One Week Later

So, now I have been home for a little more that a week and still Rio is very much in my mind. Not only because of the sand falling out of bags, pockets and books and not because the cold that I caught the last days in Rio is still hanging on, but because the city really made a strong and lasting impression.

As I made my decision to go there very sudden and without much preparation I had read and studied far less than I normally do before I travel to a new place. What I knew was mostly the standard clichés about samba, beach, carnival and crime and also what my friend told me, which was also stereotypical in a way. He talked about the sensualism of Rio and the Cariocas, their joie de vivre and the very easy going lifestyle and how very special the place is. Looking back I must admit that most of it is true. The only thing that I did not experience was crime and violence. Many have asked me about whether it is dangerous or not in Rio. It is of course difficult to say anything about the security situation in Rio after a two weeks visit only because nothing happened to me. Maybe I was just lucky. No, not only lucky. I stayed in one of the safest areas of the city and of course one has to be careful. There are places where you should not go alone after dark and you should be careful carrying around valuables. But tell me the place where you should not take these precautions. There are places in Stockholm where I don’t go alone after dark either. And crowds attract pickpockets everywhere. However these precautions were never anything that I felt impeded on my movements or what I wanted to do. I felt absolutely comfortable walking home alone at night and staying late alone at the samba school and taking a taxi home alone felt completely safe. To be honest I felt more safe there than in Stockholm at times.

So, what about the other things. Yes, I think a lot of it is true. There is a very relaxed atmosphere over the place, maybe simply because it is too hot and humid to stress, but nevertheless. The beach culture and the music are indeed very sensual. People flirt in a very positive and friendly way that does not mean anything more than just that, it is just a way of interacting. Before I came I had heard about the minimal bikinis, floss bikinis, and thought the beaches would only be full of beautiful, slim and tanned bodies. And there are a lot of very beautiful people on the beaches, people who like to show themselves. The funny thing however is that is not only the young, fit and beautiful showing themselves off in tiny bikinis. No, also the older, the rounder and not so very beautiful also show their bodies in minimal swimwear and do not feel ashamed or embarrassed about that. That I like!! In Sweden I would say the tolerance is much lesser and the verdict hard on anyone showing up in too small a bikini if she has a few kilos more then some ideal. “How can she?!” “Who does she think she is?!

The same things go for dancing. By the way; Yes, they do dance in the streets!! Also here, everyone joins in. The old, the fat and the ugly as well as the young, slim and beautiful. Now writing this, I choose words as “fat” and “ugly”, but when I think about it they were not fat or ugly, the music and joy made everyone beautiful. As it is very hot and very humid everyone sweats the whole time, which means no one cares about that either. Who cares if you have some sweat marks on you shirt, so has everyone! Even if you can’t dance, as a tourist at a samba school, it is not a problem. People are very happy to help and show you how to make the steps, and they do it in a very positive and appreciative way not to make you feel bad or stupid not knowing how to move your feet (or your ass) to a hellish speedy samba rhythm. I only regretted I do not speak Portuguese so I could talk more to people. I have the feeling it would have been very interesting.

Well, on top of this you have a very beautiful landscape, fascinating architecture, some of the most beautiful beaches, parks and nature, lovely music and fantastic fruits. So how can you but love the place? I want to go back and in a way I am still there.