Rio – Worth the Wait

Good things come to those who wait...

‘A man in a hurry will be miserable in Brazil’. I forget who coined this phrase, but whoever it was, they were bang on the money.

If you’re planning a trip to Rio de Janeiro, leave extra time in your itinerary to allow for the time you will inevitably spend queueing, waiting for buses, or just waiting for other people.

Rio is a laid back city, which is a refreshing change from the pace of life of many other major cities. But while it’s easy to admire the relaxed Carioca way of life while lounging on the beach or setting the world to rights over ‘just one more’ ice cold beer, this relaxed attitude loses its appeal somewhat while waiting in line at the supermarket, bank, metro station…

While it can be easy to become frustrated by the situation – it’s perfectly possible to spend an hour or more queing in the supermarket as customers pay phone bills, staff nonchalently chat among themselves and shoppers wander off to find an item they’s almost forgotten – the key is to just accept it and try to relax.

Look around you – as a Brit, I am accustomed to seeing people tutting and sighing if they are forced to wait more than 30 seconds for anything. Here in Rio, people are accustomed to queueing, and will wait patiently in line. The only people likely to be jiggling impatiently and looking agitated are other foreigners.

Just be sure to allow for queueing time in your schedule. Don’t, for instance, assume that you can ‘nip to the supermarket’ if you have a bus to catch in 10 minutes.

Another thing to bear in mind is the Carioca reputation for poor timekeeping. I’m not a great timekeeper myself by any standards and locals like to joke that I have now adopted the jeito carioca (‘carioca way’). I don’t like to point out that I was constantly running late even in the UK…

Cariocas like to joke that the English turn up half an hour early for everything, and it’s fair to say that Rio locals won’t see much harm in turning up half an hour (or even an hour) late. There are expections for business meetings and the like, obviously, but do bring a good book if you arrange to meet a friend in a bar or at the beach!