Advertisement
Published: December 11th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Rochinho Favela View
View looking over the favela. Lets get this show on the road.
Day 1, Fri 7th Dec: I have the flu so we just checked into the hotel Atlantico Copacabana a few blocks from Copacabana beach. Decent clean rooms and good breakfast. I´m sure we´ll be staying in alot worse over the next few months. Didn´t do a hell of alot, just went for a walk down Copacabana beach. Went out for a bite to eat. Don´t know if it was standard Brazilian fare but everything tasted like it was deep fried in the same pan. Hopefully we get some better meals over the next while but again I´m sure we´ll eat worse. Weather a bit overcast and rained late in the day.
Day 2, Sat 8th Dec: Just wandered around Ipanema and Leblon beaches. Still taking it easy as I´m still feeling a bit shitty. Ate in the restaurant where the Girl From Ipánema was written.
Day 3, Sun 9th Dec: Did a tour of the Favela´s (shantytowns, slums) of Rio. Visited 2 favela´s. Short history lesson. They started when following some internal war 50 or so years ago the government gave the soldiers what was considered unusable land on the side
Favela View
A view of the Rochinho Favela in Rio. This is the largest Favela with 250,000 people living here. of hills as payment for quashing an internal rising in a state up north. The soldiers just went in and built there own houses and it all grew from there. While the areas aren´t great the views are excellent. The first one, Rochino, housed about 200,000 people. No planning permission needed here. You just grab a spot and start building. If you run out of room you build another level. Until a few years ago these areas weren´t recognised by the government but in recent times they have started to put some services in, so the houses have electricity, sewage, rubbish collection and water. Having said that they do there own wiring so the electricty poles are a jumble of cables tied in knots. As you go through the area there is lots of music pumping out and people on the streets. No cops here. The 16 year old gun toten drug dealers run the show, but apart from the drugs and shootings there isn´t crime, as the druglords don´t want the cops coming into there area getting in the way so they make sure that any robbing etc is dealt with. They now have a bank in Rochino and
Christ The Redeemer
The Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio. there´s been only one attempted robbery. That was when the cops tried to rob it. But they got stopped. Yes, you guessed it, by the gun toten 16 year olds. Classic. We went for a walk down through the markets. The kind of place that would turn you into a vegetarian. Lots of meat hanging out covered in flys. People gutting chickens. If you want fresh chicken you can buy one of the live ones and take it home for when you´re ready to eat. Lots of other stuff on sale too. Also got a quick view of the law. Sitting on the corner were about half a dozen 15-20 year olds carrying Uzi´s and AK47´s. Didn´t look a second time. They do have a police station here now but you have 2 cops who don´t leave there station for fear of having to deal with the 16 year olds.
The second favela was a more sedate place. Can´t remember the name now but I´ll put it in when I can. Only 15,000 people and no drug lords. Reason being was there is only one way in and out so if the cops raid there is no where to
Sugarloaf View
A view of Rio & Sugarloaf from Christ the Redeemer go, so they don´t set up shop here. Visited a school that is partly funded by the tour but no kids as it´s Sunday. Went for a walk down through the houses with narrow winding steps between.
These were the more accessible favela´s as the government has put in services and concrete steps and roads. Most of the other of the 750 odd favela´s don´t have these luxuries and when it rains they become mud slides. Anyhow that´s the favela tour. Excellent.
In the afternoon went up to the Christo Redentor (for those less fluent in Portugeuse, Christ the Redeemer) statue. Got the cog train up. Spectacular statue and the views of Rio are unreal.
Dinner was in a per kilo buffet place. Basically put what you want on a plate and pay by weight. Nice food. Pretty much like getting your Sunday roast up in the Coach House.
Day 4, Mon 10th Dec: Moved hotels in the morning to a more budget choice found on the internet. As usual it turns out to a swish nice hotel right on Copacabana beach. Nice one.
Spent the afternoon up in an area called Santa Teresa with
cobbeled streets (a bit like Moore St). Then got the cable car upto the top of Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf mountain) for sunset. Spectatcular sunset over all of Rio.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 9; qc: 66; dbt: 0.0616s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb