Rio de Janeiro, fifth visit: safety and phone thefts

Rio de Janeiro, fifth visit: what a frequent tourist sees of safety

Is it safe to travel to Rio de Janeiro? Someone who has been to the Brazilian city five times answers with nuances: no shootings witnessed, but one eye kept on the phone. Crime, he says, is more opportunistic than violent.

Street-level crime: the phone is the target

The account of a visitor who keeps coming back paints a familiar picture: they see you walking with your phone, they ride up on a bike and take it. No weapons or crossfire — that is the stuff of areas you should not venture into. The cautious routine prevails: don't flaunt it, don't walk through flagged spots and keep the device hidden at the slightest lapse. The threat is there, but it can be managed.

The comparison with Spain that will leave no one indifferent

The traveller makes a political comparison that crosses borders: "it's a bit like what's happening in Spain, where the left gives incivil a free hand." A view many tourists repeat, though it should be taken as an opinion. What he does note is a shift in crime towards opportunism, far from the violence of past decades. In the same package, a curiosity: the author admits having tried the McRib in Brazil. Local culture is also measured in burgers.

Rio keeps attracting Spaniards, who return despite the warnings. Five visits later, the sarracena is simple: enjoy Christ the Redeemer, don't take out your phone and don't ask questions about the nightlife. Just in case.