Forget Soccer: In Brazil for the World Cup, Our Writer's Day Was Made by the Locals
in Belo Horizonte, anyplace can be a soccer pitch. (Photo: Christy Karras)
After lots of worries before the World Cup and a difficult time getting to Brazil, I was starting to wonder if this trip was a bad idea. But a very short time in the country convinced me that this was one of my life’s best decisions.
Brazil is prettier than advertised, as far as I can tell from the city of Belo Horizonte, where I landed just in time for Saturday’s Colombia-Greece match. The food is great, the caipirinhas tasty. The weather in this hilly interior part of the country is gorgeous — sunny and dry.
Most of all, when people say Brazilians are hospitable, they’re not kidding. We’ve had locals notice we were lost and walk us to our destination – twice in one day. They are eager to help however they can.
This is complicated by the fact that we don’t speak Portuguese and most Brazilians don’t speak English. We tried to learn some of the local lingo, but Portuguese is a very strange language on first attempt.
Many times, servers, clerks and agents looked helpless as they repeated over and over words we didn’t understand. But they never stopped trying, appearing embarrassed when they couldn’t understand well enough to be helpful (can you imagine anyone in the U.S. being embarrassed to not speak Portuguese with a visitor to America?).
Those who do speak English are stoked to meet Americans and test their language skills. And when they get words right, they’re super excited. Actually, they seem pretty excited about everything.
Well, not quite everything. When you ask Brazilians about their team’s chances in the World Cup, they reply that they’re not optimistic. It’s too important to them. They don’t even dare imagine that their team could go all the way.
Colombia fans aren’t shy about their team in Belo Horizonte. (Photo: Sergio Perez/Reuters)
The Brazilians are not as excitable as the Colombians. Shut out of the World Cup since 1998, the Colombians could not be happier about making it to this contest on their own continent. They flooded Belo Horizonte’s entertainment districts yesterday, blowing air horns, dancing, chanting and applauding long before they beat Greece 3-0 in the opening game. Even the effusive Brazilians are impressed with the Colombians’ dedication.
Having heard about Brazil’s high violent crime rate, I’ve been on the lookout for any trouble. Mostly, I’ve seen police by the dozens, both national and local. They’re impressively buff, decked out in all kinds of gear and traveling in packs, on foot or horseback. But you get the feeling they’re really hoping Please, don’t let anything bad happen on my watch. I’m perfectly happy standing in a patch of shade and chatting with my colleagues.
Kids play soccer in Belo Horizonte under the ever-present police watch. (Photo: Leonhard Foeger)
We did see one guy getting arrested, maybe some local thief or drug dealer, and a half dozen police cars showed up to assist. We crossed to the other side of the street and didn’t feel threatened. I wouldn’t wander around flaunting a bunch of jewelry or a big SLR camera, but it feels on par with any big American city.
Transportation was our other worry, but so far (fingers crossed), things have been OK. We’ve taken taxis and buses and walked a lot. Traffic was snarled near the stadium before the game, but it soon cleared up. As happens with many big events, locals seem happy to stay away from the madness, which might have helped keep things clear. Volunteers and bus and taxi drivers appear conscientious and eager to please. And for the most part, they’re competent and hardworking.
Keenly aware of the harsh spotlight on them, the Brazilians seem horrified at the thought that they might disappoint someone. This is most true at and around official venues. They know that everyone has heard about the pricey stadiums, unfinished infrastructure projects and other waste that has pushed their countrymen to riot in some places. But they also really care about the beautiful game and about making a good impression.
A demonstrator argues with police in Belo Horizonte on June 14. Anti-World Cup demonstrators are demanding better public services and protesting the money spent on the tournament. (AP Photo/Bruno Magalhaes)
As visitors, we can’t help but be aware of Brazil’s troubles, and we can empathize with the citizens’ related demands, which seem pretty reasonable to me. But we can also spend money, see the sights, try to chat with locals and be nice about everything. Having once second-guessed myself for coming, I quickly grew to really like this place. We’ll see how I feel after tomorrow’s trip to Rio.
See Yahoo Travel’s complete World Cup coverage.
