Abilities I should win a medal for: staring into the middle distance. Dithering over a sandwich choice. But above all, getting lost. Usually, I embrace this. I like getting lost in Paris or Venice; Brazil’s Olympics 2016 city, not so much.

我在某些方面也很迷糊，比如会盯着远处发呆，会为选择一块三明治而犹豫不决，最糟糕的是经常迷路。通常我觉得这还不错，我喜欢在巴黎或威尼斯迷失方向，但在2016年奥运会主办城市里约迷路，那还是算了吧！

I was last in Rio de Janeiro over a decade ago when First Choice was experimenting with package holidays there.

我上一次到里约还是十年前，那时首选航空正在这里试行团体旅游。

It was quite a short experiment while, as there were – and still are – some great resort hotels around Salvador in the east, the rest of the country wasn’t quite ready for package tourism. Especially Rio.

然而试行持续时间很短，因为这里除了东部的萨尔瓦多有些还不错的度假酒店外，其余地方的条件都不足以进行团体旅游。如今，这一情况尚未改变，一切都还照旧。尤其是里约热内卢。

Back then, we were warned against using public transport or going on Copacabana Beach. And the infamous favelas – the slum areas – were totally off-limits. In short, Rio wasn’t a place you wanted to get lost in.

那时，有人警告我们不要乘坐公共交通或去科帕卡巴纳海滩玩耍。还有臭名昭著的贫民窟绝对禁止涉足。总而言之，里约热内卢不是个你会想迷路而乱逛的地方。

Now, I can’t get lost even if I want to. I have a smartphone, a local SIM card and a phalanx of Googlers guiding my every move as they show off their latest mapping app in one of the cities that needs it most.

现在，我即便是有意为之，也不会再迷路。我拥有一部智能手机，一张当地 SIM卡，一群谷歌用户充当我的向导，因为他们会在极需使用地图软件的城市里，时时分享自己的地理位置。

After hosting the World Cup in 2014, the city is sprinting towards this month’s Olympics. You do get the feeling things are a bit behind compared to London 2012 at this stage, but Rio knows how to put on a show. It’s a diva of a city – ridiculously beautiful, with life, drama and an unshakable belief that it can set its own rules. It shouldn’t work, but generally it seems to.

继2014年主办世界杯之后，这座城市即将在本月迎来奥林匹克运动会。眼下如若与2012年伦敦奥运会相比稍有逊色，但是这座城市却知道如何“搔首弄姿”引人入胜。仿若“天后”之城，这里美得荒谬、生机勃勃、充满戏剧性，有着其坚不可摧的信念——制定其独具个性的规章制度。按理它不能正常运转，但似乎一切如常。

There are photo ops at every turn, from the Christ the Redeemer statue that towers over it to Copacabana Beach, where the beach volleyball will take place and the cycling ends. Crime is better than it was but seems to be on the rise again, and Rio is teetering financially, having had to be bailed out by central government.

人们可在这座城市的每个角落里举起相机合照，从耸立着的地标救世主基督像到沙滩排球赛举行地及自行车赛终点的科帕卡巴纳海滩。犯罪率比之前降低了，但又有上升迹象。里约的经济摇摇欲坠，不得不倚靠中央政府稳定大局。

Not that you’d know this in Leblon. This is Rio’s old money area, orderly and sedate. So I switch off my phone and wander at will, past the patisseries, restaurants and the shops that still sell maid’s uniforms.

在里约的雷伯龙地区情况并没那么糟糕，那里是里约较富有的区域，井然有序又平和恬静。因此我关掉手机，四处走走漫不经心，路过一些糕点店、餐馆还有至今仍卖有女仆装的商店。

In contrast, the favelas are Rio’s running sore; ramshackle, romantic, passionate, and near lawless.

相反，贫民窟是里约的脓疮，破烂不堪，荒诞离奇，热情奔放又缺乏法纪。

In recent years, they’ve become tourist attractions. Every hotel runs guided tours but now Google Maps are making it possible for us to explore the tiny passageways and streets independently.

近几年，这些贫民窟已成为旅游景点。每家酒店都会安排向导带旅客参观游览，但现在谷歌地图正准备“另辟蹊径”让我们能够独立探索前往该处的小巷与街道。

You have to admire Google for persevering in the belief the world exists to be mapped ¬whatever the problems. But tackling the favelas has been time-consuming.

谷歌坚信无论艰难险阻与否世界各地皆可绘在地图上，这确是让人佩服不已。但是处理起参观贫民窟地区路线依旧相当耗时。

The company sought advice from community ambassadors and then used experts to train locals to map the best routes through the twisty thoroughfares and alleyways. By next year, 10 percent of Rio’s favelas will have been mapped, opening up new opportunities for shops, restaurants and even tourist hostels for those who like their travel edgy. The mapped bits are said to be safe, but keep your wits about you and leave your valuables in the safe,

公司在咨询社区大使后，派出专家培训当地居民绘制出最佳路线以穿过蜿蜒曲折的大街小巷。到下一年，10%的里约贫民窟可在地图上体现，从而为那里的商店，餐馆甚至是旅舍提供了新机遇，从而让它们得以接待那些喜欢寻找刺激的游客。虽说谷歌地图的绘制路线相对比较安全，然而自己多长点儿心眼儿，保管好贵重物品也相当重要。

One of Google’s ambassadors is David Vieira Bispo. Born and brought up in the favela of Chapéu Mangueira, not far from Copacabana, and a former fisherman, he now runs an acclaimed restaurant on its edge. As we ate there, a procession of taxis unloaded locals and tourists in search of classic Brazilian dishes such as Feijoada, a black bean and pork stew, washed down with beer.

大卫•维埃拉•比斯波是谷歌的一名社区大使。他出生并成长于离科帕卡巴纳海滩不远处的贫民窟Chapéu Mangueira。过去他曾是一名渔民，现在他正在贫民窟外缘经营着一家广受赞誉的餐馆。我们在那里用餐时不断地看到有当地人与游客从出租车上下来，络绎不绝，他们都是前来寻觅巴西经典菜肴如巴西肉烧豆，它是由黑豆与猪肉炖煮而成，可就啤酒下肚。

Over in the Olympic stadia, there’s a mapping frenzy with added Streetview. The interiors have been snapped – even the diving board Tom Daley will use.

奥运会场馆内掀起一股街景服务绘制地图的狂热，任何室内装置都未有遗漏，甚至是跳水王子汤姆•戴利即将使用的跳水板。

Mapping’s one thing, life’s another, especially for those of us who know they will never want to do a forward three-and-a-half somersault dive with a twist pike. So on the last night, we go off-piste to Gavea, Rio’s posh-boho centre of bar excellence. We get there by Uber, but scout out suitable bars by sight rather than smartphone.

绘制地图是一回事，而现实情况又是另一回事，尤其是我们中某些人深知自己永远不会想要去尝试向前翻腾三周半转体一周。因此，在最后一个晚上，我们改变了先前计划，用打车软件优步去了里约豪华时髦逍遥自在的酒吧中心卡维亚，但是我们搜寻合适的酒吧时并非借用智能手机而是亲身体验。

Rio natives may complain that – at 20˚C – it was on the chilly side, but everyone’s spilled out on to the streets while entrepreneurial types sell shots of tequila for a few reals.

里约当地人也许会抱怨20˚C实在是温度太低，但是在商家们进行龙舌兰酒促销活动时，他们又蜂拥到大街上。

We pile into a nearby restaurant for serious food. Cariocas eat late and they eat as they party, with a bossa nova band playing in the square. And I realise – caipirinha in hand – I’ve found my happy place.

我们涌入附近的一家餐馆准备大吃一顿。里约人吃饭时间较晚，他们通常一边吃饭一边办趴，巴萨诺瓦乐队在广场上弹唱。我意识到，凯匹林纳鸡尾酒（巴西国酒）在手，把酒言欢，夫复何求。