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Going to Rio?


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Danny, the allure of the one-eyed snake is universal. ;)

"Universal" does not mean the culture of the place you live in...

The vast majority of Brazilians never saw a snake in real life or care about them... Nor most of Brazilians weren't kidnapped inside a taxi like some Hollywood movie about "that strange continent where everybody speaks Spanish* in the middle of a jungle"...

Stereotypes...

*Portuguese is by a small margin the most spoken language in South America...

Giant snakes are cool.

I'm not that keen on animals...

Edited by DannyelBrazil
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Every host outside the media cops criticism...and some do it in vain attempts at political gain. Look at London 2012, Mitt Romney's attack on security systems...prebooked ticket holders no shows...

It will always happen. Just keep driving forward. In the end it's the athletes and those spectators attending that will judge, and it's usually 95% positive. (The stuff media always ignore)

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Every host outside the media cops criticism...and some do it in vain attempts at political gain. Look at London 2012, Mitt Romney's attack on security systems...prebooked ticket holders no shows...

It will always happen. Just keep driving forward. In the end it's the athletes and those spectators attending that will judge, and it's usually 95% positive. (The stuff media always ignore)

That's really true, Alexjc

Well, let's move forward and leave the thread for those with question about planning the trip to Rio.

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  • 9 months later...

I'm going! This week I finally booked the flight. I arrive one week before the start of the Olympics. First a few days Brasilia (must visit for an architect) and then to Rio. Departure on the last Friday of the Games. Hotel is basic but sufficient. (and well located) I hope to find a better hotel in the last months before the Olympics. I have so far tickets for athletics, hockey, fencing, beach volleyball, archery and the marathon.

I am really looking forward to it!!!

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I'm going! This week I finally booked the flight. I arrive one week before the start of the Olympics. First a few days Brasilia (must visit for an architect) and then to Rio. Departure on the last Friday of the Games. Hotel is basic but sufficient. (and well located) I hope to find a better hotel in the last months before the Olympics. I have so far tickets for athletics, hockey, fencing, beach volleyball, archery and the marathon.

I am really looking forward to it!!!

I got my flight tickets too. VERY expensive. Usually the ticket from Chile to Rio is about 250-300 USD. Now I got it for 580 USD!!!!!!

I'm going for gymnastics, volleyball, beach volleyball and basketball
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The vast majority of Brazilians never saw a snake in real life or care about them...

Is this really true? Do Brazilians not let wild animals live in their cities? There are snakes in American cities, so it's hard to believe there wouldn't be any in Brazil. Well, at least there are in cities in the American West.

Personally I am much less afraid of the animals of Brazil than I am of Australian critters. There are a ridiculous amount of poisonous animals there. And Brazil's reptiles are also much less scary. I would be willing to swim with a caiman, but it would take an awful lot of money to convince me to swim with a saltwater crocodile.

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Is this really true? Do Brazilians not let wild animals live in their cities? There are snakes in American cities, so it's hard to believe there wouldn't be any in Brazil. Well, at least there are in cities in the American West.

Personally I am much less afraid of the animals of Brazil than I am of Australian critters. There are a ridiculous amount of poisonous animals there. And Brazil's reptiles are also much less scary. I would be willing to swim with a caiman, but it would take an awful lot of money to convince me to swim with a saltwater crocodile.

Nacre, while most of main American cities are small downtowns rounded by huge suburban areas (it seems Australia have a lot of suburbs American style too).

Main Brazilian cities are like downtown districts everywhere with tons of buildings and avenues and not much big green areas. That's why most of urban population of Brazil never saw a snake or a monkey in the streets... This is just another Hollywood Stereotype...

I never saw a monkey or a snake in the streets of Rio or Sao Paulo or Santos (where I live now) and know nobody that saw them anytime inside the city...

Sao Paulo

trasnporte-de-van-para-cidade-de-sao-pau

Curitiba

Curitiba_Trinario_e_densidade_77_02_2006

Belo Horizonte

Belo_Horizonte_(2).jpg

Santos

Monte_Serrat_pic09.jpg

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There are snakes, monkeys (many many monkeys) and other animals in Rio, but inside the parks and forests of the city (there are two forests: the 'Tijuca National Park' and the 'Park of Pedra Branca').

I love animals and nature.

A view of the city's natural landscape:

21471334111_a3fa4c54c8_b.jpg


There are alligators in some places of Barra da Tijuca (the heart of the Games), but in isolated areas. I love it.

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Is this really true? Do Brazilians not let wild animals live in their cities? There are snakes in American cities, so it's hard to believe there wouldn't be any in Brazil. Well, at least there are in cities in the American West.

Are you talking about squirrels or scary looking animals? If it's the latter, then

you make it sound like an average day in Brazilian urban life is dysfunctionally run by jungle animals that swing off the flagpoles, and hop on buildings, jacking cats while going down hills along the way. You get that from Jumanji or something?

I don't really think anybody would see snakes just slithering down main street or whatever and people being all cool about it in any country. Animals mostly like green space and dirt, and like Danny said, urban Brazil doesn't have much of that so I don't think you'll be seeing a money chilling on the street anytime soon. Rats could work, but they really don't seem like "wild" animals to me. I've seen a snake before, though, but I was right next to a huge park trail that winds through hills.

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I've seen lots of snakes, including the deadly ones, on the bush fringes in Oz, but never in the city/suburbs. Funnel web spiders, though, aren't that rare in a Sydney leafy suburb backyard come summer. But everyone knows to avoid them. Lots of local birdlife in the cities - cockatoos and kookaburras. And possums inhabit the suburban and city parks. A roo is rare in the cities... But my local council informed us just the other day we have a colony of bandicoots living on the verges around the local rail line.

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Maybe I am biased from living in Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada. Lots of people in Seattle actually like having garter snakes around to eat the slugs in their gardens and put out sunning rocks for them. The slugs are honestly the worst thing here.

hugebananaslug.jpg

Edited by Nacre
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What about large/poisonous spiders?

(Not a great fan of those ;) )

Not in cities, but in the countryside, yes, dozens of spiders, not sure which ones were poisonous or not... lol

I'm not a huge fan too.

I spent my carnaval holiday in a state park this year and I saw tons of insects and weird animals... Gosh, it was terrible.

Edited by DannyelBrazil
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Not in cities, but in the countryside, yes, dozens of spiders, not sure which ones were poisonous or not... lol

I'm not a huge fan too.

I spent my carnaval holiday in a state park this year and I saw tons of insects and weird animals... Gosh, it was terrible.

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 months later...

Got into Olympic city on Sunday. Got into my hotel in Copacabana area last Sunday.

The COOG people don't know what they're doing. OK, first the SHooting people are staying at my hotel because they are also holding their WOrld Cup and Test event; but that is in the Deodoro cluster.

TOmorrow, I will try to go to Olympic Park because they are having the Trampoline event. The big problem is, line 4 metro is not yet running. SO, I may have to take the bus. The COOG ladies at the lobby are misinformed.

So, we'll see if I can do it tomorrow.

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Awesome to hear about the trip Baron.

Unfortunately i'm still waiting to hear my volunteer position for Rio so can't book flights or accommodation as I don't know what dates and location i'll be working. The organizers have said they'll be telling volunteers their positions up until the 31st of May! Only giving volunteers about 2 months to book stuff. Luckily the Brazilian dollar has dropped incredibly and flights are down to about $2500 from Brisbane to Rio (with connections).

I'm hoping to be in the Barra region but waiting to hear from the organizers.

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I am a volunteer also. Hope you will get your invitation letter very soon and see you in Rio. :D

Awesome to hear about the trip Baron.

Unfortunately i'm still waiting to hear my volunteer position for Rio so can't book flights or accommodation as I don't know what dates and location i'll be working. The organizers have said they'll be telling volunteers their positions up until the 31st of May! Only giving volunteers about 2 months to book stuff. Luckily the Brazilian dollar has dropped incredibly and flights are down to about $2500 from Brisbane to Rio (with connections).

I'm hoping to be in the Barra region but waiting to hear from the organizers.

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What about large/poisonous spiders?

(Not a great fan of those ;) )

Not in cities, but in the countryside, yes, dozens of spiders, not sure which ones were poisonous or not... lol

I'm not a huge fan too.

I spent my carnaval holiday in a state park this year and I saw tons of insects and weird animals... Gosh, it was terrible.

Perhaps this is not a problem for Danny in São Paulo, but yes, you CAN find poisonous spiders and even some snakes in Rio

I am entomologist and worked with species identification for treatment indication, serum dispensing, etc.
Sem_t_tulo3.jpg
Sem_t_tulo4.jpg
Look at the spiders in the petri dish. The name is loxosceles. We call "aranha marrom" here. They are poisonous and were captured near a school in Niterói!
Sem_t_tulo1.jpg
The Jararacuçu is also poisonous and is VERY common in Rio State.
Sem_t_tulo2.jpg

This litle baby can't kill a person alone, but the poison hurt a lot.

I'm not trying to scare anyone who wants to come to Rio, it's likely that you will not see these animals, but many tourists like to visit our parks, the botanic garden, and other places. I just want to say that if there is an accident, we are prepared for care B)

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