Places to avoid in Brazil?

Question

So a friend of mine is going to Brazil for a week.They're wondering what places they should avoid in Brazil, and what they should avoid doing(like not renting a car, not wearing jewelry etc...) thanks for the help.They basically want to remain safe.=)

Answer 1

Places to Avoid in Rio

Please ignore her 14 places

Top 14 Places to Visit in Rio de Janeiro

by Alexandre Raposo







Rio de Janeiro - Editors note: A true carioca, writer and journalist Alexandre Raposo has a sense of humor about his native Rio de Janeiro.

1. MANGUEIRA HILL BY NIGHT: Besides the pagode, don’t miss the stray bullets show. Too bad that Dona Zica has passed away because her feijoada was a blast.

2. AN OUTING TO VILAR DOS TELES: The state’s dengue breeding hotspot. Worth a visit. The clouds of mosquitoes form marvelous abstract patterns in the putrid air.

3. AN AFTERNOON IN BANGU: When the thermometers hit 40 degrees centigrade elsewhere, it’s 55 in Bangu. If you’re an astronaut, you can start training for the first manned-expedition to Mercury. If you’re lucky, you can view a spectacular escape from the world’s most vulnerable maximum-security prison.

4. THE SIDEWALK IN THE GLÓRIA DISTRICT: If you’re a switch-hitter, this is the place. Bilingual transvestites. Complimentary rubbers.

5. DOWNTOWN: The street vendor riots are spectacular, comparable, perhaps, to the Salmon runs in the Yukon. Total gonzo. Everybody slugging it out. Make an appointment with the civil defense corps to request a custom police raid.

6. THE YELLOW AND RED LINES: Remember those old Westerns? Right. On these two expressways, you can relive that scene where the stagecoach gets attacked by a band of wild and bloodthirsty Indians. Bulletproof car required.

7. THE TRAIN FROM CENTRAL STATION: Radical tourism at its best! Com visit the Baixada Fluminense suburbs in a train jammed with smelly and underpaid people. The final stop is in Vasconcelos, but if you make it alive as far as Coelho Neto, you win a special prize – a chance to dispute a train surfing championship with the locals.

8. ANY POLICE STATION: Do you like to watch violent and shocking scenes? Forget those dumb karate movies. The Rio police stations have the real thing. As the cops like to say, “This is where a child cries and not even his mother hears.”

9. THE STATE ASSEMBLY: A natural monument of humanity. The world’s largest protected area for corrupt bums and jerks. Worth checking out.

10. PORRINHA ON THE RIO-NITERÓI FERRY – For those who want a crash course in carioca hustling. At the entrance to the ferries, there’s always a nice guy who suggests to some unsuspecting knave “a game of porrinha to pass the time.” [Porrinha is a game of chance whereby players hide a certain number of objects in one hand as each player tries to guess the total number in all hands.] Other nice guys gather around, but in fact they’re in cahoots with the first guy. If he’s lucky, the victim gets away with the clothes on his back after being cleaned out by the gang. In the worst case scenario, he’s thrown into Guanabara Bay and has to swim back to shore.

11. THE “NICKEL TRAP” SLOT MACHINES: In any corner bar, anytime of the day, it is really cool to watch useless bums who crowd around the Paraguayan slot machines that have infested the Cidade Maravilhosa. If you’re patient, you can have a great time because fights always break out – either among the gamblers themselves or between them and the owner of the bar over the coins swallowed by the machine. The noise is unbearable, but the laughs are worth the trouble.

12. STREET CARNIVAL: In times gone by, this party was pretty lame, with organized bands playing Carnival marches, costumed revelers, confetti, streamers, and lança-perfume (squirt bottles of perfumed ether). Today, thanks to social and technological evolution, street Carnival consists of sweaty men with no shirts (and sweaty women with no shame) seated on folding chairs at folding tables, eating barbecued tidbits sold by street vendors, drinking warm beer from plastic cups, listening to pagode blasted at ear-shattering levels from a loudspeaker, and observing, “Boy, that Nelson Pagodinho really is a great musician!”

13. THE CENTRAL STATION RESTROOMS: For those who want the real thing. There’s a little of everything, much of it from the guy who sells toilet paper by the meter and rancid ham. After 10 p.m., it is no man’s land. The place becomes the world’s biggest bordello. I know a rather unorthodox journalist who, after Friday happy hour, goes there to relax and have a nightcap from the hose.

14. FUNK PARTY: A high risk area for gringos, tourists and sympathizers. Akin to eating fugu in Liberdade, the Japanese district of São Paulo, prepared by a chef from Ceará after he’s thrown back a few too many sake caipirinhas. Nevertheless, if you find a good disguise and manage to survive the experience, you’ll be able to say you’ve been to h**l and back. Make sure to memorize the lyrics to the newest hit: "pocotó-pocotó-pocotó, minha eguinha pocotó. Lacraia!"

From the great web site :Www.brazilmax.com

Answer 2

One thing I would recommend is to meet local people. Even if you do look like a tourist, you'll be a lot less vulnerable if you are walking with a Brazilian. Brazilians are very friendly and they love to meet Americans, Brits etc. I would get on an online community such as orkut: www.orkut.com and try and meet some Brazilians with similar interests as you. Or you can also meet Americans that live there and will know the ins and outs. I would suggest that if they do meet Brazilians, try and meet at least 2 or 3 (a plan B and C) because most Brazilians tend to be pretty flakey, even if they seem really nice, they might keep you waiting for 2 hours if you decide to meet them somewhere.

Answer 3

For a lady, I would advise not to wear anything that look flashy like diamond rings, or pearls. Go naked on the accessories. And wear simple attire no fancy or eye-catching.

It depends where you go to in Brazil. I think it is more unsafe for me to be in NYC or Detroit than in Rio or Sao Paulo. Just take any normal precautions as you would in any big city in the world. I never got mugged in Brazil but I got robbed in Mexico City where I thought it was much safer. And I saw a lady whose handbag was snatched  in front of my own eyes in Barcelona, Spain...

Answer 4

I live in Rio and work with tourists here. I can assure you brazilians love to meet tourists and practice their English, but a dictionary is always a good item to carry if you do not speak portuguese.

Avoid being the last one in any bar.

DO NOT walk on the beach at night.

Renting a car may be a problem since Brasil's trafic is very 'agressive'.

Choose flights that arrive during day light.

Always check if the taxist turned the counter on - if not, ask them to do so or take another cab.

It's 'carnaval season' so there're more policeman on the streets, but there're also more people trying to scamm tourists. Be aware of extremelly kind people.

Answer 5

In general, take the same precautions that you would in a big city like New York or London. See how the locals dress and try to wear things that blend in. Save that new "seleção" shirt to impress your friends back home.

Answer 6

Non tourist areas.  You really want to talk to your hotel personnel before venturing out on the streets alone.  Always let someone know where you are going before you go.  Carry a map.  I would give the same advice if you visiting NYC.

Stay out of the favellas unless you are with a very large group you trust.  Also don't give anything to the street children.  I wouldn't even acknowledged them.  You'll never get rid of them and you might put yourselves in danger.  Sounds cold but these kids are in survival mode.  Anything can happen.

Watch out for the "mustard on the shoe" scam.  Don't do illegal drugs even if the locals are.  Undercover police everywhere.  Buses and taxis tend to drive faster than we do in the US.  Give them the right of way regardless.  Don't try an bribe the police most think its an insult (which it is).  Chances are if you are unlucky enough to run in to such a cop requesting cervejinha, he probably created the problem.  Last bit of advice would be to carry a "throw away" wallet containing 50 or so Reis.  Give this to a potential mugger.  If they know you have a camera, give that to them as well.  They normally only hurt you if you resist.  Keep your debit/credit cards separate.  Only take those out when you are in a secure area.  Don't put them in your expensive shoes or you will probably loose both.

Answer 7

First of all don't look like a turist with those palm tree shirts or those huge american bikinis. Buy your swim suit here and blend with the locals. At night and in the city just get a cab in specifc stops or call for one don't grab a cab like in NY it is not safe.

Don't wonder around at nigght, get the specific directions where you wanna go, you will be safe at a club or a bar. If you are in group it is fine to walk around.

Those precations are if you are going to Rio where is really dangerous.

If you are going to the Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador and other cities in the northern part of Brasil, you dont need to worry to much , just don't look as a turist.

Enjoy

Answer 8

Dont use the subway if you go to sao paulo or rio de janeiro