How to Be a Carioca: The Alternative Guide for the Tourist in Rio

Book Synopsis: Now a major TV series, How to Be a Carioca is the ultimate guidebook for Rio-bound travelers who dream of blending in with the locals while visiting the capital of fun in the sun. Now in its 8th fully-updated edition. Critically acclaimed internationally since 1992, written by a U.S. expat who has made Rio her home for over four decades, this is a humorous look at what makes up one of the world's most colorful characters: the Carioca--those charming inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro.

Natives of Rio have a unique way of maintaining an up-beat samba-like swing while dealing with the woes of the day-to-day in paradise. By reading How to Be a Carioca, in just a week or two of study, people will think you've lived in Rio all your life--and so will you!

Includes:

• How to get through airport customs like a true Carioca by resorting to the famous "jeitinho" (that Brazilian knack of MacGyvering oneself around anything)
• How to master of the art of going to the beach Carioca style in thirteen easy steps--from what to do once you are there, to how to make friends with that all important local, the beach vendor
• A complete list of essential vocabulary words and phrases you'll never find in any English-Portuguese dictionary

Whether you're planning an exotic getaway or relocating to the Cidade Maravilhosa, this book is your gateway to understanding the endearing Carioca attitude about life by offering an insider's view into the unique daily rituals of the charming natives who populate this marvelous city.

Critical acclaim: Subramanian, Sribala. "How to Be a Carioca . . . is as much a compendium of tongue-in-cheek observations about her adopted hometown as it is a handbook for the newcomer." Time, 5 Oct. 1992, p. 2.