[Gocamino] New Albergue opening tomorrow

[blaroli at aol.com]

Rebekah,
Having just returned from Rio, and having visited Brasil about 20 times over the past ten years, I can unequivocally state that the reports of crime, etc., in Brasil are grossly, and unconscionably, exaggerated. Going all over the place there, mostly by myself, I have never seen anything untoward happen, although, of course, I have heard of crimes occurring, mostly, in the "favelas".
I was having a drink in a popular street cafe in Rio two weeks ago when CNN was reporting a shooting spree in a beach in Florida! Three days ago, right here in New York City, three teen-agers were shot to death in Brooklyn, not exactly a shanty-town; yesterday two women were found murdered, in different parts of the city,, etc....... and New York is nineteenth in the crimes-by-state ratings!
 I have been physically assaulted and robbed, at Mid-day, in a fancy section of Paris, I have been mugged and left for dead in an eastern European country, and have been overcharged, pickpocketed and otherwise stolen from everywhere....... but never, ever in Brasil, Spain or Italy.
Of course Brasil has its very rich and its very poor and the criminal opportunities which such economic inequalities engender, but so do most countries.
I just wish it weren't so tempting to 'criticize the straw in our neighbor's eye while ignoring the beam in our own' (or something like that).
If anything, I found Rio calmer, cleaner, more beautiful than ever and the Camino pilgrims quite happy with their homage to the Camino in their country.

They have created a mini-Camino leading to a Santiago church in a small town  and a route to it exactly 100 kilometers long.  In the church they have an exact replica of the image of Saint James at the Santiago Cathedral. The image was taken to Brasil by none other than Tomas Majarin, the famous "last templar" who has a quasi-albergue close to the Cruz de Fierro. The Camino friends Association in Brasil is huge and they meet very frequently. There are three Camino confraternities in Brasil, and two more have filed applications.
Some Brasilians I know save for years and years to afford the airfare to go to the Camino in Santiago and, as we all know, several of them have died on the Camino.  Brasilian artists and writers have taken the wonders of the Camino all over the world, (just think of Coelho).
 I do not know why the Camino has such dreamy fascination for Brasilians but, indeed, it does.
By the way,  data proportioned by international organizations include Brasil among the countries where the crime rate has indeed declined.

Rio anyone?

Rosina

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebekah Scott <rebrites at yahoo.com>
To: blaroli at aol.com; GOCAMINO at oakapple.net; saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 5:44 pm
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] New Albergue opening tomorrow



I can understand his desire to come to Spain. I look
orward to meeting him someday soon. 
His desire could have to do with Rio's skyrocketing
rime rate, or the cardboard shantytowns that make up
o much of that city's uncounted population, or the
uge gap between rich and poor that's turning Brazil
nto a place ripe for revolution.
...Much the same reason some of us left the USA, or
he UK, other "lands of promise" that just don't stand
p to real scrutiny. The Camino is becoming a refuge
or those who offer refuge! 
iva!
eb. 

ebekah Scott 
ww.moratinoslife.blogspot.com


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