I'm completely in a state of shock. My trip to Brazil will begin in late January. I've been doing a lot of research, maybe too much. The stories are horrendous to say the least. Everything from bodies of murdered children lying in the streets in the midst of "party central" to robbing every patron in the restaurants. Not being able to go to an ATM is a major concern for me. Are tourists murdered everyday? Is this some kind of sick joke? I was born and raised in New York City before I moved to California and I'll tell you, even with New York's bad reputation, what happens in Brazil seems like a really bad dream. I don't plan on traveling there and catching a stray bullet in the head because a rival drug gang decides to have a shoot out in the middle of the day. I failed to mention knock out drugs put into your drink at any local bar. Not a date rape drug. This one you never wake up from. The stories that I have read, even by the New York Times, describes this place as a "war zone". Is this an exaggeration? What is the real deal?