flyersfo

It pains me to write this, because I love Rio de Janeiro and have often visited. But it is a very dangerous city, and you should not forget this. Tonight, I had a terrible, and I fear typical, experience. I was walking on Ipamena beach. -- IPANEMA, the most "tourist-friendly" beach in Rio -- and was robbed by a group of knife-wielding teenagers at 9 p.m. There were plenty of people around as I was surrounded by these teenage thugs, who pushed me down and tried to grab everything out of pockets. I screamed "help me," but no one came to my assistance. The gang got the I-Phone out of my pocket, although not my wallet (thank goodness). I tried to run and catch the gang, but again, despite my cries of "stop them," no one helped me. It was very dis-spiriting, if only because the Cariocas nearby seemed to believe there was nothing to be gained -- and much to be risked -- by helping out this poor, dumb western tourist who had dared walk the most famous beach in Rio in the evening. I went to the police station. And while the police officer was very nice, her only guidance was to stay in my hotel at night. Rio is too dangerous after dark, was her guidance. Very sad.

jib71

But good to know that you're in one piece.

IAN-UK

Nasty - but it would be helpful if you be more specific: do you mean you were walking on the beach itself, or on the beachside pavement ?

flyersfo

I was on the beachside pavement, where all of the pedestrians and joggers -- and tourists -- are found. As you know, it's the Rio equivalent of South Beach in Miami or, for that matter, Times Square in New York. I´m still amazed that so many people must have witnessed this thing, and not one tried to help me. Even more amazed that the police and the city government don't realize the public relations damage of leaving Ipanema unprotected from this sort of brazen attack. I sought help at a nearby hotel, and the (very kind but unsurprised) receptionist said this sort of thing happens all the time on Ipanema.

IAN-UK

Very unpleasant incident - but the witnesses reaction was what they are programmed for. Thanks for reportng it - these threads are full of useless comments from fortunate visitors on the lines of "nothing happened to me - so there is no danger".

These incidents can quickly spiral into tragedy, so just as well your pursuit of the thieves was unsuccessful: not too long ago a young Portuguese tourist was knifed on the beach in front of his parents for resisting the theft of his backpack.

FlyingRabbit

I'm sorry to hear this, but sadly I'm not surprised at all. The sad reality is that tourists should not walk alone in the evenings, especially by the beach. I feel ridiculous saying this, as the authorities here should be able to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

One piece of advice though: do not ever EVER chase them. An Italian tourist did that last week and is going home in a coffin. Just let them go and feel lucky all they got was your i-Phone.

3544quebec

I agree such a comment is ridiculous, but I would like to add that I believe comments that "I had a bad experience therefore no-one should go to this place" are equally useless - not that I'm saying this is the OP's message. You need to weigh up the information and decide what level of risk you are happy to accept. Risk vs Benefit. For me the benefits of spending time in Rio outweigh the risks and I decide accordingly.

I think the most disturbing thing about this story is the lack of policing along the beachfront. The tourist revenue that Brasil loses from the dissemination of experiences like the OP's would likely pay several times over the salaries of the police required to keep Copocabana and Ipanema/Leblon much safer. I understand that the Rio state government has lots of other priorities but again Cost vs Benefit. A safer reputation for Rio's tourist precincts would pay back any extra expenditure many times over.

Thanks for the tale flyersfo - will give me pause to think next time I walk back to the Sheraton Rio.

AAEXP

Here is the good thing about FT:
Had you asked in this forum whether it would be a good idea to walk on the Ipanema beach sidewalk at 9pm at night with your Iphone and wallet, my answer would clearly have been a NO and I suspect that most other knowledgeable people would have said the same. If you wanted to walk there at that time, my suggestion would have been to bring only some small cash (R$ 20 or 30) just in case someone would hold you up and in all cases I would have said NEVER to run after your assailants.

fiona

I thought at first you had actually been walking on the beach. But the pavement is well used so it must have been very frightening.Its a pity they don't have security at regular intervals. The last time we went they were definitely there during the day.
We had discussed the safety fear before the first time we went. We decided that if were going to be robbed then so be it. We would on no account put up resistance or chase them. I'd rather lose some money than my life. However, its easy to say that and perhaps not so easy to follow it when it happens to you. I actually take off my rings when I arrive and leave them in the safe. I won't wear any expensive jewellery or even costume jewellery that looks expensive. Designer handbags are left at home. We dont take the camera or phone out at night and OH will have some money in his pocket and most of it hidden in his sock!
Even if we lost little though, it would still have a huge effect on the rest of my holiday.
Sorry you went through that and hope you can put it behind you as best you can.

DesertNomad

And people tell me I should not visit Iran, Syria and Jordan. This sort of thing never happens there. Do the Brazilian police and government even care?

IAN-UK

I've never seen street-crime cited as reasons not to visit any of those countries; and nobody with an opinion I respect has advised in any way against travel to Syria or Jordan.

The situation in Rio has improved significantly over the years I have been visiting. Of course the authorities care: the tourism industry is important to the state and the city, as is the security of residents. But Rio's extremes of wealth/consumption and poverty/hopelessness in very close proximity, coupled with easy pickings from less-than-careful tourists, makes an explosive mix. It's difficult to fully control in a way acceptable to all parties, and tackling the root causes will take many years. In the meantime, Rio is not a place to avoid, just one where you should exercise caution.

zadirk

I had the same thing happen 6 years ago in Copacabana, but my to thugs had a gun. I did not meet any other tourist there that stated they didn't get robbed.
Rio = dangerous

Jaimito Cartero

Street crime, scams and expensive visas are why I don't visit Brazil more. I spent about 4 weeks in Rio 4 years ago. It is a lovely town, but you have to be prepared to give it all up, if robbed. This is not only a problem in Brazil, of course. I try to have fairly inexpensive cameras and cheap unlocked phones wherever I go. That way, if robbed, I'm out $100 or $200 at the most.

Paulista

Welcome to FT, seems that the "Dangerous Rio" thread has really inspired you to join this community.

Now with regards to what you said, I can't deny your own personal private experiences.

But I can surely say that the vast, vast majority of the tourists that visit Rio do NOT get robbed.

Paulista

What? A visa should be good for several years and they are expensive as a Visa to visit the U.S.

Scamming is not a widespread problem for tourists visiting Brazil but if you were a serial victim here I am sorry. I am not saying that scam does not occur, but this is certainly not the rule either.