I am terrified of public transit in Rio. Hell, I am terrified of ALL transit in Rio. I have always preferred to be a driver over being a passenger, but I don't even think I could stomach driving in this city.
The worst has to be the buses. And the later you get on a bus, the crazier the driving is. It's a safe bet that if you board a bus at 2am in Zona Norte, you can make it to Copacabana by 2:30am at the latest...that is, if you don't fly off a cliff on the way. I get that the driving style is different here, kind of like a video game. That being said, I don't want to die on a bus full of strangers.
So what can be done? Well, in China, some bus drivers have to drive with a bowl of water suspended from the top of the bus. If they drive Carioca style, that water is going to be all over the ground at the end of their shift and someone is going to be unemployed. To top it off they are filmed, so no cheating allowed!
I can see how Rio bus driving can be a positive thing, like when I'm really late and need to be somewhere...but let's face it, even when you're late in Rio, you're on time.
Driving here isn´t too bad. Just watch out for the delivery guys on bikes and motorcycles!
ReplyDeleteIf they tried that pan of water from the ceiling trick here you would have to bring a towel if you were going to sit anywhere near the front of the bus!
ReplyDeletetotally agree about the gym clothes...i've been hearing horror stories about the ladies in Rio and other coastal cities, but luckily in the countryside of SP the women wear what american women wear to the gym. shirts, jerseys, and spandex pants. but yet with the ugly 80s scrunchy socks...that i just cant understand. and surprisingly enough all the ladies wear their hair in pony tails at the gym too! anyways. only been in Rio for 3 days on a vacation and i took the bus around. it was misserable and made my ass hurt. couldnt beleive we survived. AND the bus drivers stole money for about 10 minutes! they said the front door was "broken" so made us go through the back and pay after which they divided the money between themselves. then 10 minutes later it was magically fixed and the people came through the turn style. oh well, to each his own. hehe. my problem with driving ifsnt the traffic, its driving manual, i have a very large mental block against it!! welcome to blogging btw ;)
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