.
Instead, Rio is all about atmosphere and experience. It’s a city to savor, not guzzle.
Rio is walking along Avenida Atlantica, the Copacabana neighborhood’s beachfront boulevard, on a Sunday when the road is closed to traffic and cariocas push prams and tool about on their bicycles and inline skates.
It’s Ipanema beach on a Saturday afternoon where you can scorch yourself under a blazing sun while wondering just how tiny a swimsuit can be.
It’s sitting at the Garota da Ipanema, the open-air bar where Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes wrote the immortal song, “The Girl From Ipanema,” and downing an ice-cold chopp, or draft beer, as they might have done 30 years ago.
It’s stopping at a beachfront kiosk for a frosty green coconut, slurping down the addictively sweet juice inside and watching the setting sun turn the Atlantic Ocean into an outrageous kaleidoscope of color.
It is Carnival, and everything it stands for.
And, more than anything else, Rio is a state of mind. A perfect way to start is to ascend Corcovado, a peak on which the 98-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer spreads his arms as a blessing over the city. It’s a regular stop on most city tours, but there are other ways of getting to the summit, 2,180 feet above sea level.
Some visitors take a cab, which can cost as much as $60 round trip. But it’s easier–and more fun–to take a train, which leaves about every half-hour from the station at 513 Rua Cosme Velho.
As you climb, the train passes through the Tijuca Forest, one of the last pieces of the Atlantic rain forest that once blanketed much of the area. You’ll see spectacular views of the city, and, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a sloth or monkey dangling from the trees.
The other must-stop is Sugar Loaf Mountain, a 1,300-foot granite cone at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. To get to that summit, visitors take two cable cars: first to the top of the neighboring Morro da Urca, which has plenty of souvenir shops, snack bars and a sit-down restaurant, and then to the top of Sugar Loaf itself.
(More adventurous travelers can even climb Sugar Loaf; there are several routes, ranging from the fairly easy to the nearly vertical. If you’re interested, contact one of Rio’s climbing clubs such as Centro Excursionista Brasileiro at 011-55-21-262-6360.)
Once at the top, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of the city, the bay and the city of Niteroi, across the bay from Rio. And as a side benefit, Sugar Loaf and Corcovado enjoy cool breezes year-round, providing welcome relief from temperatures that can top 100 degrees in January and February, the height of the Brazilian summer.
After visiting those two landmarks, what to do is all up to you.
If you’re an adventurous sort, head to the Sao Conrado area for what must be one of the world’s most scenic hang-gliding rides. For about $60, one of the pilots who hang out on the beach will strap you into his wings for a 5- to 10-minute tandem ride down from the imposing Pedra Bonita (“pretty rock”) that towers over the beach landing strip.
As the pilots will tell you, they’ve taken people from 4 years old up to 80. The only requirement is you be under 180 pounds and able to run off a mountain. They’ll test you on that last part with a few practice runs.
Those seeking adventure of a different sort can walk along beachfront Avenida Atlantica in Copacabana after midnight on Friday or Saturday to peek at the city’s transvestite nightlife. For a few bucks you can see one of the numerous transvestite shows along the avenue, but it’s just as fun to stroll along and try to guess which of the gorgeous ladies preening along the sidewalk shaves her face as well as her legs.
For the more retiring types, a real treat is tea at Colombo, Rua Goncalves Dias 32, a 100-year-old continental cafe full of dark polished wood and glass cabinetry set in Rio’s downtown. Go on a weekday, as the downtown is deserted on weekends.
While you’re downtown, you also can spend a few hours delving into the city’s fascinating history. The downtown area, especially around Praca XV de Novembro (15th of November Square), is filled with historic buildings dating back to the days when Rio was Brazil’s capital, including the old Imperial Palace and some spectacular churches.
The Candelaria Church, now infamous as the site of the massacre of eight street children in 1993, also is a short walk away.
Slightly more distant but worth the walk is Sao Bento, Rua Dom Gerardo 68, an old monastery with a gasp-provoking gilded chapel.
And on the way back to your hotel, ask the cabbie to stop and let you take a peek at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Gloria, a historic little church that towers over the Gloria neighborhood.
For another hugely enjoyable immersion in Brazilian culture, visit the Edson Carneiro Folklore Museum, Rua do Catete 179 in Rio’s Catete neighborhood and just a few doors down from the much better known Museum of the Republic, Rua do Catete 153.
The museum features an exquisite selection of the artwork and craft of Brazil, from elaborate costumes celebrating Carnival and religions such as the Afro-Brasilian candomble to humorous ceramic miniatures of everyday Brazilian life.
Best of all, the little-known museum is free.
Another fine cultural immersion is a visit to one of the city’s daily fruit and vegetable markets, particularly the Copacabana market on Wednesday mornings (near the corner of Rua Santa Clara and Rua Domingos Ferreira). Take in piles of passion fruit, heaps of limes, fresh coconuts processed to your liking.
Prices are posted, so the buying’s easy too–no need to haggle if you don’t want to try.
For souvenirs, try the Hippie Fair every Sunday in Ipanema at Praca General Osorio (just tell the cabbie, “Feira Hippie”). Here, you can buy jewelry, leather goods, handmade lace, some good and not-so-good art, and nice T-shirts (including one that says, “I left my heart in Rio . . . also my watch, wallet, camera, ring”).
The prices are fairly reasonable and negotiable. Most vendors know at least a few words of English.
Sports fans shouldn’t miss a trip to the giant Maracana soccer stadium, which has wedged in more than 200,000 fans. Games normally are held on Sunday afternoons, and hotels can arrange for tickets. A small museum within the stadium is also worth visiting for memorabilia of the great Pele and other stars.
Of course, the ultimate form of cultural immersion in Rio is a trip to the beach. But first you should buy yourself a new swimsuit, as the one you’ve brought is entirely too big.
Beach life in Rio is divided into communities centered on each of the numbered postos set at intervals along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Posto 9, on Ipanema, for instance, is reserved for the hip artist set. Other postos cater to the gay community, surfers or yuppies. Ask at your hotel for a recommendation for the one that suits you.
It might be worth hiring a driver for a day to take you to some of Rio’s more remote beaches–Barra, Recreio, Grumari. There are fewer crowds, especially on weekdays, and the further you get from Rio, the cleaner the water.
Barra, about a $15 cab ride from Copacabana, is rapidly becoming the condo capital of Brazil. But keep an eye peeled–it’s the beach where Romario, the world’s best soccer player, likes to hang out.
The beach is also a fine place to take in one of Rio’s frequent free public concerts. Check the newspapers and, of course, keep an eye on stage construction on the beach–something going up near your hotel is a sure sign of a concert ahead.
The newspapers also are a good place to check out the paid concert scene in Rio. Tickets are often pricey ($40 and up), but music is essential to the Rio experience and shouldn’t be missed.
DETAILS ON RIO DE JANEIRO
Getting there: Several airlines serve Rio from the U.S., including United, American and Varig Brazilian Airlines. Most flights leave from Miami, New York or Atlanta and have a one-hour stopover in Sao Paulo. Flight time is about 8 hours from Miami. Prices vary by time of year; Carnival is especially pricey. One recent round-trip ticket from Miami cost $1,148 on four separate airlines.
Getting around: Do not rent a car in Rio in any situation, at any price. Cariocas (locals) are notoriously crazy drivers, and street signs are no help to visitors unless they understand Portuguese. Even then, they’re not much help.
Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap, and there are special airport taxis that will deliver you to your hotel for a set price (around $38 to the Copacabana neighborhood, for example). Make sure the taxi driver uses the meter; he’s entitled to set it at a higher rate on Sundays, holidays and late at night.
Language: Uniquely in South America, Brazilians speak Portuguese. It’s worth investing in a phrase book before arriving. Spanish can get you only so far; the Brazilians will probably understand you, but you won’t understand them. English is widely spoken at better hotels and restaurants, and some taxi drivers might know a few words.
Currency: Brazil inaugurated a new currency, the real, in 1994. While it’s cured hyperinflation, it’s also made Rio less of a bargain than it used to be. A recent survey said Rio is now a more expensive city than New York or London. It’s hard to eat out for less than $15 a person. Still, Rio’s worth it.
Lodging: Brazilian hotels are rated by Embratur, the national tourist board, from one to five stars. Most Americans will feel most at home in a five- or four-star hotel, where safety is also likely to be better. (To dial Rio direct from the United States, add 011-55-21 to the following numbers.)
Some of the best beachfront hotels include the Sheraton (274-1122), just south of Ipanema; the Inter-Continental (322-2200), in the chic Sao Conrado neighborhood; the Caesar Park (525-2525), in Ipanema; and the Rio Palace (521-3232), Copacabana Palace (255-7070) and Meridien (275-9722), all in Copacabana. (If calling from the United States, add 011-55-21 to all numbers listed here.)
All are expensive ($180 a night or more), but sometimes offer special deals at slow times of the year or as part of a package. It pays to call around.
For travelers on a budget, the three-star Novo Mundo (205-3355) in Flamengo is a good choice ($100 a night for a double during Carnival, about $80 at other times), though it’s a bit of a hike from the best beaches.
Tours: Can be arranged through hotels. Most offer English-speaking guides. Brazil Nuts (511-3636) can arrange packages as well.
Walking tours: For a guided walking tour of downtown Rio or other specialized walking tours, contact Professor Carlos Roquette, who conducts walks in English, French and Portuguese at about $10 per person per hour. Telephone 322-4872 or 237-3031; fax 237-4774.
Souvenirs: Pe de Boi, Rua Ipiranga 55, Laranjeirasm offers the best traditional fine art and crafts from throughout Brazil. O Sol, on Rua Von Martius in the Jardim Botanico neighborhood, also has excellent crafts. For traditional souvenirs try the Hippie Fair or the shops along Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, close to the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
Hang gliding: A recommended pilot is Paulao (Big Paul), an English speaker who has a remote control camera mounted on his wing to document your big flight. Call ahead or ask for him at Pepino beach in Sao Conrado. Cellular phone 984-5643; home 322-2115.
Accessibility: A mixed bag. Most better hotels have handicapped access, and there are even curb cuts in some areas of the city. Still, many of the city’s sidewalks are rutted and potholed.
Only a few tourist sites have handicapped access; Corcovado mountain, which includes a long climb to the summit, is not one of them.
TDD devices for the hearing impaired are virtually nonexistent.
Tourist police: Rio has a special tourist police station on Avenida Afranio de Melo Franco in Leblon, near the Scala nightclub (511-5112 or 511-5767). English is spoken.
U.S. Consulate: Avenida Presidente Wilson 147, phone 292-7117.
Visas: U.S. citizens must apply for tourist visas, which are good for five years. The Chicago consulate is at 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3050, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Applicants must provide their passport, a photo and a copy of their round-trip ticket or itinerary. Approval generally takes about 24 hours. For more information, call 312-464-0244.
Tourist information: Available from consulate and many travel agencies.
