Her name is Rio...

I was a bit intimidated by the idea of Rio de Janeiro, mainly because all the guidebooks say 'well yes, it does have a reputation for crime, and er yes, that's because it's quite bad'. But of course it really boils down to the same principles as anywhere else: keep an eye out and don't go wandering in unsafe areas. Also, don't carry anything you aren't happy to lose...so you won't be seeing any nice pictures from Suz's SLR camera! Beyond that, there's not much you can do and no point worrying, and it was amusing that on the tram up to Santa Theresa - "don't take any valuables : Lonely Planet" - every single other passenger was a tourist with their camera out.

So today I had a hard day of sitting on Ipanema beach, drinking acai, reading my book, and taking a long lunch break. After all this work I got on the tube home with all the other commuters, and as the doors opened on the empty train that arrived, everyone else around me ran onto the train to grab a seat - young men jostling with middle-aged women. I was a tad surprised because when I'd been on the tube yesterday there was a merry dance of people endlessly giving up their seats for someone more elderly/tired looking. But then I realised that most of them seemed to be smiling and laughing, this had just been a game to play to brighten up the journey.

Brazilians love a good chat. It's amazing to watch them use any old excuse to strike up a conversation with their neighbour in the shop queue, at the airport, or on a train*. Makes me a little depressed at just how reserved and cynical we are in most parts of the UK, the next time I see a crowd of strangers having a laugh on a busy London tube I'll...well I'll probably check if they're Brazilian.



*This has led to me nodding and smiling a fair bit as people include me in the conversation, and I'm well practised in how to say "I don't speak Portuguese" in an apologetic tone when asked something directly. (Weirdly I do still keep getting asked for directions too).