Local Expert
Lucy Bryson
I was born in rainy Manchester, UK, but made my escape to sunny Rio de Janeiro in 2006. Since then it's been hard to keep me away from the city, although I've also travelled elsewhere in Brazil and…
I was born in rainy Manchester, UK, but made my escape to sunny Rio de Janeiro in 2006. Since then it's been hard to keep me away from the city, although I've also travelled elsewhere in Brazil and South America. I'm a trained journalist and editor and have managed to fund my trips through combining my twin passions of travelling and writing - recent writing credits include updating chapters for Fodor's Brazil, Footprint Brazil and Footprint South American Handbook. I live high on a hillside in Santa Teresa - Rio's 'arty' district, and my one complaint is that I never seem to get time to visit the beach! Despite my lack of tanning time, I love Rio, and and have no intentions of returning to my wet and windy home city any time soon!
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Fight for the bonde!
Along with the Christ Statue and Sugar Loaf mountain, one of Rio de Janeiro's most iconic images is that of the antique yellow bondinho (tram) clattering over the Lapa Arches and up to Santa Teresa.
It's easy to forget that that, far from being a mere tourist attraction, the bonde is in fact the principal mode of transport for the residents and workers of this picturesque neighbourhood. Residents of Santa, as the bairro is affectionately known, have long held gripes about the declining quality of the service, and this month the Association of Residents and Friends of Santa Teresa (AMAST) has stepped up its campaign to preserve the future of the historic tram.
AMAST has raised concerns about a proposed rise in the cost of riding the bonde, and the possible privatisation of the state-run system, which is funded by the World Bank. As Santa Teresa increases in popularity as a tourist destination, the obvious worry is that eventually the system will be the sole preserve of wealthy foreigners. According to AMAST: "This privatization means elitization and social exclusion. The tourists are most welcome, of course, but the local residents must not be priced out, deprived of their characterful bondinho."
Banners declaring "The bonde is ours!" have sprung up across the neighbourhood, and a petition is in circulation demanding that the bonde, and Santa Teresa residents, are treated with respect. Proposals to scrap the antique trams in favour of a more modern, European-style light railway system have been met with scorn and derision in Santa Teresa, and anybody who has experienced the unique charm of travelling aboard the noisy, juddering, characterful bonde will be able to appreciate why. To find out more about the bonde and AMAST, visit the organisation's website at: www.amast.org.br