Fun in the Favela

---

I woke up this morning and my German buddy was leaving to go home so I decided to see about booking myself on the Favela tour. The favela is a slum a very poor area. You have not already seen the movie "City of God " you have to watch it. that Is what I went to see. I was really unsure about the idea of being there but I was glad I did it. The tour started at the bottom of the Rochina Favela in Rio there was seven of us. we got onto motorcycle taxis and road to the top´. Ok no helmuts and these guys drive like madness. I have necer been so freaked out before. they would pass on the inside on the outside in the middle. the road was full of pothole and hairpin corners. I was glad to be off that thing at the top. From there we walked down a side street made only for foot traffic. we came to a corner and the guide said no pictures. he told us at the start do not take photos of drug dealers gang members , guys with fireworks and walkie talkies and you will be fine. this corner was a prime dealler area so no photos. we walked on and where bombarded with little kids who wanted to be photographed . We got to another point where the guide yelled no photos. three guys walked by us with machine guns and a granade. that was a bite of an eye opener. they passed with out any problem they actually said hola and carried on like nothing was strange. then we found even more kids they are so cute. not affraid to talk to strangers like back home. It was good to see these kids who have nothing not even a certain future where so happy and care free. The world needs more of this. on the way out of the favela we saw the fire works and walkie talkies . the gangs will fire off the fire works if the cops are coming into the area. the cops only really stay on the out skirts. and we saw them sjortly after, the nastiest looking cops I have ever seen.


Any way that was the big Favela tour. If you are in Rio check it out on the net look up www.bealocal.com for the tour the poceeds from the tour go to helping out the families in the Favela they also help raise awherness to the problems people here face.

until next time take care

---