Beauty and the Brazilian

“So how are you finding living in Brazil?” asked a friend I hadn't seen for a while when I was last visiting the UK. As I began to reel off one of my stimulating standard responses, “the fruit there is so cheap and as for the weather…” I was quickly cut off.  

“Nice, tell me about the Brazilian women” he asked with urgency, “they’re all gorgeous out there, aren't they?”

It really annoys me when the middle of my sentence interrupts the beginning of someone else’s, but like I said, I hadn't seen my friend for a while so I let him off. No sooner had he asked me this than I noticed a predatory smirk settling across his lips. It was pretty clear that I didn't actually need to reply; I could see that he’d already made up his mind about Brazilian women and was merely affirming his opinion of them in my presence.

"Hiya, I'm Sandra and this is my sister Tina....we're just your normal, regular girls next door
in Brazil! Honest!"

So I humoured him and asked what he thought they ALL looked like, and this is when he predictably began to describe sun kissed, curvy women on the beaches and almost naked women dancing on top of carnival floats. I mean, OF COURSE HE DID! Every year these images make their way onto internet pages and in newspapers around the world during carnival time, perpetuating the idea that woman in Brazil are exotic goddesses.

And it's for this reason I'm writing this blog. Because do you know what? I’d say that yes, there are a lot of beautiful women here; probably more so than in any of the other countries I've been to. But are they ALL beautiful? CHRIST NO! Those beautiful women pictured on the beaches in Rio I've mentioned definitely aren't the only type of woman here. For every scantily clad carnival queen whose picture you'll see in newspapers, there are so many who escape the photographer’s lens….including the forgotten Brazilians. The mingers!

"Hiya boys, I'm Gizelle and I'm Brazilian....I'm free for drinks on Friday!"

A few weeks ago I was at a free 24 hour event in Sao Paulo called Virada Cultura, which showcases some of the best of Brazilian culture and music on various stages in the centre of Sao Paulo.

“Andrew” said one of the friends I went down there with, “I've never seen such an ugly gathering of people in my life. It’s like being in a DVD extra from Lord Of The Rings, where the camera crew give you a behind the scenes look at the characters grabbing something to eat between filming!”

I remember laughing at this rather harsh comment, because there was actually an element of truth to it. The people there weren't all ugly of course, but well….a lot were. Just like in Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, as the cloak of darkness fell on the city centre around midnight, these aesthetically challenged Brazilians seemed to come from nowhere! I should point out that this area isn't one cornered off especially for its ugly residents, but it's an area renowned for both its crack addicts and poverty.

Which led me to wonder if there much of a link between poverty and beauty for Brazilians here. Well, a few weeks ago one of my students gave me some insight into his views on this.

“Andrew, there is no such thing as ugly women here” he remarked, with a deliberate theatrical pause.

“Just poor ones!”

He laughed for an unnecessarily long period of time afterwards, signaling that this comment was indeed meant to be taken as a joke. However it was actually not the first time I'd heard something said like this. I was talking to one of my friends about Virada Cultural recently, and they told me that they’d never go there. “I’d much rather pay to go somewhere to feel safe, and be around beautiful people, than go somewhere free with poor, ugly people who want to rob you”. 

For many of the Brazilians I've talked to about this, there definitely seems to be a strong link between wealth and beauty. 

So what was my student getting at when he cracked this joke? Well money not only buys decent clothes, haircuts and dental work (as in all countries)…but it also gives you access to cosmetic surgery. And with the exception of America, Brazil is currently the world's biggest consumer of it.

Cosmetic Surgery

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but over here a large number of those eyes seem to have a clear vision of what procedure they'd like when going under the knife. And right now I'll touch upon those having surgical procedures on their faces.

Dilma, the president of the country and someone Forbes magazine considers to be the second most powerful women in the world right now is a prime example of having utilised on this type of surgery. Being fully aware of the importance of her looks to help her appeal to Brazilian voters, she's noticeably had quite a bit of it done (the before shots are pretty interesting)...and the work shes had done is so obvious, that you can't help but feel at the time she wasn't all that bothered about who knew about it.

And here in Brazil this attitude is not so unusual.

I remember waiting for one of my students to arrive for class last year. As the door was eventually pushed open my student appeared in the doorway with two black eyes and a nose wrapped in bandages. To say that she looked like she’d had a rough day would be a bit of an understatement!

“Are you ok?" I enquired, sounding suitably concerned.

“Yes” she responded proudly and slightly flippantly. 

“I’m just recovering from surgery on my nose”. Far from being embarrassed about having the operation in the first place, she seemed to revel in the attention it brought her from the other students. A few weeks later those bandages were taken off, the swelling around the eyes had gone down and that old witches’ nose was now a much more petite one, which seemed to do wonders for her self confidence.

I've been told that there isn't much of a stigma about going under the surgeon’s knife in Brazil, because it’s a bit of a status thing, “well if you can afford it, why would you keep it a secret?” one of my friends asked me when discussing the subject. “But then again, nowadays everyone seems to be having it, and you can even get it done for free in some clinics, so it’s really not a big deal anymore”. In the UK people are much more discrete about anything they have done, as if admitting to a surgeon tampering with their looks in their quest for beauty somehow makes them less of a woman. Well, the opposite seems to be true here.

And this feels like an appropriate place to wrap this post up. So, when it comes to surgery, there isn't nearly as much of a stigma behind having it here as there is in the UK, and no....not ALL Brazilian women are stunning. I feel like I’m crossing a line by saying this with the reputation Brazilian women have internationally, but then Brazil is a country after all....and not a nationwide roll out of the Playboy mansion!

"Get me some Brazilians for the picture, any will do" said Hugh Hefner.....never!

Expatsblog Interview

Late last year I did an interview for expatsblog.com, a site bringing together blogs throughout the world....and I thought I'd share it with you all. 

Andrew is a British guy getting ever closer to being on the wrong side of thirty. A few years ago he spontaneously agreed to a trip to Brazil with his friend...only to find his bosses at the English school he worked at in Japan wouldn't give him the time off he needed. So being the sensible type of guy he is, he quit his job on the spot to travel around a country he knew very little about...and hasn't looked back since. Having spent over two years in Brazil, Andrew blogs about his life and experiences from that Brazilian city most tourists tend to avoid. The city famously plagued by crime, corruption and traffic...yes, that's right; he blogs about Rio De Janiero's ugly yet endearing sister, the city of Sao Paulo! Andrew's blog is called Creelman... does Brazil! (see listing here)

Here's the interview with Andrew...

Where are you originally from?
The town of Northallerton in the UK. 

In which country and city are you living now?
Sao Paulo, Brazil

How long have you lived here and how long are you planning to stay?
I've been living here for about two years. How long am I planning to stay? That is a good question, I guess when my feet start to itch again! 

Why did you move and what do you do?
I came to Brazil on holiday, fell in love with the place and then decided to live over here.

Did you bring family with you?
No, just a suitcase full of clothes and my knackered, old laptop!

How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
Having spent four years living in Japan prior to moving to Brazil, I didn't find the transition too difficult in comparison. Having said that I did run into some erm...let's call them challenges! The most interesting of these being with greetings. The Japanese and British aren't nearly as familiar when it comes to acknowledging each other, this meant that I found the kissing and hugging aspect of Brazilian culture quite awkward at first! Actually, when I say quite awkward...what I really mean is very awkward! 

Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Meeting people isn't too difficult in a city this size, but making friends was something I found a little harder (I know, get your violins out and play me a sad song please!). Brazilians are pretty friendly by nature though, so after plenty of perseverance and effort (so what I'm really saying is - after wearing

them down!) I now have a small circle of Brazilian friends. I would say I spend an equal amount of time with my expat and Brazilian friends, and there is definitely a big overlap between the two. 

What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
There are so many restaurants, bars and clubs in my area that you will rarely be stuck for something to do. For me this has to be the best part of living in Sao Paulo. The city frequently plays host to free parties and events too, and I'm not talking about free knitting classes or tea parties either! I'm talking about local bands or DJ's playing to crowds in local streets or squares. And there are so many options for eating in Sao Paulo...and I LOVE eating! This city is definitely a great place to experience culinary dishes from all over the world.

What do you enjoy most about living here?
As well as the interesting and varied nightlife, I enjoy being in a city that is changing almost daily. There is a real feeling of optimism here, the economy is booming, you just have to look around to see that new buildings are being constructed all the time, as are new subway lines. Sao Paulo is definitely an interesting city to be living in right now. And I've noticed that Brazilians are generally proud of their country. Many are quick to point out that Brazil has its flaws, but on the whole there is a whole lot of love for Brazil from its people. 

How does the cost of living compare to home?
Sao Paulo is renowned for being an expensive city, with clothes and electronics in particular being a lot more more expensive than back in the UK. However eating out (bear in mind I am a bit of a tight arse and don't go to expensive places!) is not all that bad. in fact, I eat out most nights because surprisingly, it's not that much more expensive than eating in. 

What negatives, if any, are there to living here?
The infrastructure is pretty poor and travelling anywhere during rush hour can be an absolute nightmare. Crime, pollution and the disorganised nature of the city are all aspects of life you need to face as a resident here. But I'm over these already, you have to be....because focusing on the negatives isn't going to get you very far.

If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving here, what would it be?
I would say to give Sao Paulo time. Initially the city is likely to feel big, ugly and occasionally unfriendly. It operates at an unforgiving, high pace, so it may also feel a little overwhelming at times (especially if like me, you aren't used to living in big cities). If you find yourself disliking the city during your first couple of weeks here, don't worry, you won't be the first and definitely won't be the last to feel this way. Sao Paulo will eventually win you over with its charm...you just have to give it time to let it.

What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
Probably the inevitable language barrier problem...which I'm working on! 

When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
Hell no! I was in England for a couple of months last year where I stayed with my parents. To go from one of the largest cities in the world to a tiny village in the north of England was something I just couldn't get used to. You can always find something going on in Sao Paulo at any time of day or night. So readjusting to a life in which the last bus into the centre of town was at 5.30pm, well...it was traumatic! It has made me realise that when I eventually move back home, I will definitely be better suited to a larger city like London or Manchester.

What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?

1. On the beach remember this, less is more...Brazil is probably the only place people will give you funny looks for covering up your body with board shorts or big swimming costumes. It's all about skimpy speedos and bikinis!
2. Don't take it personally when you give the cashier a large note in a supermarket, and then as you place it in her hand she looks at you like she wants to knock you out! Cashiers NEVER seem to have enough change in their tills here.
3. You might want to leave Sao Paulo at 5pm on the day before a holiday, but the chances are....so will millions of others. Take into account the inevitable traffic when planning to go anywhere as the public holidays approach.
4. Brazilian's love kissing and hugging anywhere and everywhere at any given time of day, so try not to look surprised when someone starts kissing passionately as early as 7am on the subway in front of you!


5. Don't take it personally when you arrange to meet a Brazilian at 8pm and they show up at 8.30pm. The majority of Brazilian's seem to have a completely different concept of time and punctuality!

Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
To start with, I used my blog as a journal to document what I'd been getting up to in Sao Paulo. It later evolved into the blog I write today, where I discuss the aspects of Sao Paulo life I find fascinating, usually in a humorous yet honest way. It seems to appeal to both foreigners who are interested in life in Sao Paulo, and to Sao Paulo based Brazilians who are interested in a foreigners take on their culture. Sao Paulo, and indeed Brazil, never ceases to interest me...so I never seem to be short of things to write about.

How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
Either through my blog, or through my twitter account @abcreelman. Feel free to contact me with any feedback on my blog or any questions about Sao Paulo!

Andrew blogs at http://creelinbrazil.blogspot.com.br/ which we recommend a quick visit if you haven't been already. Creelman... does Brazil! has an ExpatsBlog.com listing here so add a review if you like! 

To check out this interview on the website, click on this link:  http://www.expatsblog.com/articles/1378/british-expat-in-brazil-interview-andrew

What Do Brazilian Women Actually Look Like?

A few weeks ago I blogged about the stereotypes commonly surrounding crime in Brazil; and in keeping with the theme of Brazilian stereotypes, I plan to spend the next few blog posts focusing on another of Brazil's enigmas...its women.

(Takes a deep breath, cracks knuckles and stretches)

Right, let's do this!


My inspiration for wanting to write about Brazilian women came from a party I was at recently, where I was introduced to a friend of a friend. After she'd discovered I was from the UK, this woman was quite keen to tell me about her time studying in London. The conversation progressed from places she'd visited, to British indie bands she liked.….where she reeled off a list of bands that, unfortunately, I’d never heard of.

“I love Alt-J” she said with such a contagious enthusiasm that I found myself declaring my love for them too, despite having never heard of them. “Imagine naming yourself after two keys on a keyboard” I thought, as she then told me about other British bands she liked, many of whom again I'd never heard of. 

The mood then became a little more serious when she explained that there was one thing she thought was strange about the time she'd spent living in the UK. “People were often surprised when I told them that I was Brazilian. ‘But you’re so pale!’ they used to say. One guy even made me show him my passport to prove I really was from here. He thought I looked too white to be Brazilian”.

I'm gonna hold my hands up now and admit that I can understand why someone from the UK might have wondered this. As I looked at her again, one thing that struck me was that she really didn't look like those images of the Brazilian woman we are offered in the media back home. In fact, her dyed black hair really seemed to accentuate the marble whiteness of her skin to such an extent, that she looked more Morticia Adams than she did carnival queen.

After sighing, I asked “they really didn't believe you?”

“That's right” she confirmed, “it’s true”. Finding I’d done right with my first sigh, I did it again, which encouraged her to continue. “I suppose I just don’t look look Brazilian to some people abroad”.

Before coming here, I too assumed women would adhere to the stereotypical image the world is offered around carnival time. This is when the media bombards us with images of sun kissed, curvy women walking along the beaches in Rio; and these images are often posted alongside near-naked carnival queens dancing on top of floats. Do many other types of Brazilian women filter through into our media during the rest of the year, like pale Brazilian girls in their sweaters in the middle of winter? Well none that I remember, but of course...these women still exist here.

"I wish they'd just put some samba on already!"

And this conversation got me thinking; what a shame some people had challenged her on whether she was Brazilian or not.

One thing I appreciate about living here is that the country is so multicultural. It doesn't really have a single ethnic identity because it is made up of a mixture of so many different races and cultures. So for my fellow Brits not to have realised this when talking to this woman is quite disappointing. But is it entirely our fault?

No. I really don't think it is. Especially when you consider that sometimes even Brazilians have trouble picking out other Brazilians from a crowd.

According to one of my Brazilian students of Japanese heritage, down the road in Rio she often encounters locals who assume she’s not Brazilian. “Andrew, whenever I go there so many Cariocas (people from Rio) assume I’m not from Brazil, they speak to me in English and try to charge me extra for things because they think I’m foreign. But then to them I guess I don’t look Brazilian, I look Japanese. But not so many Brazilians of Japanese descent live in Rio”.

This really baffles me because the city of Sao Paulo is home to the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan and is just 220 miles away from Rio.

Liberdade, known as the Japanese district in Sao Paulo.

But then when you look at where immigrants have settled throughout Brazil, they haven't spread evenly throughout the country. For example large communities of Brazilians of African descent can be found towards the north of the country, Brazilians of German descent tend to gravitate towards the south and  there are also (to name just a few) pockets of Italians, Portuguese and Bolivians scattered around Brazil too.

So with such an array of ethnicities then, it goes without saying that women in this country are going to look different depending on where you are.

A few weeks ago I heard about another difference between the Brazilians in different regions. It was one that I'd not really given any thought to...their height.

Tall Brazilian Women

So I was at my friend’s wedding where I got talking to a tall, beautiful woman, with long, dyed-blonde locks. After asking her where she worked, she told me that she spent most of her time in Manaus (a city in the north of Brazil). “ I've been single for so long, and I’m not really in Sao Paulo for long enough to be involved with anyone here. But of course, there’s little chance of me meeting a guy in Manaus…I’m seen as a bit of a freak over there”. At this she tossed her hair over her left shoulder and looked down at the floor, obviously waiting for me to enquire a little further. 

I didn't get it, why would this attractive, tall Brazilian woman find it difficult to find a man to date in the north of the country? Was she looking down at her webbed feet? Was she about to tell me that she was actually a man? Intrigued, I naturally dug a little deeper….in the most subtle way I could think of.

“Eeeeeer….what do you mean?”

“Well” she began without a seconds hesitation, “it’s because I’m so much taller than the majority of the women up there. In fact, the guys in the office have a nickname for me because of my height”. She then paused to look at me with eyes I’d seen once before…on a wounded puppy on the TV show Animal Hospital.

Her voice lowered as she continued, “they call me…the Avatar”.

Fast forward a few seconds later and I really felt bad for laughing. In an attempt to redeem myself though, I immediately managed a serious expression which I felt helped me to look a little more sympathetic.

"Hiya lads, anybody want to take me out
 this Saturday night!?! I'm still free!"

“They don’t do they?” I asked sounding quite concerned, with only a hint of amusement still audible in my voice.

“Yes, 'the big Avatar from Sao Paulo' is my nickname over there. So it’s easier for me to find someone down here, where I’m not so tall”. 

I've not had many dealings with people from the north of Brazil, so I’d not really thought of them as being any smaller than people from the rest of the country. 

So next time you hear about a ‘Brazilian woman’ and the image of a certain type of lady pops into your head…stop for a moment. Brazil is such a huge country with such a rich and diverse ethnic tapestry that although that woman you've just thought of probably lives here; she is likely to be just one of a very large number of women calling Brazil their home. 

Tips On Clubbing In Sao Paulo

A couple of months ago I wrote an article for the foreigner website mydestination, on clubbing in Sao Paulo. Mydestination is a great site for tips and advice, on where to go and what to do in the city.

Check it out here....mydestination.com/saopaulo

Nestled away in Latin America’s largest concrete jungle are some amazing night clubs. The city has so much to offer in the way of clubbing that you’re definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a place to party over here. But as I found out not long after arriving in this city, you’re likely to find that the experience of clubbing will be slightly different to the one you may be used to back home. So if you’re new to the city (or indeed to Brazil itself) and you’re here to experience some of Sao Paulo’s finest night clubs, here are five things you might want to know before heading out:

 #1: You’re Likely To Get ID-ed

It was my first night out in the city, and I couldn't help but look blankly at the beef cake guarding the entrance to the club doors after he spoke to me. I really wanted to understand what he had just asked, however having been in Brazil for just a few weeks, it was glaringly obvious to me that my vocabulary bank of about ten words was of little use. As my face screwed up into an expression of panic, my Portuguese speaking friend was luckily nearby to offer a translation.

“He wants to see your ID”.

‘My ID!’ I thought to myself, ‘he wants to see my ID!?! Really….this is AMAZING!’  I’d been advised to bring my ID out, just in case; but this was the first time in over ten years that I’d been asked to show it on my way in to a night club. In the clubs in the UK, you only really get asked to show identification if you look under 21, so naturally I felt quite flattered! I assumed that despite approaching 30 with an ever receding hair line, I was being asked to prove my age because in Brazil, for whatever reason, I looked youthful.

 “That’s right Andrew, you've STILL got it!” I told myself as I flashed him my passport “ You've STILL got it!”

Yet it was only after I’d been waved into the club that I turned around, and saw that my friend was being asked to show his passport too. The woman stood in line behind him was also pulling out her ID, ready for inspection.

So it turns out that everyone can expect to be ID-ed when entering the big clubs over here, not just those who are as young looking as myself! There are some clubs where you can get away without having it, especially if you’re partying Sunday through to Thursday.  BUT if I’m dragging my showered ass over to a night club, I’m going to be taking ID out with me no matter what day of the week it is…to make sure I’m going to be getting in. A photocopy of your ID will be sufficient in some places, but again, this is not always the case…so if you don’t feel comfortable taking your documents out, I’d suggest calling the club ahead to check. And if you do need to take your passport out, make sure you’re able to put it somewhere safe after it’s been inspected.

#2: You’ll Want To Know What Consumação Means

Once inside the club, you’re likely to find yourself waiting in another line to speak to someone behind a desk. Here you’ll probably be asked the following question:“Consumação ou Entrada?”  What the member of staff is asking you here, is if you want to pay a cover charge or take the more expensive consumação option (a literal translation of this word is ‘consumption’).

D Edge, Sao Paulo

Let me give you an example of how this works. Let’s imagine that the nightclub you’ve just entered charges a R$20 cover to get in, but it’s R$40 if you go for the consumption option. If you pay “entrada,” you’ll need to pay R$20 PLUS whatever you consume in drinks. But if you opt for consumption you can use the R$40 to drink, and if you consume this amount or more, then you don’t need to pay a cover charge. If you purchase less than R$40 worth of drinks though, you will still pay R$40. So thinking about it, it’s actually worthwhile to take the consumaçãooption if you plan on doing a lot of drinking!

I gave you a cheap example here, but some places in Sao Paulo are a lot more expensive. Well, when I say ‘some places’ what I actually mean is ‘a hell of a lot of places!’ If you’re not a drinker, or you’re driving that evening, then it’s probably wise to just go for the cover charge and drink from your friends’ consumption cards to save money.

So in exchange for your ID number and your answer to the “consumação ou entrada?”  question, unless you’re at an ‘open bar’ party (which means all you can drink) you’re going to be given a card on which you can get your drinks at the bar. This card effectively works as a way to record your bar tab, and is either going to come in a paper or plastic form. Personally I prefer the paper cards, because after ordering your drink at the bar the bartender will physically score off how much you've spent on the card with a pen; and this means you can check how much your tab will come to at any point during your evening. However the plastic cards don’t give you that luxury, so after scanning/ swiping your card through their computer system, unless you are able to ask the bartender how much you've spent, you will need to keep a mental note of how much your bill is going to amount to.

Let’s be honest, after a few hours of dancing and drinking, remembering how much of a tab you've run up is easier said than done!

So what happens then if you find you've lost your card or don’t have enough money to settle your bill? Well, this is a good question, and one I’m fortunately not in a position to be able to answer. Having heard a few horror stories though, what I will say is this…be careful, and guard that card WITH YOUR LIFE!

On the plus side, with this card system you’re going to find yourself being served quicker than you would back home, because the bartender isn’t also dealing with change…so this card system is actually not a bad idea, because really, the last thing you want to be doing after standing in a long queue to get into a club, is to stand in another long queue to wait for your drinks.

#3: Men dance in clubs

It’s quite common in the UK to see men standing around the club dance floor early on in the night, watching the women dance. The women usually descend onto the floor in packs not long after arriving to dance around their handbags, and to lurch from side to side in time to the music, in their huge high heeled shoes. The men will usually join them when either a) they feel a socially acceptable amount of time has passed for it to be OK to do so, or b) when they've drank enough alcohol to not give a damn! And yes, whilst this might be an over simplified and wildly exaggerated account of what tends to go on in the clubs in the UK, there is an element of truth to it. This is because generally speaking, men don’t really want to be the first up on to the dance floor, because dancing is seen as being a bit, well….feminine.

"They are ALL dancing, I just can't take it any more!"

So I found it quite refreshing then, when I started clubbing in Sao Paulo and saw both men and women dancing from the word ‘go’. The men weren't just dancing either; the majority were dancing pretty well. As someone whose dancing style doesn't stretch much further than pointing my fingers up in the air when I’m appreciating a good chorus, I can’t help but be impressed with some of the moves I see the guys busting out in the clubs in Sao Paulo! Brazilian men seem to be much more at ease when dancing than their British counterparts do. But don’t get me wrong, some Brazilian men are just awful at it. Having said this, even those with two left feet seem to be comfortable with joining the masses on the floor anyway.

So guys, with the rules of the dance floors being a little different over here, you might find yourself channeling your inner Michael Jackson earlier in the night than you had expected, even before you've had chance to drink much. This brings me nicely onto point number 4...

#4: Spirit Measures in Brazil can be HUUUUGGGGEEEE!

In the UK a standard measure of liquor is 35ml but over here (and I could be wrong), from my experience there doesn’t really seem to be a liquor measure. For things like shots, a measure seems to be however big the shot glass is. I’ve noticed that these glasses often vary in size, and because some are quite big, the alcohol itself can be a bit of a challenge to swallow in one. On more than one occasion I’ve actually needed two mouthfuls to get my shot down, which surprised me as much as I’m guessing it’s surprising my friends reading this right now too, because I have quite a big mouth!

Once I drank a shot of cheap pinga on my friend’s birthday and it was served, not in a shot glass, but in a tumbler. It was in a place that described itself as a club, yet was more like a dive bar charging an entry fee…one in which the toilets looked like they’d been modeled on those used in the film Trainspotting. My friend provided the count down from 3, and moments later I was attempting to drink the shot. Only  I soon realized I wasn’t going to manage it, and as half of that shot slid down into my stomach, my body began convulsing (who, me…dramatic!?!). I was actually gutted when I realised that far from this drink being over, there was still a whole lot more shot sitting at the bottom of my glass.

But if shots aren’t your thing and instead you’re asking for a spirit with a mixer, then your bar tender will usually make use of one of those metal measuring things (which Wikipedia has reliably informed me is named a jigger) to measure out your alcohol. They will then usually add a splash more in your glass. Some will add a little more than a splash, and then there are those who will add a whole lot more than that. Some won’t even bother with the jigger, and just go on their own (often generous) instincts. This means your drink might end up being a whole lot stronger than you’d anticipated. I’ll leave it to you to decide if having a strong drink is a good thing or a bad thing, but what I will say is this; when it comes to drinking shots/ spirits in Sao Paulo….well, you have been warned my friends!

#5: Expect to queue up again on your way out

So you’ve danced until your feet hurt, you’ve drank a little bit too much than you should have, and a sudden urge to sleep, eat or both has just hit you…so what’s next? Well now it’s time to pay up the balance on your card and get yourself out of there. Unfortunately, when you want to leave the club the chances are, so too do a whole load of other people. This is the part of the evening then where you need to patiently stand in a line and wait. Sometimes the line might be no more than a few minutes long…other times, well, let’s not even go there!

Brazilians generally seem to have a much higher tolerance for standing in long queues than the British do. This surprised me because I really thought I was good at queuing before moving out here. I’m British after all, so as well as drinking tea, being reserved and playing cricket, queuing up is also something that we’re supposed to be good at. Well, Brazil takes this queuing to another level, and over here these lines drive me crazy…particularly this line to settle your drinks!

“Andrew, why are you annoyed about waiting in this line. This is a really good opportunity” my Brazilian friend once said as we stood in the never ending line that was meandering very slowly towards the exit. “Good opportunity?” I asked, “A good opportunity to do what?”

The Conga? No, this is the line to pay!

“Absolutely the line is a good time to flirt” You just need to be careful when you stand in the line, if you stand near a person very ugly, then I imagine you REALLY no have a good time!” And whilst I have yet to meet my soul mate stood in a line at 5am, to this day I still remember my friends optimism when I’m in that line, and it still makes me smile! 

When your bill is cleared you’re likely to receive a stamp on your card OR given a second card to give the bouncers, and these are effectively your tickets out of there; so whatever you do, don’t lose those bad boys! After handing these over you to the men in black, if you’ve remembered these 4 pieces of advice then you will have (hopefully!) just survived your first clubbing experience in Sao Paulo with very few problems!

So that’s one of Sao Paulo’s clubs down…and a couple more hundred still to experience!

Check out the article on the website....http://www.mydestination.com/saopaulo/travel-articles/721584/tips-on-clubbing-in-sao-paulo

RANDOM POST: Sao Paulo...Where Are Your Card Shops!?!

I only discovered about a fortnight ago that Brazilians don't really bother with cards, on the morning of my friend’s wedding. After withdrawing some grubby looking notes from the cash point ready to give her as my gift, I suddenly thought that I should put them into a card....to make myself seem a little classier!

For a full five seconds I considered just handing the notes over, but then it dawned on me that I was going to a wedding and not a strip club; and her ramming those notes down her bra to keep them safe was not really an option.

"Welcome to my wedding Andrew, thanks for the present! Let me introduce you to my bridesmaids!"

So I went to the shopping centre nearest my house to scour the card shop. I looked around, then looked some more, and then I retraced my steps and took another look for this elusive card shop....but NOTHING! There was no shop specifically for cards, I couldn't believe it! This meant that despite having been in this shopping centre daily for almost over two years, the fact that there wasn't a card shop had gone unnoticed by me this whole time.

So why had I assumed that there was one in the first place? Well, back in the UK card shops are a dominant feature of the high streets. And cards are not only found in card shops, but a half decent selection can be found in any self respecting supermarket or even petrol station. So I'd naively just assumed Brazil also followed suit and had an overly generous selection of cards all over the place too. Well I was wrong!

Papel Magia in Shopping Morumbi,
there are a generous 4 racks of cards in there. I've since been told about
this place.

Clinton Cards in the UK, a whole shop devoted to cards (and Cliff
Richards calendars!)

Eventually 45 minutes after I’d started looking, I stumbled across a rack of cards in the back of one of those quirky shops you'd never normally shop in. You know the type, ones that sell things like slinkies, photo frames in the shape of cats and rubics cubes. There I had a choice of three wedding cards.

‘So where the hell are all the cards?’ I asked myself. Well, after talking to my friends and students about it, I've discovered that Brazilians don’t really ‘do’ cards. Some enjoy giving cards on rare occasions…but not all. In fact, the people here I talked to struggled to remember the last time they’d sent a card.
  

“We can just send an email instead” said one of my students, before adding, “but I love the idea that people still send cards in the UK, it’s so old fashioned!”

"Old fashioned, WHO? Us!?! WHATEVER, this card I'm writing in plays Justin Bieber when you open it up!""

For me, this has held a mirror up to my own culture's love of sending and receiving cards, and I have a feeling my sister will be sat reading this blog post in absolute HORROR! She loves sending cards; in fact if you ever so much as hold a door open for her, you can expect a thank you card through the mail a few days later. Yea, I’m exaggerating a little, but not on her love for cards! She BLOODY loves them, as evidently do most people in the UK because there are cards for literally everything:

Choosing the right card can take a while when faced
with some awful selections!

Birthdays, Christmas, mother’s day, father’s day, thank you, sympathy, congratulations, retirement….you name it, there is a huge selection of cards for it. And not only this, people often expect to receive them too.

Culturally though, the sending and receiving of cards isn't nearly as important or significant over here.

So don’t worry too much about being on a Brazilian’s Christmas card list…because the majority won’t actually have one anyway! 

How Dangerous Is Sao Paulo? Part Two- Life Beyond The Headlines

Let me start this blog with a confession.

I’m not proud of myself for doing it, and perhaps you’re all going to think badly of me after I've told you…but last week I read the hell out of The Daily Mail online!

After discovering Kelly Brook had gained a tiny bit of weight, and someone from the TV show 'The Only Way Is Geordie' had 'accidentally' flashed a nipple as they went to the opening of an envelope, I stumbled across an article on Steve Redgrave.  For those of you unfamiliar with this guy, he is one of the UK’s most decorated Olympians, having won five gold medals over five consecutive Olympic games, and recently he had been in Rio to attend the Laureus Sports Awards. As he was walking along Ipanema beach one evening, some opportunist thieves approached and attempted to rob him.

Ipanema beach, and the girls are out
on the rob!

To say The Daily Mail is a little bit dramatic is like saying Mother Theresa was a little bit kind, Usain Bolt is a little bit fast, or Nicki Minage is a little bit bad at rapping….this website is VERY dramatic, and so naturally went all out sensationalise this incident.

It reported then that this was an ‘embarrassing blow for Brazilian Olympic officials…keen to promote Rio’s safety record and dispel fears over crime’. As is standard for any article on this website, underneath there were an array of comments from its readers, who were not just criticizing how badly written this article was, but were also expressing some interesting views on the subject of crime in Rio.

‘For Goodness sake, It has been well documented for YEARS that you shouldn't walk about in these places wearing any expensive watches or jewelry’ commented Blondie from Sevenoaks (for those of you reading this from outside the UK, Blondie is not a common name there…nor is this likely to be the opinion of anyone from Debbie Harry’s band).

‘And there is no crime here in London? Come on!’ said someone calling themselves Shaznny (again not a common name, unless you are the lead singer in the band All Saints).

Littered amongst these were, perhaps fairly predictably, some derogatory comments on what people thought about crime in Brazil, like this one from someone called Matey. 

‘I’m not going to this lawless country’. 

Another read 

‘The Rio Olympics are going to be a disaster because of the level of crime. Don't go I repeat. DO. NOT. GO' 

This was written by David Craig, from Bournemouth…who with this low tolerance to crime, I'm guessing is NO relation to Daniel.

For me, this comments section confirmed what I suspected, that people back home clearly have a range of preconceived ideas about how dangerous life is over here. This in turn reminded me of a question I was asked when I was last visiting England. 

I was discussing living in Brazil with a friend, and was surprised when one of my REALLY interesting stories on the state of the Brazilian economy was interrupted by this question:

“Nice, but have you ever seen a shoot out on the streets?”

“A shoot out?” I asked, with a pretty dead pan expression quickly fixing itself on my face, “erm…no, never”. I noticed that he looked quite surprised, disappointed, and even skeptical at my response. But then my experience of living here in is a far cry from the Tarantino esq vision some have of what goes on here.

"Just nipping out to the shop for some milk. I'll be back soon!"

Of course, I’m more than happy for people to think I’m some sort of bad ass adrenalin junkie playing down the fact I’m frequently dodging bullets and fists on my way to the grocery store…but the truth is, this is simply not the case at all (well the part about me dodging bullets and fists isn't, but the part about me being a total bad ass is OBVIOUSLY true!). But not only have I have never seen a shoot out, I've also never seen anyone being robbed and I've seen less than a handful of fights in the two and a half years that I've lived here.

But people have these assumptions of Brazil, and from my own experience of living in the UK, I guess I can understand why. 

Where Do These Preconceived Ideas Come From?

Back home, the only exposure I had of Brazil before coming over here was through news reports, and with the exception of those reporting on carnival celebrations, the majority I remember watching featured crime.

Just another regular day in Brazil...wish you were here!

And outside of news reports, films like City Of God and The Elite Squad will, I'm sure, have played a role in further cementing these ideas. Yes, these films were fantastic in terms of entertainment, but they did more than merely entertain. They held a mirror up to levels of corruption and violence in Rio, whilst giving an international voice to the lives of so many Brazilian’s whose plight may not have otherwise been heard…which of course is fantastic. However this focus on Brazil’s crime and corruption, coupled with these news reports, have probably misled some into believing that this is what life is like here on a daily basis throughout the whole of Brazil. And whilst in some cases this may be the case, my experience of living in Sao Paulo hasn't been like this at all.

As in my previous blog on crime, I would like to stress that what I am writing is a personal reflection on my time here. I know that there are people living in neighborhoods a lot more dangerous than my own, whose lives are affected by crime in a much more significant way. My intention is not to undermine or to dismiss how prevalent crime is in Brazil for these people; but to point out that my experience of living in Sao Paulo isn't reflected in the worst aspects of life in Brazil shown by the media. 

Perhaps I’m being unintentionally controversial as I write this, but the Sao Paulo I know isn't actually that bad...and I think it's important to point this out, because there will be people coming to the city through work or whatever, worried that it's going to be an absolute hell hole.  

Is The Whole Of Sao Paulo Dangerous?

Where I live in Sao Paulo isn't considered to be a very dangerous area…but with Sao Paulo being one of the largest cities in the world, there are bound to be areas of it safer than others.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

‘Well, of course the whole of the city isn’t dangerous, why are you pointing out the bloody obvious? ’ I can imagine some thinking as they read this. Well, it is worth pointing out because I know there are some who will be surprised to hear that the whole of Sao Paulo isn’t one large den of opportunist thieves and trigger-happy gun owners.

Sure, this seems to go against what I said in my last post, which didn't paint crime in Sao Paulo in a particularly favourable light…but then I guess I have contradictory feelings about the subject of crime in this city. 

On one hand I know it’s a big city, with depravity, crime and poverty; yet on the other, the areas I spend most of my time don’t really feel any less safe than places I've been to in London. 

And we all know London is no safe haven, the riots a few years back certainly highlighted this. I remember being in the north of the UK at the time, watching the rioting unfold through the TV. I (like the majority of the country) was really shocked that people were destroying their own communities.

London, UK

And because I wasn't living in the area affected by the riots, I could dismiss it as ‘a Southern thing. I saw it as something that didn't really affect me because I didn't live down there’.

And similarly, whenever I see crime scenes reported on the news channels here in Sao Paulo, I think “ah, that’s in the centre of the city…well that doesn't really affect me because I don’t live there”. But then I  appreciate that there will be people abroad who care little for the geography of the city; who are more likely to dismiss what crime reports they've seen in a specific area of Sao Paulo as being reflective of life throughout the entire city.

Mexico City, Mexico (Obviously!)...how I never picture it

I was certainly guilty of thinking like this only a few weeks ago, when my student told me about how much he’d enjoyed his trip to Mexico City. I sat there in a reflective silence for a while, before asking him if he felt safe on holiday there. He turned and gave me a look that seemed to be as surprised by my ignorance as it was condescending. “Andrew”, he began, “Mexico City is a big place, and it’s not all that bad. I wouldn't have gone there on holiday again if it was”.

I couldn't really argue with that!

When Sao Paulo Feels Safer Than Places In The UK

In my last post I went into some depth on the subject of robberies in Sao Paulo, and how to avoid making yourself a walking target. But what I didn't do was point out (and this comment may just blow the minds of those Daily Mail readers who are adamant the city of Sao Paulo is probably similar to a game of Grand Theft Auto) that there is one aspect of life that trumps the UK in terms of personal safety, and this is related to alcohol consumption.

So a couple of weeks ago during carnival I found myself in the midst of a wild street party! Carnival-goers had packed the streets to enjoy the live music, the sunshine and of course, the ice cold beer being sold by vendors on street corners. These parties (known as blocos) are a big part of carnival celebrations throughout the country, and are a whole lot of fun. The parties I went to this year had a surprisingly low police presence for the amount of people lining the streets…and as it turned out, a lot of police weren't needed. With the majority of people at these parties out to dance, sing and enjoy themselves (many sporting outrageous fancy dress costumes) the atmosphere at the party I was at was electric.

“Do you have parties in the UK like this?” my friend asked as we followed the live samba band down the street, alongside the hundreds of other drinkers. 

“Well no, not really” I replied. “British people tend to fight a lot when they’re drunk, which is probably why drinking on the street is illegal there”.

"You're BLOODY joking, aren't you!?!"

He looked back at me like I’d just said something he couldn't quite get his head around...in fact, with the same expression I imagine I pulled when I’d worked out the plot twist at the end of Sixth Sense.

“Really? But why do many people in England fight after beer?”

At that I pretended I couldn't hear him over the music, because I really couldn't answer. I don’t know why a number of British people become aggressive after drinking alcohol. 

Last week I was at a Voodoohop party, right in the centre of the city (an area renowned for being unsafe, particularly at night). Hundreds of people went to the venue to enjoy the party and again I noticed that there was little police presence. Did I feel safe? Absolutely, I didn't see anyone causing trouble or looking for a fight…but it got me asking myself if the same would have been the case had this party been held in one of the ‘bad’ areas of London.

 Voodoohop, Sao Paulo

Maybe I’m being unfair here (and if I am I imagine someone will tell me), but I suspect this party, or even these carnival celebrations without a huge number of police, wouldn't work in the UK.

Of course I’m not saying there are no alcohol related fights over here, because clearly there must be. But I have been in Brazil now for over two years and still haven’t seen many…in fact, I actually feel much safer amongst a crowd of drunk Brazilians than I do a crowd of drunk Brits. 

"I've just read the Lonely Planet guide
 to Ipanema...NOT HAPPY!"

Wrapping This Blog Post Up

So in conclusion, sure Brazil has its problems when it comes to crime and danger, but then…most countries do to some extent.  

If you find yourself visiting Sao Paulo for the first time and are worried about these aspects of life here, my advice to you is...don’t. Follow the advice of a guide, a guide book or those reputable internet forums (so don't take everything you read on sites such as the Daily Mail online as gospel!), and use your common sense. Do this, and you’re likely to be just fine....because with an air of caution and an open mind, you’re hopefully going to find your relationship with danger in this city and also throughout the rest of Brazil isn't going to be a significant one.

How Dangerous Is Sao Paulo? Part One: Being Robbed

A couple of months ago I took a trip to the city of Florianpolis, and while I was there I was quite keen to check out the night life. On the Saturday night I decided to head to a club in the centre of the city, and knowing the club wasn't too far from a bus stop, I took the bus for 3 reais to get there, instead of forking out 40 for a taxi. About twenty minutes after getting on the bus I was dropped a few blocks away from the nightclub in an area that I was surprised (and also pretty worried) to see was very empty. In the distance I was relieved to see a group of six police men stood around talking, so I wandered over to ask them for directions. As I was about to bust out my cave-man-like Portuguese, I was asked by a young looking policeman if he could help me, in perfect English.

"Seriously, is the club really around here!?!"

“Yes! Erm…can you tell me where this night club is?” I asked, showing him the address I’d scribbled down onto some paper.

“It’s three blocks away, you need to walk straight up here, and it'son your left” he said whilst gesturing up a dimly lit street. I won’t lie to you, I remember thinking that this street would have been PERFECT for the beginning of a horror film. The hustle and bustle of the streets of Sao Paulo around midnight seemed like a million miles away, as I looked up this street, which was definitely a little too dark and a little too deserted for my liking. 

“Erm….is it safe? I won’t get robbed, will I?” I enquired, before taking a second look. To my surprise, when I turned back to look at the policeman I noticed that he was smirking at me.

“Gringo” he said, now with a mocking quality to his voice, “NOWHERE in Brazil is safe! But good luck walking up there!” At that he chuckled to himself before turning back to his colleagues and relaying a translated version of what he’d just said to them. I took this as my queue to leave, and after just a couple of strides into my journey, this group of policemen all let out a knowing, hearty laughs. These laughs rang in my ears for a good minute or so, and with my heart pounding, I power walked those 50 meters up the street. And when I say power walked, I really mean POWER WALKED! I was so relieved to hear the sound of the electronic music thudding beyond the club doors when I’d eventually got to the club.

"Lads, listen to what this guy just asked me about his safety!"

I’m not sure what I expected from these policemen, but laughing at me as I asked them about my safety definitely wasn't what I imagined would have happened at all! But this does bring me onto one aspect of life, particularly in Sao Paulo, that I’m sure everyone in the city has at least thought about:

Getting Robbed

Before I begin, I think it is worth pointing out that what I write is a both a personal reflection of my own experiences and also the experiences of those around me. Maybe you live here, or have visited, and you can identify with the experiences I describe. Or perhaps you will disagree with what I write partially, or even completely because your time here is, or has been affected by crime in a much more significant way. But I think as every resident of Sao Paulo can agree the threat of crime is very real, particularly the threat of being robbed.  

I hadn't been teaching in Brazil all that long when I was introduced to the reality of being robbed in Sao Paulo, by one of my students. So this student walked into my evening class looking a little shook up, and as she sat down a fellow student asked her if she was OK. At that she began to tell us all how at 7am that morning she’d been walking to the bus stop when a guy came out of nowhere, pulled a gun on her, and demanded she handed over her valuables. As soon as she’d said this I sat there open mouthed, looking around at my students who I thought looked as shocked as I was about hearing this…I was wrong!

"Everybody be cool...this is a robbery!"

“Seven am? Wow! They’re getting up early, aren't they!?!”

It took me a few seconds to process what I’d just heard, and then my forehead crinkled up into a (rather unattractive) ball of confusion. My student was still laughing and I was actually quite surprised at how insensitive he was being. As everyone then started talking about how they’d never heard of thieves striking at this time, I looked around at my students and realised we were not on the same page AT ALL! I was astounded that my student had been robbed in the first place, and there these guys were, surprised at the early hour in which the incident had taken place.

Nowadays I'm hearing stories about people being robbed in the street, in their cars, or on the subway at least on a weekly basis…and this might sound like a harsh thing to say, but I actually feel like I am becoming desensitized to hearing them. I hadn't realised this was the case until a few weeks ago when my friend was robbed on the subway. Someone had gone into his bag and taken out his credit cards and documents when he wasn't looking. He hadn't realized until he’d got to work and found that his backpack had been opened and its important contents removed.

“Well why would you put your stuff in the front pocket of your backpack, that’s just asking for trouble” I said, like an absolute heartless bastard in response to him telling me he'd been robbed. I’m not usually a cold and unsympathetic person, but I guess I've hardened to hearing about this sort of thing. “Yes I know” my friend said, the whole time looking very sorry for himself, not unlike that cat from Shrek.

And writing this now, it's almost like I don't really recognise my earlier attitude to being robbed. I used to be quite uptight and worried about having my valuables taken, and I was constantly looking over my shoulder. before coming to Brazil, I'd read a lot about crime here, so when I first arrived I was overcautious, to the point where I never fully felt relaxed. If I’m being honest, I felt intimidated by the threat of crime. And this feeling stayed with me for a loooooong time.

Fast forward a few years though, and I've become much more relaxed about potentially being robbed. Having heard enough stories from my many students about it, I've accepted that is inevitable that at some point, it will probably happen to me too.

And accepting this was somewhat of a revelation to me, because instead of constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying about it, I have been able to simply get on with living here. Don’t get me wrong, I am still cautious, but my attitude towards it has altered. I guess in a word, I've adapted. Adapting to situations is a huge part of any expats transition, so for me the threat of being robbed isn't something I think of as being such a big deal anymore. It is just there.

Yet whenever I’m sat in a class and hear about how my students were robbed, or whenever I walk past a bank and see armed security guarding the entrance, I’m reminded of how prevalent and also how real this threat really is. 

So what would I do if I was the victim of a robbery myself?

Well I talked with a student about this a few years ago…and I have never forgotten the advice he gave me. “I recently read an article in a magazine about robberie" he said, "where the journalists interviewed thieves who'd killed their victims. They had murdered these people simply because they had refused to hand over their belongings or because they'd put up a fight.

"Bring it on BITCHES!"

As soon as they’d asked for the valuables, this is the moment when these guys felt they had the most power. So to be given a ‘no’, or for someone to resist handing over their things, that’s when the knife had been used or the trigger had been pulled. Andrew, these people often don’t respect their own lives, so it’s too much to ask that they’re going to respect yours. If you get robbed, just hand over your things…valuables can easily be replaced”.

This attitude was quite alien to me at first, ‘but they are MY things…I would want to keep them’ I remember thinking at the time. But very few people have advised me to fight back. It just doesn't seem worth it. I’m pretty sure I wouldn't lose man points over here if I told someone living in the city that I’d handed my belongings over without any resistance. It just seems like the sensible thing to do.  

But then I talked to my Dad about what he needs to do if he is the victim of a robbery when he's over here on vacation. This was another reminder of how much my attitude on the subject has changed since moving here:

“Well I tell you what Andrew, if someone comes up to me and tries to take MY wallet….there’s no way I’d just hand it over. They’d better think twice if they think about robbing me!” As soon as he'd said this I could literally feel the blood draining from my cheeks. “Dad NOOOOO” Remember you’re coming over to Brazil” I responded, despite knowing that my words were clearly falling on deaf ears. “This is Brazil, and the rules are different over here, you NEED to hand over your things!” 

How can you minimize the risk of being robbed in Sao Paulo? 

Well here is a summary of some of what I consider to be, the best pieces of advice I've been given during my time living out here:

"Who, me? Drawing attention to myself!?!"

Tip #1

Don’t walk around with your valuables on display. Despite being the economic heart of the country and with plenty of wealthy individuals around, this wealth is not evenly distributed at all. There are a HUGE number of poor residents in Sao Paulo, so parading around with your expensive laptops, phones and jewelry on display could be seen by some as being disrespectful. My advice would be to either hide these thing away when walking around in public, or better still, leave them at home/in your hotel…at least until you get to know the city better.

Paulista Avenue for example is awash with electronic devices around lunch time, and having them in view of everyone just doesn't mean you are going to be robbed…but generally speaking; it is undoubtedly going to make you more of an obvious target for opportunist thieves. I mean, you wouldn't wear a Lady Gaga meat dress if you were forced into a lion’s den, would you? Exactly, HELL NO! So be discrete.

And the same goes for being in cars/taxis, keep your valuables hidden out of view. A lot of cars here have blacked out windows, so that people can’t see inside. This is because, unfortunately, if you are stuck in traffic there is a risk that someone on a motorbike may stop and demand that you hand your things over. And with you unable to move, they're able to make a quick and easy getaway with your things...giving a new meaning to the term 'window shopping'.

 Tip #2

Avoid walking around the centre of the city at night, because you might just find yourself vulnerable to being robbed. This area is notorious for its crack addicts, and certain parts are definitely best to be avoided (as is the case with all major cities worldwide).

"Ok guys, let me introduce you
to this train line...it is called the CPTM!"

Tip #3

Don’t carry large amounts of cash on you, but at the same time, try to make sure you have a little to hand over should you be unfortunate enough to be robbed. If someone wants money from you and you have nothing, you could find yourself in trouble; so aim to have at least 20 reais in your pocket

Tip #4

Finally secure your valuables before getting on crowded trains or metros, because with all of those bodies pressed tightly up against each other, you might not even feel Sao Paulo’s answer to Fagin taking something out of your pocket or bag.

As I have read this blog entry back to myself I guess I’ve made it quite clear that the Sao Paulo I know is no Disneyland...but I hope I've described the ways in which you can go some way to  minimize the risks of making yourself a target.

Of course, there is no sure fire way to avoid being robbed…as is the case anywhere in the world. But being aware of how significant the risk of being robbed is here will hopefully allow you to think accordingly, and have a safe stay here. Don't think too much  about it...because you should be spending more time focusing on other aspects of the city’s fantastic culture, rather than worrying about the threat of crime.

As usual, I've found I've writtena whole lot more on this subject than I'd planned to. So I've split this blog into two blogs....and my next one will go into a bit more detail on the subject of crime in Sao Paulo, challenging the idea that it's as bad as people say it is.