Hostages taken at de luxe hotel in Rio

Hi all,
Typically I write about the pleasanter things here in Rio and Brazil – and there are many to write about. But I won’t deny that there are severe problems, endemic problems. Foremost among these in Rio is crime fueled by the war against drug traffickers.
The most recent battle erupted last weekend when a caravan of [...]

Friday Postcard: Lagoa Coconut

Hi all,
Wow, it´s Friday again already. It seems like time goes faster every year. Zoom zoom zoom.
One of the things that I like about the Brazilian culture is that they do know how to kick back and relax. Brazilians also know that the simple pleasures are the best.
One of my favorite simple pleasures here is [...]

InterNations.Org

Hi all,
Recently I have gotten a number of inquiries from other guys who are thinking of making the move to Brazil.
While a move abroad isn´t for everyone, for me it certainly has worked out well. I´ve never looked back. That said, getting established in a new country presents challenges. It helps to have friends who [...]

Friday Postcard: Fisherman casting his hand net

Hi all,
Folks who have never traveled to a developing country often imagine that developing countries are uninformly poor and backward. In truth, what you will see in a developing country are marked contrasts, with, for example, a homeless man sleeping on the street in front of a towering office building. (Hey, kind of reminds you [...]

Friday Postcard: Brazilian Churrasco

Hi all,
Wow, this week really flew by! After some rain during the week, the sky looks beautiful this morning. Maybe I will hit the beach this weekend.
Often in the Friday postcards I show photos of beautiful scenery – of which there is no shortage here. But one of the other attractions of Brazil is its food. [...]

Assorted questions

Hi all,
Reader Gary Duncan listened to the recent podcast in which I interviewed my friend Cristiano Nogueira, author of the guidebook Rio for Partiers. Gary had a few follow-up questions:
Enjoyed the podcast with Cristiano. Are there any programs in Rio that would allow a visitor to have lunch, dinner, or even a cafezinho with fellow [...]

Podcast: Chat with Cristiano Nogueira about Rio de Janeiro

Hi all,

I had only been in Rio a couple of weeks when I was lucky enough to meet Critstiano Nogueira, the man who literally wrote the book on Rio. His guidebook, Rio for Partiers, has won lots of awards and is currently in its 8th edition. Pick up a copy and you’ll see why. It [...]

Sand Sculpture: Christ welcomes you to the 2016 Olympics

Hi all,
I hope that you are winding down a great week. My week was busy, but productive.
The World Cup has come and (mercifully) gone. Rio is now looking to the next games, in 2014.  And on the heels of World Cup 2014 are the 2016 Olympics. There is lots of debate about whether Rio will [...]

So how did I move to Brazil?

Hi all,
I am becoming very Carioca. Today was the beautiful sunny day, and I was able to knock off at noon. So rather than do the things I should have been doing, I went to the beach. And good lord was it great! Perfect weather. And it´s the winter break at the universities, so the [...]

Friday Postcard: Barra in the 1940s

Hi all,
Well, my Mac up and died again. I am hoping that it once again springs back to life. Meanwhile, I am making due with my netbook.
Today I’d like to introduce a series. I’ll be presenting a number of writings and photos by Sid Alford, a friend of my father. Sid was married to a Brazilian [...]