Featured · Brazil Guide
The Gringo In Rio: What Nobody Tells You
Rio de Janeiro is not what the travel brochures promise. Here is what my first year of living here actually taught me.
Living in Rio de Janeiro as a gringo is a “beautifully relaxed” immersion into a city with a unique “energia” that transforms even the most mundane activities into cultural adventures. It means navigating a world where futebol is not just a sport but a “lifestyle accessory” stitched into the DNA of the people, with team jerseys appearing in every bakery and pharmacy.
Daily life often revolves around the beach, a “social institution” where a sophisticated mobile economy brings everything from grilled cheese on a stick to fresh açaí directly to your chair. While you may face the “glacial” pace of pedestrians and a “minefield” of surprise craters on sidewalks, the local Cariocas are remarkably warm and patient, often offering a “chuckle” rather than judgment at your attempts to master the “Sh” sounds of the Portuguese language.
By Kevin Wholley · June 2026 · 2 min read
Explore the Blog
Latest Posts
-
The Return of Rio’s Blue-and-Yellow Macaws: Back After More Than 200 Years
Reading Time: 5 minutesFor more than 200 years, blue-and-yellow macaws were missing from Rio de Janeiro. Discover how deforestation and wildlife trafficking drove these iconic birds from the Atlantic Forest, and how an ambitious conservation project is bringing them back to Tijuca National Park.
-
Gripe Of The Week- Saturday Morning Cartoons Are Dead, And Looney Tunes Proves It
Reading Time: 4 minutesA sarcastic and nostalgic rant about why Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, and Saturday morning cartoons were better than today’s emotional anime and modern animation. Explosions, sarcasm, Acme products, and pure cartoon chaos once ruled television.
-
What’s A Cultural tradition from another Country That You Wish Existed In Yours
Reading Time: 3 minutesAfter living in Brazil for the past year, I have discovered several Brazilian traditions and cultural habits that I wish were more common in the United States. From a slower pace of life and family-centered Christmas celebrations to the country’s passion for the World Cup and its relaxed dining culture, these are…
-
Part 15 The End – Retirement
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe End – Retirement Believe it or not, I was the one who had to convince my wife to move back to Brazil. It wasn’t that she didn’t love it there; the concern was more about job opportunities for our son and the usual safety worries. I was 62 and could take…
-
Why WordPress Asks You to Log In to Comment on Mobile (And How to Fix It)
Reading Time: 5 minutesEver get stuck in an endless login loop or accidentally post duplicate comments while blogging on your phone? Here is the real reason WordPress mobile commenting feels so broken—and a simple fix that doesn’t involve clunky apps.
-
The Walking Dead Was the Greatest Apocalypse Nonsense Ever Filmed
Reading Time: 4 minutesFrom unlimited bullets and perfect zombie headshots to ninja swords that never dull and survivors with flawless hair during the apocalypse, this satire breaks down everything completely ridiculous about The Walking Dead. A funny look at crossbows, parkour zombies, romance during the end of civilization, and why nobody in Georgia ever seemed…