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Friday, February 23, 2007

Adventures In Rio

Quick vid of the slums in Rio.

So........

Rio was an eye-opening experience.

The plane ride in was like a never-ending marathon.

I was emptying out my apartment all night in Honolulu and slept only an hour from Hawaii to Los Angeles.

Then I slept only 4 hours in LA to get up early for the Rio flight and managed to miss it, and had to reschedule for early the next morning.

Seven hours of sleep in three days. I was walking around like a zombie. Dry-heaving and couldn't feel my face. I've got to learn how to sleep on airplanes.

Finally I arrived in Rio, and I was definitely tripping out. The idea of moving to SOUTH AMERICA as a Canadian is a total mindscrew -- my references being like Chuck Norris type movies with guerrilla soldiers jumping out of trees with machine guns and blasting the place up...

The biggest thing was that I just couldn't PICTURE it. Everything I've ever done in my life I could visualize beforehand. I just couldn't figure how what I'd read about it could be real. I couldn't imagine myself there -- it wasn't piecing into my reality.

Honolulu was pretty much the most peaceful and luxurious place I've ever lived.

I was living beach front. Not beach VIEW. Beach FRONT.

Like my bed was out on the "lanai" (balcony) and if I drop a rock out of my window it lands on sand. When the sun set I would go out front with my girlfriend for a swim. The back view was Diamondhead mountain and Kapolani park and the front was a full panoramic of Waikiki. I was in a sweet spot where it never ever rained, even if it was raining all over the rest of the island. The surfing was incredible. I had a great group of friends. I took trips to North Shore and Makapuu beach every weekend. I fell asleep to the ocean every night.

Bear in mind I work very, very hard. Most days from morning until night. But that's what made the lifestyle I had so sweet. Unlike most people who take it for granted, I appreciated it so much because I EARNED it.

Anyway, arriving in Rio with Papa I was in a sort of a sleepless trance.

We get out and there's this setup with girls trying to hustle you to take their taxis from behind a glass wall, all jumping up and down so that you'll choose their company. I busted out the camera to tape it but they got kind of shy. It was totally ridiculous.

The drive in from the airport was lined with miles upon miles of "favelas" which are the Brazillian shanty-town ghettos.

These favelas are like never-ending. They look like the post-armageddon movies stereotypes, all burnt out and falling apart.

The entire drive in had this. Miles upon miles of it. Never ending shanty-towns.

These shanty-towns are laced in throughout the city. My hotel was really nice, and had a shanty-town on the hill directly across the street. All of Rio is like this. It's a part of the culture.

I got into my hotel and crashed out to the sounds of pounding samba drums outside.

About three hours in to my sleep this hyped up Brazillian dude walks into my room and starts yelling at me like "What are you doing in my room?!" I'm totally disoriented and thought he was there to rip me off.

With everything I'd read, it was funny because in Greece a taxi driver tried to scam me right on the drive in from the airport -- so I thought this would be the same with a stereotype playing itself out the second I get off the plane.

I think to myself "How can I determine if this guy is lying or not?" and quickly go into his bathroom stash to see if the writing on his toothpaste and shampoo is in English or Portugese.

As it turned out, I really WAS sleeping in this guys' room. His stuff was all written in Portugese. The hotel people had given me the wrong room and I thought all the stuff laying out belonged to my friends who'd arrived a day earlier.

I moved out of this poor guy's room and hit up a good 12 hour sleep, then got up at about 5am and booked a driver to take me around the shanty-towns that I'd seen on my drive into town.

It's funny because I log onto RSD Nation and I see a guy saying "Be careful, there's 142 people killed in Rio in the last two weeks" and the next guy writes "Don't worry, that's only in the shanty-towns... There's no way those guys would go there, they'd have to be idiots..."

I'm thinking "Ummm, actually that's directly where I'm going in three hours."

Anyway, I grab my buddies Nathan and Harsh and we go hit up the shanty-towns.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and had a deal with the drug dealers to keep us from getting robbed or kidnapped or shot in the face.

Shanty-towns are a definite eye-opener. I've heard there are worse in India and other countries but this was the most poverty I've ever personally seen.

Apparently the people who live there came from the rural communities looking for work, and the government allows them to take concrete and build houses for themselves up in the hills. If they live there for five years they get to own their very own shanty-shack.

Let's just say that I will never feel sorry for myself ever again. These people have NOTHING.

Victim-talk is pretty much off my radar. I won't be able to listen to it anymore. Or at least, I won't be able to relate to it. Life in North America is truly a soap opera.

The fevalas are run by drug dealers, and the young teenagers act as the police.

I was driving through and see these two kids, one with a machine gun and another with double fisted magnums, sort of strutting down the street.

I'm sure these kids get killed regularly, as they have to fend off other drug dealers who are trying to take over their territory.

The people remind me a lot of how cats look, in the sense that they sort of lounge around with nothing to do. They seem in some ways happier and more relaxed than North Americans do, but I'm sure that's also a peace that comes with having very little hope and nothing to lose.

Later on we hit up the various clubbing areas. Lappa was this big free for all -- very dirty, although some of the clubs in the area were cool with live samba music.

The other highlight of the trip for me was seeing the huge Jesus statue overlooking Rio (I believe it's called the "Corcorvada" -- spelling??)

Apparently it took them 70 years to get this huge monument up the mountain. It's huge, and you can see it from any point in Rio.

Anyway, I've just arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina -- which will be my new home for the next while.

I'll let you guys know how it progresses.


Tyler

14 comments:

CB said...

You should check out the film City of Gods if you haven't already. It's about the lives children lead in the favela's. I think it was Oscar nominated.

It's sad that we have these idealised ideas about the world, extreme poverty and wealth are often in closer quarters than we think. I've just arrived in Hollywood and WTF? The pavements are not lined with gold and there are homeless people everywhere. It's not like the movies at all!

Anonymous said...

"Shot in the face with a machine gun" - hilarious

/Robert from Sweden

Anonymous said...

Was just about to suggest the same.. definitely watch "City of God". Best movie ever!

Anonymous said...

Tyler, take some Valerian Root vitamins when you can't sleep: I take them before flights all the time, and it's actually all natural and you can sleep very well. It takes away red-eye, too.

Anonymous said...

amazing thats totaly amazing, living the dream

killthemquick

Anonymous said...

Well you certainly have balls, my friend.

I don't know if I would venture into that area without at least a squad of heavily armed men whose sole purpose in life was to keep me from getting so much as a skinned knee, let alone shot in the face! Of course a tour guide who knows the local drug dealers would be a very close second. Either way I'm sure it was quite an experience.

Obviously you know I'm dying to hear about BsA, my future home, so I'm glad you made it there in one piece. Hope that you're having a great time.

KingAdam said...

When I first heard you mention that you were visiting the slums and wanted to go to Africa I was like what is Tyler thinking, why surround yourself with negativity? That is the last thing you want to do. But when you mentioned that you will no longer process any more victim talk it made me think.

We should all take a moment to imagine what it would be like to be hungry every day and live under some metal and a few pieces of wood. Then look at your computer, look at the room you are in. Be thankful. Finally, look at the OPPERTUNITY that is in front of us and ready for the taking.

Rest knowing that you're not a victim of your ancestors choices.

Carpe Diem. Seize the Day.

KingAdam said...

Just a little something from my bag o' tricks for ya all.

When I approach women in the club I will almost always ask to see their drinks and drink out of them.

They usually find this quite amusing but my main goal here is of course, free drinks.

If anyone wants to chat PU (no chodes) menace_2society@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

hey Tyler, I would like to recommend you a book that is essential to The Blueprint you're writing. The book is named "I Am That" by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.

http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-That-Talks-Nisargadatta/dp/0893860220/sr=8-2/qid=1172407077/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-6713563-8979825?ie=UTF8&s=books

I'm convinced that if you apply the knowledge gained from this book in The Blueprint, it will be phenomenal.

Have fun in Rio,

TheMan

Anonymous said...

Yeah, watch "City of God", i've posted the recommendation on the RSD Nation post about Rio, and I'm keeping it in here as well.

Anonymous said...

"first heard you mention that you were visiting the slums and wanted to go to Africa I was like what is Tyler thinking" LOL - they are not in africa! they are in south america.

I do have to laugh at you americans and how MOST of you know nothing about the world outside your big old country. I know that over 75 percent of you do not even hold passports too.

Anyway I digress, have fun Tyler.

KingAdam said...

LOL - they are not in africa! they are in south america.

I do have to laugh at you americans and how MOST of you know nothing about the world outside your big old country. I know that over 75 percent of you do not even hold passports too

Okay i'll clarify myself. Tyler talked about visiting the slums and going to Africa. TWO SEPERATE PLACES. Didn't say the slums in Africa did I?

This brings me to note on objective thinking and seeing things from multiple angles. It mostly comes down to different personality types (as described by Myers-Briggs) and how they will interpret things differently and have different logic. So i'll thank my buddy who posted annonymously for reminding me that some people will misinterpret anything thats not very carefully worded. And I'll remind Him, that things aren't always what they appear at first glance.

And by the way, I'm not an American.

CB said...

You'd think that TD was going to Mars by some of the responses you see here! :)

Thousands of young people from 'Western' countries, are travelling through countries like Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, India, Tibet, China, Cambodia, Laos and India every day.

Yes you can do it too! Go on wikipedia and do a search on "Backpacking" then go to the book store and pick up a Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Lets Go guide book.

If 18 year old girls can travel solo around India and South East Asia then you can too!

Anonymous said...

Hey Tyler. A bit of a derail, but I hope you respond anyway. In one of your earlier RSD blog postings, you write that as long as a person is a 'cool guy' with a basic knowledge of escalation, he will get lots of lays. However, in one of your earlier articles posted on www.bristollair.com you write:

"I draw this conclusion based on experience. My first 8 months in the game, I only had a book called "10 Secrets for Success with Beautiful Women" by a woman named Ursula Lidstrom.

She advocated the sort of approach that most women would want, and claimed her expertise as exceptional because she is a woman offering "inside info".

Her system was to be yourself, confident, and genuine. Also, to demonstrate alpha status through good bodylanguage and being well dressed. After hundreds of approaches, I got this down pat.

I did at least 5 approaches a day (though usually more), just being myself, confident, and getting to know girls in a way that was very cool and genuine - all as Ursula Lidstrom suggested. Read the book probably 10-15 times. (sidenote: EXCELLENT info on bodylanguage and GWM-style phase shifting can be found in this book, if you screen the rest).

Unfortunately, for those eight months I did not have sex even ONCE."

I've been in London for the past 2 months going out every night doing pickup. I haven't gotten laid yet, but I've been working harder at this than anything I've done in my life. I've had some success using routines; that is, until my routine stack runs dry. I haven't had much success going natural unless I'm in-state. My natural pickup style tends to be a question train:

'where are you from? what do you do? how long have you been here? that's cool, do you wanna be my girlfriend?'

I can't think of anything 'cool' to say in the moment, and when I say what's on my mind the girl usually looks confused/weirded out/bored. It's strange though, because I FLOW when I'm in-state and the girls LOVE me, but unfortunately I've been going into state less and less often as my state threshold increases. It's like a drug to which I've built up tolerance. It used to be that getting a phone number was enough to propel me in-state. Now it takes a prolonged makeout session with a girl I met that night.

If you could comment on some of this stuff I will have your man-babies.

Peace.

Humjob