Mugging number 2

I am sorry to say that the stories and rumours are true.

I have walked along Ipanema beach just about every day without a hint of trouble. Today was probably just bad timing on my part. I had walked up the the far end of the beach past the dunes and the rocks. Returning I took the same route, just at the edge of the water.

Then at the dunes I felt someone try to snatch my Kindle out of my hand from behind. I held on to it and swung round. It was a fat kid 14-16 I should think. He made another  lunge for it so I smacked him in the mouth. He looked a bit surprise. At this point about 5 or 6 other teenage lads and a couple of girls had slid down the dune and surrounded me.

It crossed my mind to smack the kid again, but not knowing whether they had knives it seemed best to let him have the Kindle. Emboldened they then snatched my sunglasses and Swatch. Whilst this was happening I was trying to explain to them that the glasses had my prescription lenses in them and were useless and that the Kindle was in English. Even if my Portuguese was brilliant I suspect it would have made no difference. The Swatch is so old, the face is badly scarred and no great loss. They kept asking for money, I had some but the pocket in my new shorts is so discreet they didn't see it so I kept telling them I didn't have any. They left with out the cash (it was only enough for a spot of lunch anyway).


The only violence was me hitting the kid so at no point was it frightening. What really pissed me off is that the people nearby do nothing. I went up to them when the kids had run off. And asked "Why didn't you help?" The vendor just shrugged his shoulders and the fisherman said he didn't see - bloody liar! Such a shame, as everywhere else people have been really helpful. I assume they are as poor as the kids from the Favelas doing the stealing so see it as some form of social levelling.

It hasn't put me off but I am fed up because the Kindle was a gift from work colleagues and I was only half way through Keith Richards autobiography (very good read if you are looking for a book). I will see if I can get one in Rio and upload the books from my laptop (since checked and they are not on there).

I also have my original Ray Bans (with prescription lenses) so I will still look the coolest guy on the beach (not)............errrr just tried to find them and they have gone too. That could have been any time in the last 10 months!

Looks like I have to go shopping.

It could have been worse I could have lost the camera, how terrible would that be? No more wild life shots for David Attenborough.

Don't let it put you off visiting this amazing city, I will be back on the beach tomorrow (but perhaps not near the dunes)