What’s the deal with...

Poor people in rich areas
They come to nicer neighborhoods to beg from the rich (which makes sense), but donation is not recommended unless they have a condition. Many of the beggars in working conditions choose to beg. Don’t give them anything, as this doesn’t help anybody.

Flanelinhas
These are shines that watch your car for a few R$. Each owns a block, and is responsible for whatever happens to your car. Since that is where they will permanently work for a few years, should something go missing, you can find them the next day, and open a can of whoop-ass.

Street vendors everywhere
Selling mostly stuff made in China, street vendors account for about 1/3 of Brazil’s work force. This type of business is illegal but frequently overlooked, as most escape the regulating police.

Beach vendors
Just like the street vendors, the beach vendors tend to offer more practical stuff like snacks, ice cream, beer or sunglasses. Forget the hammock guy.

Dog TV
These are rotisserie chicken ovens, often referred to as television for dogs. For around R$8 you can get a chicken cut up for you to take home.

Reckless driving
Since most Brazilians bought their license, or forgot most of the rules and regulations, everyone drives like its Super Nintendo. Interestingly, every year there is one traffic law which is fashionable to follow. This year it is not to stop at pedestrian crossing stripes. All the other rules are ignored.

Blowing stoplights at night:
For safety reasons, most people slow down at red lights, check for traffic, then speed up again, as stopping at a red light in the dark can be dangerous, due to car robbing.
Lack of tribes
Where are the punks? The Nerds? The Hippies? The heroin addicts? The grungy? Salvador doesn’t have any visible amount of any of the above. It is mostly preppies, jiu-jitsu fighters (pit bulls), artsy-fartsy (neo-hippies) and normal people. You can find all those other tribes in São Paulo.

Excessive waiters
Given that the minimum wage is R$200 (US$70), most businesses can afford to hire a large staff to improve service. Unfortunately, most of this staff is under-trained, which in effects lowers the quality of service.

Hot women by the side of the road?
The tall, hot prostitutes are state-of-the-art transvestites or transsexuals. Don’t fall in love.
Young people hanging out in gas stations
Gas stations became a gathering place for different groups to hang around, blast music and sip beer, probably because they are one of the few convenient stores at open at night.

What’s the deal with consuming beer anywhere?
I know, isn’t it great?

The lack of BMWs and luxury cars?
Brazilians get a 100% tariff on imported cars, so a BMW325e goes for about US$60K. And given that most rich Brazilians don’t want to make themselves a visible target for car-jackers, most members of the upper class prefer to drive regular cars.

Europeans running most of the tourism establishments?
Most came here. fell in love and wanted to stay. After finding a niche in the tourism sector (there are still plenty available), they started their thing, and most have succeeded.
If you are interested in moving to Brazil or acquiring real-estate before the market awakens, or to inquire about getting Brazilian residency, contact Doug Simon, a specialist in this area:
Douglas Simon
dsimonbr@yahoo.com or visit bahia-property.com

Over-packed events?
If you don`t like people intruding into your personal space, you should avoid Salvador altogether. All you need is a little music and a beer vendor to turn any event into a major feast.
If it`s free, half the city will be there. If someone famous is performing, the entire city. Be ready for moving through the crowd like food through intestines.