Sidewalks for dummies.

To use one of my favorite sayings, Brasilia's sidewalks are kind of, "a hot mess." From the moment I arrived I knew they would not be my friend. We have a love/hate relationship. For the first year I lived in Brazil, I tripped so many times that I began walking with my head down. Do you know how anti-social I appeared?

Some of the "old" sidewalks.

This year is a big year for Brazil and Brasilia, the World Cup begins here in June. Like a girl getting ready for big first date, the city has been stepping up its game and putting its best face forward. Last year, the sidewalks started to get a "facelift," and when I say "facelift" I mean completely removed and replaced! They looked great. However, then this year I started to notice that maybe the government had taken the facelift a little too far. Check it out:

That's right, they have been marked to let you know which direction to go. I am not sure how I feel about it. Part of me seems to think its a good idea, it does drive me crazy to swerve out of the way when other people are coming. However, the rule breaker in me wants to violate the sidewalk rules and walk on the wrong side. I'm not sure if it will be effective but I am glad to see that my tax dollars are hard at work.