Rio de Janeiro - Favela tour

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Feeling a little braver I booked a favela tour for my second day in Rio. These tours take you for a guided walk and talk through the Rocinha favela, the largest favelas in Rio but probably the most developed too. Rocinha, like most of the other favelas, is set on a hillside. It overlooks the beach and apartments one bay down from Ipanema.

The residents in the favelas don’t own the land they have built on even if they own the house. Nowadays the houses are built of brick and mortar even if some of the roofs are still corrugated iron. They hook up their own electricity from the cables in the street and most have running water. Not all do though. For those without, they can collect water from pipes that run the length of the alleyways. There’s no postal service to their doors either, any post is collected from the only post office in the favela at the top of the hill. There is only one road that leads to the top of the favela that accommodates traffic. The rest of the favela is inaccessible by road. Everything has to be taken in by hand through the narrow passageways and stairways that allow people to navigate through the jumble of ramshackle houses. There are only 8 passages that wind from the top of this favela down to the bottom of the hill. These favelas are run by one of three drug lords. They have ‘watchers’ stationed at the entrance and exits to each of the passageways to keep an eye on who is entering the favela, mostly looking for rival gang members who may encroach on their patch. In fact you’d be more likely to be mugged in Copacabana and Ipanema then you would be here. The drug lords run a tight ship when it comes to petty crime on their streets.

Another quote from Wikipedia: “The cocaine trade has impacted Brazil and in turn its favelas, which tend to be ruled by drug lords. Regular shoot-outs between traffickers and police and other criminals, as well as assorted illegal activities, lead to murder rates in excess of 40 per 100,000 inhabitants in the city of Rio and much higher rates in some Rio favelas. Traffickers ensure that individual residents believe they can guarantee their own safety through their actions and political connections to them. They do this by maintaining order in the favela and giving and receiving reciprocity and respect, thus creating an environment in which critical segments of the local population feel safe despite continuing high levels of violence. Drug use is highly concentrated in these areas run by local gangs in each highly populated favela. Drug sales and use run rampant at night when many Favelas host their own baile, or dance party, where many different social classes can be found. These drug sales make up ‘a business that in some of the occupied areas rakes in as much as US$ 150 million per month, according to official estimates released by the Rio media.’”


Many of the murders happen when the police raid the favelas, innocent people caught in the crossfire. Raids, when they happen, are usually at dawn so the company taking the tours makes sure the first trip they take into the favelas is later in the morning. The only safe way for a tourist to go intoh the favelas is with a guide. The locals and ‘watchers’ are suspicious of new faces. My guide was a tall good looking bloke from Rio who charmed everyone he met. He took our small group of 7 to the bottom of the hill on which Rocinha is set. Each of us were then ushered onto a mototaxi to take us to the top of the hill. I didn’t think I’d go on a motorbike again but I didn’t seem to have a choice in the matter and suddenly found myself zipping up the zig-zag road, skipping past cars and dodging children. I clung on.

We all congregated at the top and had a quick talk from Daniel the guide. We would be allowed to take pictures inside the favela but only when he said so. Daniel had worked the job for 3 years. When he started he came with another guide so the residents would recognise him. As he led us single file through the alleyway he charmed everyone he met, giving big smiles and thumbs up to the men shouting “all good?” in Portuguese and the women he met he complimented and hugged. Everybody knew him and as we passed through the favela people smiled and waved not just at Daniel but at us too. It wasn’t scary walking through the street at all. Daniel said that as long as people knew who you were the favela wasn’t a threatening place. Tourists can stay overnight in a favela and some NGO’s live here and once their face is known they can come and go without any problems. The alley wound its way down the hill, past tiny corner shops, bakeries, clothing shops and even an internet café with 5 children glued to the screens playing games. The houses were extremely basic and since there are no services in the favelas, sanitation and rubbish collection is a problem. Drains ran the length of the alley and it was obvious that it was sewerage running down the gutter. Rubbish littered the alley too and in places it was piled high and rotting.

At the start of the tour we were told to keep our cameras away but once we were deep inside the favela Daniel said it was fine to take pictures, even to carry the camera in our hands, we were quite safe. It was only as we were about to leave the favela he told us to put them away again. I guess the ‘watchers’ don’t like getting their picture taken. Leaving the favela we walked across the main street and market. The police sat in cars and on street corners, huge long firearms in hand. I left the favela feeling that a few of my pre-conceptions had been dismissed. I hadn’t been shot, nor had I seen any guns, at no time did I feel threatened or scared and I’m sure this is the case for most people most days in the favela. Life goes on. I thought before I’d gone on the tour that it was a pretty brave thing to do. In reality it was probably safer than walking down Ipanema beach but I thought it was about time I braved that too.

When I got back to the hostel I made for the beach. It was raining but I strolled along the promenade admiring the golden sands and the famous ‘two brothers’mountain anyway. Even though it was wet there were still die-hards in bikinis and speedos playing Frisbee or jogging. I was tucked under my umbrella with a cardy on. The view was still beautiful in the rain but I wished I could have seen Ipanema in its full glory; packed with bronzed bodies and parasols.

That night I nipped next door for dinner. As I was eating a girl across from me struck up a conversation. We talked for a while then just as I was leaving she said, “I haven’t even introduced myself, my name’s Layla”. I couldn’t believe it, I had met Layla in Ipanema, so nearly Lola in Copacabana! Manilow-itis was haunting me.

On my last day the heavens opened and it pelted rain all day. I met Layla in the morning and we decided to get manicures and pedicures. With our toes looking pretty we headed off for sushi and a nosey at Copacabana beach. It was really too wet to do anything more so we headed home and made arrangements to meet later. One of the girls who worked in my hostel is an artist and she was showing some work in Lapa that night. I’d been invited and since Layla was an artist too I asked her along.

Lapa is the heart of the Samba but its streets are packed with bars playing every type of music; samba, electronica, hip hop, house music, funk carioca, rock and pop. Whatever you want to hear, it’s here. The bars spill out into the street and even on a rainy night like this people weren’t deterred form partying. Layla and I arrived with Sabrina to the show and let her set up; we decided to go back later when it was a little busier. We wandered down the street, past open bars with tables and revelers on the pavements and clubs with queues too cool for any signage outside. It’s legal to drink on the streets of Brazil and the street vendors in Lapa have bar stalls rather than food stalls. They also have sound systems loud enough to rival the clubs. I even passed a furniture store with its shutters up, a DJ and sound system in the doorway blasting out hip hop while people gathered and danced along. We wandered around, stopped for a caipirinha (Brazilian cocktail), and drank in the scene. Walking on up a back street and we found what looked like a greasy spoon café on the corner, with a samba band playing (which took up most of the greasy spoon) with locals dancing and singing along. I couldn’t have found a more authentic Rio night out if I’d tried. In Brazil they go out at 1am and party till 7 or 8 in the morning. By 2am I was nearly ready for bed but we had a last drink in a little bar with a samba band. Girls danced on the pavement a little worse for wear. I ordered a beer and Layla ordered a hot chocolate in her best Portuguese. My beer arrived with 2 spoons. We knew something was amiss. A warm chocolate pudding arrived. Layla had indeed got hot chocolate…just not quiet what she was wanting.


During my stay in Rio I didn’t experience any crime at all. I wasn’t mugged and I had nothing stolen from me, nor did I feel threatened or uneasy at any time nor, I need to say, did I see anything untoward what so ever at any time, no guns, no knives, no people being threatened. I was very cautious though and didn’t stray far at night alone. I stayed in Ipenema (a little safer than Copacabana) and took tours rather than venturing out by myself to see the sights. I know I over reacted to the reports of crime in Rio,as I have done elsewhere too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a dangerous place, a place not to be taken lightly. After hearing so many first-hand accounts of crime I was relieved to be leaving unscathed but exhilarated to have experienced Rio a beautiful city with an incredible amount to offer.

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Photos

Favela
There's a chicken in this picture...can you spot it??