I spent two years in Brazil, six weeks in Sao Paulo and the rest of time bouncing around Bahia state. Much of the time in Bahia was spent in Salvador. I’ll give you guys a quick rundown.
*Stay out of the ghetto and you’ll be fine. They call 'em “favelas” and unless you know people that live there, best to steer clear. This of course heavily depends on where you’re at.
*Always wrap it up; the women you’ll meet at the beach and at clubs are fine as hell but definitely “circulate”.
*If someone tries to rob you give them your wallet. No heroics. He may be look skinny but don’t step unless you want to spend your vacation being fed through tubes.
*Don’t be rude and don’t behave like an ass. Make an attempt to speak the language. For the most part they find it charming. Buy some drinks but don’t flash the cash too much.
*DON’T say shit like “Quero te foder” (I want to fuck you) unless you know it’s in the bag or she’s as drunk as you are. That sort of thing comes across as rude in any language. Just because you’re American and she’s a Brazi doesn’t mean she’s going to jump on your cock. It’ll take at least five minutes for that.
*A dependable “taxista” (taxi driver) is worth his weight in gold.
*Damn near every good and service is negotiable. The minute they see you or hear your accent the price goes up, so whenever possible get a Brazi go between, especially for touristy crap.
*Buses are usually clean, reliable and well-kept. You can quickly and easily find your way around town by locating a bus stop and asking passerby:
“O onibus pra ______ passa aqui?”
(OH on-ee-BOOS pa-rah ______ PAH-sa ah-KI)
“Does the bus to ______ pass through here?”
If the person says “sim” (“seem”, but with a semi-silent “m”), that means yes and wait for your bus to arrive. If they say, “nao” (“now”, with a dipthong squiggly thing that’s too much trouble for me to insert above the “a”) that means no and you get to ask a followup question-
“Aonde passa?”
(ah-ON-gee PAH-sa, with an inflection on the end to indicate you’re asking a question. Remember; when you ask a question in Portuguese, pretend you’re a valley girl and all will be well)
“Where does it pass by?”