I started off my year in Rio de Janeiro, on the sandy beaches of Copacabana and dancing with 2.5 million other people (post photo). New Years was a hell of a party and one that I’ll never forget. Just think about it – 2.5 million, all there, jumping, shouting and drinking and celebrating in one of the world’s most famous beaches. I loved it.
But I didn’t go just for the party –I finally spent around one and a half month in Brazil, living and traveling around different cities. Not a long trip, but still a spectacular experience. It was a great way to kick off the year and to give me energy for all the projects I have in the loop.
And, as always, the times there left me lasting lessons – Just like my times in Romania and Greece did.
One Thing First
Mind: Brazil is very similar to Argentina (where I’m native from.) They speak Portuguese, a language that close to Spanish that could well be a dialect. Brazilian cuisine doesn’t differ much from what I’m used to and the national passion is the same as here: football. Cariocas (the locals from Rio) are, though more open minded, still as unorganized as people in Buenos Aires (or even worse).
As much as I love Europe, I’m not so sure if it’s a place I could settle for the long term. With Rio is different. I could well stay in Rio for the rest of my life if I had to – It’s like the same kind of dance.
Lesson #1: People Will Fuck You Up
It pisses me off to spend my time arranging trips, calling people, renting cars, buses, airplanes and all that stuff. If there’s one thing I hate about travel, that’s it. When I’m on the road I’m more of the adventure-type than the plan-it-all dude. So I always pray for things to stay simple and uncomplicated. Tricky thing.
And in a society of global hysteria -Buenos Aires- or of global “whatever” -Rio de Janeiro-, those like me are doomed. Here’s why:
To my great despair, I started looking for apartments in Rio before leaving. I just had to – I needed a place to crash. So before getting to the city I had already contacted this lady and settled a rent deal. Place seemed good, prize was fine and location was superb. I was dancing in joy.
But I was careful. When she said “Ok, Mario, I wait for you X-day to arrange the final terms” my inner soul said “she’s lying, don’t trust her.” So, to make sure I wouldn’t have any problems I went around the usual just-in-case questions:
“Are you sure I can count on you?”
“Yes,” she answers.
And, to make sure that it’s certain I ask again:
“Are you REALLY sure? I could send you an advance now if you prefer.”
“No, it’s ok. You trust me.”
When I was speaking with her I had the feeling that something was not right. Don’t know why; it was just an intuition. So I reserved another apartment – Just in case, so I could have a back-up plan if other lady fooled with me. This other owner was equally confident that the room would be mine.
So guess what? The first woman rented the apartment to someone else and didn’t even say “sorry.” The second one didn’t even pick up the phone. She then answered an email saying she had also rented it and that I should look for something else.
Boom. It was not a tragedy as there were many more apartments to choose, but it still pissed the hell out of me. I had to then spend days searching for new deals, visiting rooms and dealing with more of those people. That killed me; I was really mad. Needless to say, it kept happening and not only with individual owners. The real estate agencies I contacted later were equally mean. “It’s the Brazilian way” my friends said.
I can’t say, though, that the lesson is then to speak with five owners and get the apartment I can. This is wrong. I can’t be as bitch as they were and, even if I contact five, they might still all rent the apartment to someone else.
Next time I will still contact these kinds of people, but I won’t make them my only option. I’ll leave the first days of the trip strictly to look for the apartment – just in case. I won’t go with the relaxed and chilled state of mind until I can get my place to live. It’s not my ideal world solution but certainly the only one that appears to work in places like Rio.
Lesson #2: Always Carry Cash With You
I’ll keep insisting: you must always carry cash with you. If I hadn’t while I was in Brazil I would have been doomed.
The reason for this is that banks are evil. You probably know that by now. Even if they couldn’t make the world completely collapse, they still have the power to ruin your vacations. I didn’t know about their fierce commitment for the latter, but let me tell you one thing: we won’t let them.
After thirty or so days in Brazil my bank noticed “Wow, this guy is taking way too much money out.” Not that good for the bank, they must have thought, so they just blocked all of my cards. No ATMs, no credit cards and I couldn’t even spend a penny out of my debit card. All frozen.
When I call, all angry and pissed, Mrs. Machine answers: “We won’t be attending until Monday at 9.00am. Thank you.” And this was a Friday night. I didn’t have any urgent thing to pay, but what if?
The next Monday, I call equally angry and irritated. The best I get, after an eternity complaining, is that they would unblock my cards – for everything but taking money out of the ATM. Still sucks, and they justify all the problems by saying that “they thought my card was stolen” and “an automatic system” blocked it. I then had to either wait for a new card to be sent or do some personal paperwork back in Argentina. Fuck you.
Back home I took all the money out and closed my account on that bank, forever. Not without shouting and bashing everyone on my way. Not the right thing to do, perhaps, but good for my spirit. And, as a traveler that I am, I just can’t let that happen once again. I was in Rio – cool. What if it happens in Mongolia? I’ll then have to sell my kidneys to live on.
Thankfully, I didn’t have anything urgent to pay. Didn’t have to buy myself a ticket out of Brazil, pay the rent, or get a doctor to check on me. But what would have happened if I really needed that? Yeah, maybe I could have asked friends for it. But you shouldn’t go depending on someone else to save your day. Save it before it’s even in danger – carry cash with you.
Lesson #3: Don’t Worry, Be Happy
I love many things about Brazil, but one above all: the people (except those in the real-state area.) Brazil is the land of carnival, of sun, of joy, of happiness, of football and of Brazilian women. It’s blessed with the best climate, thousands of kilometers of spectacular beaches and good food. And people are happy. They transmit you this happiness – It’s never all gloom and sorrow, it’s always a big smile and the will to have a nice time.
I met people on the buses, on the street, on the beach as well as in bars and clubs. I even went out with a girl I met swimming in the ocean. People are this friendly and open. We should all learn from the Brazilians. To relieve from stress and live the day with a smile it’s something I recommend to all of you.
I treasure this above all. Every morning I woke up gloomy, tired and sleepy I was suddenly awakened by shouting friends, good music and lots of smiles. It made me walk through the day in another mood – much more like them.
Give this life of happiness a try. You don’t have to go to Brazil to do it. If we all thanked for the beautiful world we have, for the opportunities waiting in front of us and for all the special people we meet in our lives, we could make the world a better place. Or, at least, we could make it a bit closer to what Brazil is. It shouldn’t be that hard if we all work together.
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Copenhagen, Denmark.