Riowakening

Brazil through an Australian's eyes

Getting robbed at Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue

DOES Brazil’s Christ shed a tear looking down over the sadness below him? It’s a question Rio de Janeiro’s residents ask as they gaze up...

20 Brazil and Rio tips for travellers visiting for a holiday

If you’re thinking of coming on a holiday to Brazil and Rio it's a great life choice to make, believe me. There can be a lot to get...

"A good criminal is a dead criminal": Rio's civil war

"A good criminal is a dead criminal." That’s the meaning of the Portuguese words “um bandido bom é um bandido morto” on the lips of...

Brazilians love and hate relationship with Brazil

There are so many Brazilians with so much pride for their country and others with so much shame. For a lot it's a mix of the two. It’s...

Murdered in Rio: A tourist’s wrong turn into hell

An Italian tourist who took a wrong turn into a favela and wound up dead with a bullet in his head today is another reminder of the...

Is Brazil safe to travel? Why tourists shouldn't worry

A newspaper front page with a little girl covered in her dead mother’s blood declared “Terrorism in Rio is everyday”. In the grisly...

Brazilian crime is prime time television

Brazil has turned its big time crime problem into prime time television. Taking the lead expertly from the USA, cameras chase Brazil’s...

Social media was made for Brazilians

Social media was certainly made for Brazilians, and by some as well. There is no shame in a selfie in this country and privacy settings...