09-19 Brazil 1998

It was a huge surprise when my travel agent warned me in advance of my flight to Rio de Janeiro in 1989 to not use the taxis. "Take the hotel bus from the Airport and then if you want to go to a restaurant or a jewellry store, call them in advance and they will pick you up."
A dangerous but beautiful city. The photo of Sugar Loaf Mountain is just one of the many sights that draw people to Rio. Significant parts of the city are a World Heritage Site, and some of the famous sights include their beaches like Copacabana and the 35-metre statue of Christ the Redeemer.
Mary and I came to Brazil in 1989 and 1998 to attend the 16th and 25th International Small Business Congresses. The events were held in Sao Paulo, which is the business and financial centre of Brazil. No one came to Brazil without visiting Rio de Janeiro. And the special event in 1998 was visiting the world famous Iguazu Falls and the largest Hydroelectric Power Plant in the World.
Our first shock in 1989 was waking up in a five-star hotel and hearing this noise outside our window. We were on the 7th floor. When we looked out, about fifty people were pouring through bags of garbage looking for food.
And in both trips, we removed all jewellery and left everything of value behind before walking around the downtown areas and beaches. And no cameras meant no photos.
Things were not much better in Sao Paulo. At the Congress we were told not to leave the hotel on our own. We had a private function at the home of the local member of the Congress Steering Committee. He lived in a house enclosed within a 12-foot wall, with his own armed security personnel. The people were wonderful, but you soon realized how dangerous it is to be successful and relatively prosperous in a society with such contrasts in income.
I had learned a lot about Brazil from my chum from childhood, Paul Richards who was the Canadian Trade Commissioner in Rio in the late 1950s. Paul had a reasonable familiarity with Portuguese, so he was a welcome friend when we went to visit the falls after the 1998 Congress.