Stupid is as Stupid Does

Saturday I might have done something stupid. I had arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night, and I was ready to go out into the city and see a few of the sights. As I stepped out on the streets from my hotel, the first person I saw asked me for spare change. I realize that I don’t look like most everyone else in Rio, but there are a few things you can do to minimize people asking for handouts. One is to look like you don’t have money. That morning I had put on my watch out of habit, and since it is all metal and shiny, I decided to take it off. There were a couple of street kids on the corner; the best word for them is mulekis. Anyway, they saw me taking off my watch and one of them approached me and grabbed my shirt and said something that I didn’t understand. I don’t know if he was trying to speak English, or just be quiet, but I understood the fact that he wanted to rob me of something. At the same time he was grabbing at his waistline, I think to imply that he had a gun. Based on the way his shirt and shorts were so loose to his body, I figured if he had a gun it had to be really small. Anyway, as he continued to imply that he wanted me to give him something, I just flat out told him “no.” I said “no” once or twice more, and he let me go and walked away. The way he left was pretty interesting. He was really upset, but not with me. It was almost as though he was ticked off as himself for not being more intimidating and not having more success in the attempted robbery.

I guess if he had really pushed the subject and actually shown me a gun, I would have reacted a bit differently, but in the moment I just figured he wasn’t that much of a threat. I spent the rest of the day shopping for souvenirs, and went to the top of Pão de Açucar, or Sugarloaf Mountain. The views from up there are awesome and it was pretty amazing to see all of Rio from that vantage point. This part of the world is a pretty amazing place with all the juxtaposition of amazing natural beauty against the sprawl of mankind, as well as the contrast of the rich and poor. Still it is an amazing country, and I love coming down here any chance I get.