The first thing people said to me when I told them I was going to Rio was to watch out for theft. Now I'm not sure if I just got lucky or I put myself in less dangerous situations, but I had absolutely no problems whatsoever. I didn't notice any difference between Rio and any other town. Now I have to say I was a little more conscientious of my surroundings, and it might've been safer considering there were always so many people around, but I thought the only real risk was being pick pocketed.
There was one night when 2 guys I met up with said they had both been pick pocketed that night, but there stories sounded like it was completely avoidable. One of them said that he felt some guys pushing against him with some force, and he even said that he was wondering what was wrong with them, but then he said he didn't notice his phone was gone for a few minutes. I consistently check my pockets every time someone did so much as touch me, which is something I do whenever I'm going through crowds. I've also never been pick pocketed (knock on wood).
Another thing to note is that I saw no violence and no fights. Everyone was always happy and jolly, parting for carnaval. I couldn't believe that Rio was conveyed as such a dark city before. Now it might've been different in years past, but from my experience now I'd say Rio De Janeiro is pretty safe.
I even went out alone late at night to get some food a couple times, like 3-5am, and didn't feel scared at all. There were only a few people around, but none of them tried anything or seemed threatening on my 10 minute walk through Copacabana to the 24 hour restaurant. Of course if I was a girl I might not've done that alone, but it's not like you have to avoid the streets after a certain hour.
No comments:
Post a Comment