-If you want to use a hand signal to indicate "All
OK" or "Great", don't use the "o" formed by putting thumb and
first finger together; it has an all-together different meaning in Brazil. Instead,
use a "thumbs up" signal. (I wonder what does the "o" mean in Brazil?)
- Don't forget to pack your swimsuit! You can buy the local
version - a tanga. This is a skimpy two piece, but if SKIMPY is your wish, try the
"fio dental" ("dental floss"); it is indeed tiny.
- When going to the beach, go as the Cariocas do - with only
your swim suit! Anything left on the beach while you partake of the ocean will not
be there upon your return!
- Drink the excellent fruit juices and specialty drinks but
don't drink the water. It is cured, but the chemicals don't seem to agree with our
systems (American's) and drinking the water is a sure way to get a good case of diarrhea.
- If your a guy (especially if blatantly foreign...you white boys know
what i mean) be careful travelling here because the cops and local
drug vendors will set you up to squeeze any amount of cash out of you.
Usually 1000R. Doesnt matter if you buy or not. Sad but true.
- Shootouts occur in Favelas (the ghetto) every few months. People possessing AK47s in these parts is not uncommon. Most of the drug dealers have walkie talkies to alert one another of
who enters the flavelha and especially when police ran the area. They
also use fireworks and in previous years, balloons to warn others of
the authorities' arrival. Among the graffitti that you see on the way,
the letters ADA are periodically sprayed on the walls of the dingy
alleyways. This refers to Amigos dos Amigos (friends of friends), a
sign that the dealers are in the area and are watching.
