anyone ever been to Brazil?

[stickonatree]

hello everyone, i'm a new member here, just recently discovered this forum while googling for photo advice =) i have a slight dilemma, described below, hoping to glean some insight from the experts here on TPF. i hope i posted in the correct forum!

so at the end of august, i'm going down to salvador, brazil with 10-15 other university mates for 3 weeks, via a sort of study abroad kind of program. i'm really into photography, and want to bring my dSLR; however in the country guide we were provided, it says that we should not be carrying large cameras, and keep small cameras hidden in pockets when not needed. everyone knows of the a high crime rate there, so i won't be dressy flashy or anything, the only "flash" being my camera bag + nikon d80. anyone ever bring a dSLR/large camera down to salvador or similar places, or have experiences to relay specifically dealing with crime?

any tips would also be greatly appreciated, thanks