There are tourists who manage to get mugged twice in 2 weeks, get threatened with knives and guns, jumped by a group of , etc. Usually they are those people who don't listen to the advice of locals. So don't get scared off by my advice, but the more you stick to my safety precautions, the less chance you run to get into trouble.
10 years ago, downtown on busy Rio Branco street, in plain daytime, a guy once stuck his hand in my pocket. He grabbed some cash and my car keys and ran. I yelled after him to drop my car key, which he obliged. He does not want to be caught with my car keys in his pocket, nor does he want me running after him for my car keys.
I DONT WANT TO SCARE ANYONE OFF. RIO CAN BE NAVIGATED FAIRLY SAFELY, IF YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE DANGERS, YOU CAN AVOID THEM MORE EASILY. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, TAKE PRECAUTIONS, THEN RELAX AND ENJOY
For the purpose of behaving safely, imagine Rio being like the worst neighborhood you have ever heard off. Bronx, Watts, some harbor or squatter area in your home country. If you are not streetwise, if you only spent your entire life in fairly safe neighborhoods, you might seriously consider hiring a tourist guide. Don knows how to prevent people from getting themselves in trouble. Or if you stay in my guest room, you will be reminded by me how to behave safely.
Street smartness cannot be taught in a few paragraphs on paper, though I will try.
THE GOOD NEWS IS
* nobody is interested in kidnapping foreigners for ransom. Unlike some countries in Asia, Africa or elsewhere in South America.
* nobody is interested in beating you up, just because they hate your nation, your race. Unlike tough neighborhoods in Europe or the US, where racial tensions fester.
* thugs just want your money, your valuables, etc
People don't want to harm you, provided, of course, you don't piss anyone off. Especially you don't irritate any crime boss, girls with ghetto connections, police, etc. It might be wise to forget injustice done to you then to embark on revenge beating. Even a police complaint irritates people, put you in the "snitch" category. Just keep a low profile and don't irritate anyone. At all cost avoid getting drunk and getting into an argument or fight.
If you don't know what you are doing, choose a hotel over an apartment. Hotel staff can protect you from most dumb mistakes you might commit. Pick a hotel that calls you when your guest leaves, to make sure you are awake and aware she left. Not sure if many hotels here do this safety precaution.
(self serving spam follows
You also might consider renting a suite in my apartment 2 blocks from Help. If you follow my precautions, then it is almost as safe as in a hotel. Email me at 1234567 at innocent dot com for more info (/end self serving spam) Some do's and don'ts
A. MONEY MATTERS
* Don't wear expensive watches, gold chains etc. Expensive watch is anything over US$ 10, or anything that could be mistaken for it. Best wear none at all.The loss of the value of the gold chain is less disturbing then the cut you get on your neck when the mugger tears it off.
* Do always carry "mugging money". Imagine you are a mugging professional, you risk your life holding up a rich gringo, and then the sucker carries only R$ 7.50. Wouldn't you get pissed? And teach the guy a lesson, giving him a little stab or punch? Don't disappoint a mugger, always carry some money, I would say at least R$ 80
* Don't bring all your trip money in cash! These guys with US$ 5000 in their travel bags encourage thieves to prey on foreigners and endanger everyone. On top of this, for the last 10 years the cash exchange rate has been consistently 5-15 centavos per US$ lower then the ATM exchange rate. If you have cash, I can phone a cambio for you to get a better exchange rate. Tourist guides get commission or, alternatively, a better exchange rate, 2-5 centavos more.
* Don't carry your US$ 3000 in your money belt all day long, just because you don't trust the cleaning lady in your apartment. I know a case where the Help girl saw the wad of dollars. She invited the gringo to a romantic walk at the beach, and called her low life gangster friend to come and mug them.
* Do bring several ATM cards in case one does not work or gets lost. Call your bank to tell them you are going to Brazil (so they don't block your card once you start using it here) and increase their withdrawal limits. Thus one ATM visit can get you enough cash for a while and you don't have to go to the ATM every 2 days. Or make advance deposits to your credit card so you can take out money without the cash advance fee.
* Do use the Citibank ATM in Ipanema, Visconde de Pirajá opposite to Hotel Vermont. It seems much safer to me then the Blockbuster Citibank ATM in Copacabana. Cover the ATM machine with your body, so people cannot really see the big wad of money you pull out of there. Don't count the money. The R$ 1000 you are waving around in full view of everybody are 3 months of minimum wage salary. Don't stick the money into your front or back pocket where it gives a telltale square bulge. I always carry a backpack, which makes it harder for the thief to figure out where the money is. Get a taxi immediately when you get out of the bank, or better have the taxi wait for you already. Taxis cannot wait for you in front of the Copacabana Blockbuster Citibank ATM.
People in regular Brazilian banks go to ATM machines to pull out small amounts like R$ 30 or R$ 100. Citibank only has rich customers. If I were a mugger, I would wait in front of Citibank and then hold the customer up 3 blocks away.
Other banks for you to use your foreign ATM are: Banco do Brazil at corner Franciso Sá with Av N S Copacabana. Out of 20 ATM machines, only 4 of them have the Cirrus/Mastercard/Visa/Plus sticker. Only these will work. HSBC bank also works, but less reliably and it seems at a slightly worse exchange rate.
* When mugged, don't fight back. Just be very calm, polite, and give them what they want. I read a story of a Karate black belt who resisted a 12 year old mugger. The kid's 13 year old accomplice just shot the black belt. The only people that get hurt or killed are those who fight back. Accept your financial losses, your life is more important!!
10 years ago, "O Globo" newspaper showed a series of photos on the front page. A band of little street kids ran off with a watch of a foreign tourist. His companian took off his watch and held it up, offering it to the kids. They need it more then he does! On the last photo the tourists and the kids hang out together in a lovey-dovey way. Interesting story, but it is not recommended to imitate, better keep a low profile.
Some guys frequently give food (not money) to the street kids under the theory that they will protect him this way. Makes some sense to me.
B) STREET BEHAVIOR, TAXIS
* Do use taxis. They are safer then private cars. The big criminals do not want to anger taxi drivers. It is taxis who bring customers up the favelas to the drug house. Small criminals don't want to mug a taxi either. Look around how many taxis you see. A thief risks to get beaten up by 10 irate taxi drivers. If he is armed, he will be shadowed by honking taxis.
* Do preferentially use a taxi that you can track down. Like one that always stays in front of your hotel, whose license and home phone number you verified, etc.
* Do try to blend in. If you don't look like an obvious foreigner, you are less of a target. If you speak English with each other, speak at a low voice, so people 30 feet away don't notice immediately that you are tourist to be preyed upon.
* The only place to walk in the dark with some safety is the Avenida Atlantica sidewalk on the side where the buildings are. The beachside of Atlantica is less safe. Don't even dream of walking the dark side streets of Copacabana at 3 am. Take a taxi at night, even if you go only 3 blocks. If you are in front of Help, flag down a taxi on the street, unless the taxis parked in front of Help offer you to go by the meter.
* If you really must get drunk, have someone sober watch out for you. Walking home at 3 am, in a visibly drunk state, is not advisable.
* Don't think the early daytime hours from 6 am to 8 am are safe. They are prime mugging time. Police is not yet up in full force, and the criminals are hard working and getting up early!
* If you need to carry a camera, wrap it into a (Brazilian) supermarket bag. Don't carry your camera proudly in a NIKON camera bag. Taking photos in the street or on the beach is basically unsafe behavior. Totally paranoid people like me take photos only at home. Serious professional photographers hire 2 professional bodyguards for photo sessions. Or take the photos at "Praia Vermelha" in the military zone. Or do it next to a police post on the beach and then head straight for a taxi.
* Don't pull out your wallet to give money to street vendors or street kids. This way they get a chance to see how much money you have, and a chance to snatch the wallet. Rather have some small change in your pocket for such purposes
* Do always get small change (R$ 10 and below). Whenever you are at a place that has lots of cash (supermarket, restaurant, ...) always pay with your R$ 50 or R$ 100 bills, so you get plenty of change. If you have only R$ 100 bills, you might starve or have to walk.
C) APARTMENT SAFETY
If you rent apartments, be aware of the following problems
* people might slip Rohypnol, the date rape drug, into your drink, and then accompany you home. Or do the same when they are already in your home. Then they clean out all valuables and cash from your apartment. This procedure is called "boa noite Cinderella", good night Cinderella.
* if you take a girl home overnight, the lesser problem is that she might get hold of the key, grab your cash, and leave. I heard a more unpleasant story. The girl unlocked the door, then laid down to sleep again. Later her thug friends would go to the apartment, beat up the gringo and take all valuables. They would slap the girl around too, so nobody would suspect she is an accomplice.
* think it over if it is worth having a girl overnight. An overnight stay with a girl that works at a termas is much safer, as the termas has her documents. A girl from the street or from Help is much riskier.
* Make sure you hide your key well, so she cannot get out. Personally, I don't think you can safely hide a key in an almost empty tourist apartment, unless the apartment has a number-locked safe (and you make sure the girl cannot see you type the number). Distant second best bets are number locked luggage or putting key under the mattress you sleep on.
If a girl can get the key, then the lesser evil is if she grabs some of your belongings and runs off with them. A worse case was observed by a friend of mine: the girl grabbed the key, unlocked the door, and went back to sleep. 2 hours later, her gangster friends came by, beat up the gringo, slapped the girl a few times so she would look like a victim too, and took off with all the guy's belongings. Torture to get at your safe combination lock number or your ATM pin number is another unpleasant possibility.
* personally, in my supreme paranoia, I wouild be worried that some prior tenant's criminal girlfriend might have made a copy of your apartment key. I am surprised I have not heard of any problem arising from copied keys. In my apartment, I have keys that cannot be copied.
My intention is not to scare you off so much that you don't come here. Just be worried enough so you take the necessary precautions. Be aware of the dangers, take necessary precautions, then relax. Read my post about "Safe places to hang out or to hike" in part 1 of this series