This post is based on my experience from past 3 weeks when I already started working in NGO, where I deliver English classes.

People wake up early, grab some bread and coffee, if they have time, and go for bus. Same as I do. People from suburban and living areas need to travel to commercial zones that offer more jobs. Those are in general Downtown, Copacabana or Barra. The mean of transportation is usually a bus. Also people living in the opposite part of the Guanabara bay in Niteroi might take a ferry.

Commuting

It is quite typical that people travel 2 hours or more to get to work. The buses are usually cold because even in winter the bus air conditioning has obviously only on and off option. Lets stay with the buses for a little bit more, because to be honest me and also most of the locals spend in them big part of the day. I was thinking that Czech bus drivers are crazy but after two weeks of comuting here, I have to say they are the most gentle drivers. Here in Rio exists lots of speed bumps, but not the small ones we know from Czech, which you can basically run over pretty fast. Here the speed bump is something like a small hill which can easily damage your vehicle if you are not careful enough. But it’s not problem for the bus drivers, they run over them, people in the bus fly in the air and the bus tail usually smashes the speed bump pretty hard. Next epic quest you may undergo is getting in and out of a crowded bus. The way how it works here is you enter the front doors, go trough tourniquet and exit the backdoor. Now just image you need to make your way through the crowded bus in a rush hour.

Junk food for the bus trip is also one of the things you notice immediately, on the bus stops there is plenty of stands with variety of sweets and other goodies., which should make your endless travelling more pleasant for example in case you forgot your headphones or favourite book. But in print. Because of the criminality I havent seen person with ebook at all.

There is also subway called Metro but I don’t use it so often. It has new wagons so it looks really nice I would say. Be careful though that in morning and evening rush hour there is a wagon reserved only for women.

Wazzuuuuup!?

Rio and I think the whole Brasil is totally crazy abut this way of communication. You don’t see people having phone by the ear as you would expect during normal call but they first put it to the ear with loudspeaker and then put it in front of mouth to record message. Maybe it sounds stupid to you but it’s a thing you notice. Using the phone while driving is quite common.

Construction

In addition to the Olympics venue construction there are new roads, buildings, BRT stations, catwalks being built. Sometimes you may see unfinished buildings but I would say it’s same as in any highly populated city or big metropolis. The construction is still ongoing.

Free time

Free time for working people and students is a precious thing. Even during the weekend some people need to work. After some talks I had to come up with two reasons for this. The commuting and in general the low wages which force you to work 6 days a week. In free time party is always an option. Especially in Lapa, the party place in Downtown Rio.

 

Food

Really popular dishes are here rice and beans. The main are usually meat (pork, beef or chicken) and vegetables. There is also variety of soups but I would say there are also perceived as main course. The famous chocolate from Brasil is called Brigadero. The locals love soda and tapped water, which must be filtered before drinking though.

Motorbikes

If you are on the street and you hear a honk in 99% cases it’s a motorbike which is trying to make a way trough the cars stuck in traffic. There is an unwritten rule I would say, that the cars leave imaginary middle line just to fit a motorbike. Travelling on motorbike looks to me as the fastest but also most dangerous way. If you are adventurous you might try moto taxi, the price is bit more than Über or taxi I would say.