Damn is it really that bad? I went to Cuba by myself without knowing Spanish and not having access to the internet and cell phone service and it wasn’t all that bad as far as feeling lost. But I did bump into a lot of Cubans and tourist that knew English. You have me worried
He's exaggerating a bit. Would it be great to know Spanish or Portuguese when you visit Latin America? Of course. But most people who visit Brazil don't know Portuguese and they still have a good time during their short trip. Unless you and your friend are the only English speaking tourists in Rio that week, you'll be fine b. You're not trying to build long lasting relationships or live there so it ain't a big deal. Rio is the most tourist friendly city in Brazil, they've been getting only English speaking tourists for decades.
Definitely link up with his tourist guide friend if you can if he's legit tho. Always good to have connects in any city.
Ok let me say it like this cause maybe I went off........
You can have a good time in Rio without speaking the language. They have Uber, depending on where you stay, the beach is right there, you can research the monuments and get out to them, etc etc... I'm assuming you have some street smarts and you can get around to where you need to be. Hit restaurants, go shopping, walk around the city... It's not the trap. It's not dangerous like American TV says it is.. You're not going to find yourself just out there, fukked up and alone..........
What I'm saying is, if you have a guide/friends/family there...that's going to level up your vacation tremendously.. Where the difference between vacation alone vs vacation with Portuguese is enormous. Rio is a huge city. Think of it like NYC.. Now you could get around NYC or LA or a major city just fine with zero english. You can find a few spanish speakers.. You can use Google Translate.. You can hit the main tourist attractions...
But if you were in NYC with a person who grew up in Brooklyn... Well now you're hitting EVERYWHERE.. You're getting to the spots that tourists don't know to look. You don't have to find anybody to translate nothing cause your man knows.. You don't have to worry about somebody ripping you off cause your boy is from there and can not only peep it, but the locals know he's a local, so they not even trying it. He can tell you what's overrated and what's a hidden gem... All that type of stuff
I feel like I came to Rio and that was about a 7.... Then I came the very next year with my boys and he's one of them... I felt like I unlocked a whole new area of Rio. I'm to the point now, I avoid Copacabana at all costs. No reason to even go there, like when I go to NYC, I feel no need to stay in Manhattan....
Whatever you decide to do, here's the pages of two of my people out there. The first one is the daily tour guide... Hit his DM, tell him your dates and what you're into, he'll put something together for you before he ever asks for a dime, and I can assure you, you can probably eat all day, for less than he'll charge daily... All the people you see are out on tour with him
Second is if you want to visit the largest favela in the world... And see an amazing view from the top... He's a little more expensive, and it's a short, 2 hour tour.. I wanna say like $50 US... but he can take you around the city as well... not as good with English, but still better than nothing
For the scared people....
