Rio de Janeiro - With just four days to go before the 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony, the city of Rio de Janeiro is still in a state of relaxation, seemingly unimpressed that the biggest show on earth is in town.
A regular occurrence, though, has been crime, which has varied from petty to a lot more ominous.
South African swimming and Olympic great Ryk Neethling witnessed an attempted hijacking with hours of arriving in Rio, and there remains a general feeling that some locals see the Games as an opportunity to prey on naive visitors.
Already, there is a massive military and state police presence hovering everywhere, from the airport, to the media centre, and around hotspots like the famous Copacabana and the city centre.
Organisers are still frantically trying to wrap up facilities and accommodation, and it appears that some things will be in the process of being wrapped up even as the Opening Ceremony occurs.
The Olympic Torch, the symbol of the Games, has also endured a challenging trek through the city. Several protesters, some on bikes, have tried to extinguish the flame, perhaps to make the clearest statement that locals are unhappy at the millions being spent on the Games, when their lives at locals are still in desperate need of state assistance.
The school holidays are currently on, and many offices have given staff time off to enjoy the Games.
But, for now at least, the city of Rio has shown indifference, making much of the build up to the greatest show on earth intriguingly silent.
The Games officially open on Friday, 5 August.
Independent Media