On my first trip to Rio in 2005 I walking along Av Atlantica almost in front of the Copacabana Palace at about 6:45pm and not yet fully dark. Out of nowhere came 3 thugs who dragged me between cars parked at right angles to the kerb. One neatly placed a semi circular knife around my throat while the other 2 went through my jeans pockets. I had a large number of small denomination notes in my jeans pockets which they took but I had a larger amount in my shirt pocket which I saved.
During this ordeal I was literally screaming for help. Literally only metres away there was a group of locals standing like stuffed dummies staring not to mention numerous passers by. The 3 thugs finally left and a man came to my aid. He saw me from a distance between the cars and realised what had happened. He was an American who lived in Rio and told me he had been mugged 3 times in the preceding months the last time by an assailant carrying a gun. I pointed to the group of locals who continued to stand and stare and his exact words to me were “sir they won’t help, they won’t help.”
This was nearly 13 years ago and I have been back to Brazil 8 times older and wiser. There are a few lessons to be learnt from my experience. Don’t think your safe because an area is “busy.” Nowhere could be busier than the scene of my assault. Don’t think your safe because you are large. I am 190cm and of large build.
For readers of the old Gay Travel Brazil website let me apologise for repeating a story I told a number of times order to prevent my experience happening to anyone else. These thugs were viscous looking, ruthless and I suspect capable of anything. Rio has a long standing crime problem.
