Most people start the day by going to the bakery to buy rolls. Rolls like small French bread. Then you ride your bike or motorcycle to work or catch van or bus. I road a bus in Rio once that swayed to the right then to the left then bounced up then swayed right then left repeated this constantly for half an hour. I thought that I was on an amusement park ride. Then there is the Metro, You are boxed in with people from all walks of life as it passes through the city. stopping and going. If you are lucky you'll find a seat to sit down. I seemed like it took for ever to get to were I was going.. The house that I was staying at, had three churches outside the front door. Catholic, Assembly of God and a Gospel church. At night you cold hear each church going at it. Music, singing, yelling and so on. The airplanes were landing near by and sounded like they were twenty feet above the house. It was hot and the mesqitoes and roaches were having a party. People sat out in front of there houses to cool off. The brick houses were like ovens. The brick held the heat from the sun until about one in the morning. The street was flooded with people coming and going. Kids were shooting off bottle rockets all night long. Sometimes you could hear gun fire and see machine gun trasers. I had to have some beer to calm down. It was just crazy. It was up hill to the house. They had motorcycle taxis. I would go to the store and buy groceries. Someone in the store would be calling out the prices of things. I'd get my things bagged and then get on the back of a motorcycle. and pray that the driver would go slow. It was really an experience since I don't speak Portuguese and I was trying to tell this young kid where I needed to go. As we flew up the road he would weave around people selling brooms, pulling handmade carts and horses pulling carts with cardboard and scrap metal. Children were flying kites in the street trying to down each other kite .We soon arrived and I paid the kid two real. After putting the groceries away I went out in the street to paly football with the street kids, It is hard to play football in the street with shoes on. There is a slight grade on the rock covered road. The children are barefoot as they kick the ball around. I tried to join in and feel on my face. I felt so stupid.. The streets were lined with walls. Ours had a steel door on our wall. I would open the door with my key and go in. The house was old and didn't have a ceiling. You could see the roof tiles. Some were missing from the mangos falling on them and breaking them. When it rained the water came in. There were little ally ways everywhere. People had old cars in their yards. Some people would use the front of a VW to decorate their wall. I went to there Zoo one day and it was closed because the police were trying to catch some kids that had jumped the fence. All of a sudden you could hear shooting and then machine gun fire. I hit the ground and slowly crawled away. This was just a little of my experience in the big city of Rio de Janeiro. Sorry for no paragraphs the computer doesn't like them.
Using phones in Brazil
Accommodation in Brasilia
Dating in Brazil
Marriage in Brazil
Leisure activities in Brazil
Accommodation in Rio de Janeiro
Childcare in Brazil
Driving in Brazil
