So everyone has warned me about safety in Rio de Janeiro since day one of me planning this trip. In our experience so far, we feel safer here than in the tenderloin district of San Francisco. The reason? Everything, including the beach, is very well lit, people are out enjoying the ‘winter’ weather, and police are seen everywhere. Not to say that we aren’t being watchful and smart with our belongings–ie: leaving the passport and credit cards at home. But, in all, we are really relieved to feel safe in our area. Oh, one more thing, there are hardly any homeless that we’ve seen so far, and the ones that we do see, are handicapped some how or offering an artisan service for money. So, all in all, we are really enjoying learning all about Rio and Brazil–and we’re picking up a lot of the language too!