Arts & Humanities 2014 world cup in Brasil

[Worldheroxx]

Anyone making plans to go?

The greatest party on earth meets the greatest, and most dangerous, party cities on earth (Rio De Janeiro)

The opportunity of a lifetime.. you could die very easily..but after experiencing this you will die happily..fk me its gonna be huge. Get an apartment overlooking copacobana beach, o lago,

 

[Worldheroxx]

Perfect beach

Meets High Rise, 20 floor+ hotels

Meets mountains

Meets Favelas (Brasilian slums)

And the whole fking world is there to party...omg...i cannot wait

 

[neng]

Gotta get past 2012 first...

 

[magic_johnson!]

Gonna be 21...PARTY!!

 

[Tigerdrive]

Will be the last good WC for a few years.

 

[Tulip]

Maybe.

But you could seriously die very easily.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

what the ****?

Listen to all the nervous nellies. "Most dangerous city"; "you could die". ****ing please

I have just returned from a trip upon which I spent quite a bit of time in Rio, including the favelas.

Guess what? Didn't get robbed, mugged, hurt or murdered. What a shock eh!!!! In fact, the people in the favelas tend to be incredibly friendly, although to be fair I wasn't trying to sell coke on their turf or anything.

Seriously, it's just another ****ing city. Like any city, keep your wits and be sensible and you won't have an issue. Act like a ****head and you might. Just like Melbourne. In fact, Rio is surprisingly first world.

The only damage you're going to do in Rio is to your bank account. It's ****ing expensive, one of the most expensive cities I've ever visited, which includes London, Rome, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, LA, Bangkok, Vegas and Mumbai amongst others. A$1 gives you 1.7 Reals, and a coffee is 5 real, and that's with the strong Aussie dollar. Whatever you do, don't buy shrimp, unless you want to pay 110 Real for a shrimp cocktail (about $85)

I would LOVE to go back for the WC. Be one of the best things you could ever do

 

[pepsi]

Will be the last good WC for a few years.

Agree. Have no interest to go to Russia or Qatar for the World Cup so Brazil in 2014 is going to be the one. Cannot wait think it will be absolutely sensational.

 

[bok_party]

Organise a Bigfooty trip for everyone to attend same hotels games etc. Be like a Footballing Contiki.

 

[clarkoscluster]

I've already whacked this in the mental diary. Would be immense.

Always wanted to experience the South American culture, but never had the chance. Got 3 years to get the savings happening so money shouldn't be an issue. Also, always been desperate to attend a WC, but again, I've never had the chance. Very much looking forward to it.

 

[The Passenger]

Lance Uppercut is on the ball with his post.

as for the op, it's definately something i've considered.... though i'd probably lean more to going to the 2016 olympics. being centred in one city would make the party better for mine.

if i get could to both i wouldn't turn it down.

 

[Caesar]

Err, the point about it being perfectly possible to stay safe in Rio is well taken, but I definitely wouldn't describe it as "just like Melbourne". Things have got a bit better in the last couple of years as they try to clean up pre-WC but it's still far from great. Brazil and Rio still have some of the highest crime rates in the world.

Fair enough that stuff linked to organised crime usually doesn't involve tourists, and a large part of the homicide rate is to do with the wars between the police/military and the drug cartels.

However there is a shitload of stuff that catches visitors every year. Carjackings, express kidnappings (where they take you at gunpoint to an ATM and make you clean it out), sexual assaults, muggings, robberies, in addition to your usual pickpocketing are all ridiculously rife and frequently directed at tourists. During times when there are high numbers of visitors in the city (like Carnivale) they are often specifically targeted.

Yes, there are some areas of Rio that are very first world, but there is a lot more of the place that fits the other side of the coin. By no means am I saying don't go, but to treat it like any other major city in the world is very dangerous. You do need to be very careful.

 

[moistie]

I was in Rio 10 years ago, didn't even sniff any trouble. I wasn't at all concerned about my safety, I went out to nightclubs and walked an hour to get home, went out to various districts and partied all night and never once felt threatened. Some of the guys I was with jokingly wanted to start a mugging service where you got given a t-shirt that read "I got mugged in Rio and all I got was this lousy t-shirt".

So long as you stick to the touristy, up-market areas at night you're safe. I spent most my time in Copacobana and Ipanema, went to Lapa and a few clubs. Just avoid the favelas once the sun goes down.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Err, the point about it being perfectly possible to stay safe in Rio is well taken, but I definitely wouldn't describe it as "just like Melbourne". Things have got a bit better in the last couple of years as they try to clean up pre-WC but it's still far from great. Brazil and Rio still have some of the highest crime rates in the world.

Fair enough that stuff linked to organised crime usually doesn't involve tourists, and a large part of the homicide rate is to do with the wars between the police/military and the drug cartels.

However there is a shitload of stuff that catches visitors every year. Carjackings, express kidnappings (where they take you at gunpoint to an ATM and make you clean it out), sexual assaults, muggings, robberies, in addition to your usual pickpocketing are all ridiculously rife and frequently directed at tourists. During times when there are high numbers of visitors in the city (like Carnivale) they are often specifically targeted.

Yes, there are some areas of Rio that are very first world, but there is a lot more of the place that fits the other side of the coin. By no means am I saying don't go, but to treat it like any other major city in the world is very dangerous. You do need to be very careful.

disingenuous. I didn't describe Rio as "just like Melbourne"; I said that if you keep your wits you should be fine, but if you act like a dick you mightn't be. Just like in Melbourne. Just like any other major city in the world, as you yourself have pointed out.

Hyperbole about "maybe dying" is rubbish. I felt more threatened by taking a cab in La Paz than I did Rio. You're probably just as likely to get in a fight with an Aussie bogan on a saturday night out in Melbourne than get assaulted in Copacabana.

Particularly when the eyes of the world are on them during the WC, the streets will be awash with cops. Yeah, some people will get pickpocketed, some mugged. You'd be an idiot to expect different. But if you take basic levels of caution it's highly unlikely

 

[Caesar]

Well come on. When gunmen take tourists hostage in a luxury hotel during a shootout with police, like they did at the Rio Intercontinental a few months ago, it's more than just a risk to people who aren't careful.

Most travellers who are careful and follow advice will probably be safe anywhere they go, but the reality is that Rio is a lot less safe than most big cities. Playing down the risks isn't sensible.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Well come on. When gunmen take tourists hostage in a luxury hotel during a shootout with police, like they did at the Rio Intercontinental a few months ago, it's more than just a risk to people who aren't careful.

Most travellers who are careful and follow advice will probably be safe anywhere they go, but the reality is that Rio is a lot less safe than most destinations.

I don't really get the point you're trying to make. I've been to Mumbai, too, where armed gunman took over a hotel. Nothing happened to me there, either. I've been to a city where 3000 people died in a terrorist attack, and that was once considered highly unsafe: New York. No issues.

Melbourne has had a gangland war recently, where people were shot dead by the dozens. We've had a random gunman shoot people in a crowded street (Hoddle Street).

The point I'm making is that you can't worry about going to different places because shit has happened. All you can do is go and take basic precautions. Not going because it might potentially be dangerous is, in my opinion, highly stupid.

Edit: who's playing down the risks? The odds of you getting caught up in something like that are very, very small. Tiny. More so if you take a basic level of care. That's not "playing down the risks" to state that, it's fact.

 

[Caesar]

I'm not saying people shouldn't go. I'm saying compared to most cities in the world, Rio is highly unsafe and it behooves people to be aware of that when visiting.

Places like Rio and Joburg are lovely cities and well worth the trip, but to claim that you're at no more risk than places like Melbourne and NYC as long as you're a sensible traveller is just not correct.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I'm not saying people shouldn't go. I'm saying compared to most cities in the world, Rio is highly unsafe and it behooves people to be aware of that when visiting.

Places like Rio and Joburg are lovely cities and well worth the trip, but to claim that you're at no more risk than places like Melbourne and NYC as long as you're a sensible traveller is just not correct.

what are you saying then? People should wander around these more dangerous cities with armed guards maybe? Scuttle about and not meet anyones gaze?

I mean, seriously, apart from take a basic level of caution, what are you suggesting people should do with your special warning that they are not as safe as they are in Melbourne or NYC?

What point are you trying to make, or are you just arguing for the sake of it?

 

[Caesar]

I'm just saying there is no need to scoff at people for being nervous nellies for acknowledging that Rio is a dangerous city - even if you're just a tourist.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I'm just saying there is no need to scoff at people for being nervous nellies for acknowledging that Rio is a dangerous city - even if you're just a tourist.

nah sorry, I think I'll keep scoffing actually

If you are too scared to visit somewhere because of it's reputation you deserve a good scoffing, and that's pretty much the point I was making with the initial post

 

[TheSaviour]

I've done the past two world cup and Brazil will be my third.

 

[fairdinkum]

I have already set myself the goal of learning Portuguese and saving up some serious dollars in order to attend and make the most of the 2014 World Cup.

I was in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup and it was sensational.

Hopefully in three years time I am bumping this thread and boasting of my proficiency in the language and healthy bank account.

 

[Unstable]

The economy in Brazil is vastly improving and the government has taken real step in fighting the gangs and drug lords in the Favelas. By some reports is has been able to take over some large sections of the slums and control it. The overall situation in Brazil is improving both socially and financially and in 2014, it will be even better. 2014 WC in Brazil, will be the party of a lifetime, not to be missed

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I have already set myself the goal of learning Portuguese and saving up some serious dollars in order to attend and make the most of the 2014 World Cup.

I was in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup and it was sensational.

Hopefully in three years time I am bumping this thread and boasting of my proficiency in the language and healthy bank account.

Good call on the Portuguese.

I am so unbelievably there it's not funny. Plan to start a masters degree that year, so may just take the entire year off.

 

[Octavia]

wanna go so badly

lets tee up a bigfooty WC trip haha