United States tourists are bedazzled by photos and videos of Copacabana and Ipanema, which are beautiful, but the truth is not stated:
- Just one block inland, there is garbage in the public way and rats big enough to tackle a bobcat
- Guanabara Bay is heavily polluted, but nobody knows how many tourists become ill or die from accidental ingestion of its waters
- Assault and armed robbery take place on the sands of these two prestigious beaches, even under the noses of local police
- Gangs of boys from the favelas that surround the city prowl the beaches, ready to snatch up valuables and run for the hills – literally
- Police are as corrupt as the criminals in Rio – and armed, to boot
Other cities and towns in Brazil are not as dangerous as Rio, although Sao Paulo comes close…and it is heavily polluted. Why the Olympic Committee chose Rio as the venue for Winter Olympics -2016 is beyond me, except they thought they would buttress the Lula de Silva and Rousseff disastrous socialist-imposed failed economy.
I speak Portuguese rather well, and I have traveled extensively to Brazil, but now, as a retiree, I would NEVER AGAIN visit.
J-P. A. Maldonado
Lafayette, Colorado
