I strongly believe that the media is responsible for a lot of misconceptions around the world. They love to dramatize stories, which creates unnecessary fear in many peoples minds. A perfect example of this are the notorious Brasilian favellas. These shanty towns have been labeled as the most dangerous places in the world. I have sadly heard them referred to as “slums” on more than one occasion. So, you might be asking yourself why on earth would I take a tour of one of them then? Well, 1) I love exploring places that I am told not to and 2) I wanted to de-myth this idea that if you entered one you were basically asking for a death sentence.
My Israeli friends had met this man named Alex the previous night at their hostel who was rumored to lead one of the best tour’s in the city. Within moments of meeting Alex for myself, I knew this would be quite an interesting tour, as he was incredibly passionate about his job.
From the hostel we walked about 10 minutes to the foot of a mountain. Surprisingly, Alex was more scared of us being robbed on this walk then when we actually set foot inside the favela. We decided to take a taxi up the mountain, since it was very hot outside and it would have been at least an hour long walk to the top.
My 1st view of the favela we would be touring.
As we drove up the steep incline I began to see poverty that was difficult to stomach. I would like to note an observation though that I have made repeatedly throughout my experiences in shanty towns, especially in South Africa and Bolivia; while the residents are some of the poorest people in the world, they also tend to be some of most joyous and optimistic people I have ever encountered. It is so inspiring to me, as these people do not have physical wealth, but their emotional wealth is abundant.
By the time we had reached the top, Alex had given us a complete history of the favela. He explained that at 1st the police had tried to stop the crime and drug wars that existed within the favela with violence, which only resulted in more corruption. Then, the police moved into the favela and had a strong peaceful presence, and everything began to improve. Thus, this is one of the reasons why it is safe to take tours of most of the favelas. Because Alex dedicated his entire life to helping his neighbors, they not only treated him with the utmost respect, but he was also considered to be an honorary mayor of sorts.
We had just gotten out of the taxi when the man on the right approached Alex, who is on the left, to show off his new necklace. He was a character to say the least!
Within minutes of the beginning of the tour I was reminded of the old adage, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Alex had taken us to the home of his friend. From the outside it looked like this:
Although, from the inside it had this view:
That is Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance.
Me and my lovely Israeli friends.
Our next stop was to Alex’s hostel/restaurant/jazz club, which is very famous in Rio. The Maze has been home to many beloved musical artists, such as the Black Eyed Peas. Go to Youtube and type in “the maze” and I think you will be impressed!
The architecture of the hostel itself was a work of art, very Gaudi-esque.
Alex taking a photo of me.
The actual photo that Alex took.
And the views, well, let us just say they were by far the best in Rio!
The next stop was to Alex’s “school.” I put this in quotations, as it is in the process of being built. I thought that I was a pretty ambitious person, but Alex definitely wins the award for the most ambitious person I have ever met. He spent about 30 minutes detailing his dreams of opening up a first-class school in the middle of the favela and while I hope with all of my heart and soul that his dreams do come true, I highly doubt it as he would need some serious financial support. However, I must say that it is touching to meet someone who cares so deeply about their society and dedicates every minute of their day to bettering the world. I wish that I had taken pictures, but I was so engrossed with his story that I simply forgot.
As we walked back to the taxi stand some men on their motorcycles stopped to talk to Alex. One offered me a ride down the mountain. I asked Alex if it was okay and he said of course. So, I hopped on the back of one and bid my friends “tchau!”
I like to ride in style, what can I say!
If you would like to watch some videos of my ride down click here and here.
After our tour ended, we all went our separate ways to get ready for our final evening out in Rio. . .
Beautiful! And looks like so much fun.
I loved your blog post on Rio. I wish I had been brave enough to venture into the favellas, I was so curious!
What beautiful views! And you are brave. I do agree that it is important to get off the beaten path every so often and see how people live.
This has been my favorite Brasil post so far.
Love the photo’s Andi totally awesome. Sounds like quite the trip you had in Brasil.
How serendipitous! Just last night my friend was telling me about how she had went on a favella tour.
I hope that your friend achieves his dream of being able to put a school there. Nothing kills poverty like a good education.
Thanks for the VERY educational post, I am one of the people who are unfamiliar with favellas, so I really appreciate the first hand point of view rather than listening to the media!
I travel in a very similar way. I don’t really pay attention to mass media hype as they’re often too extreme in their views. The favellas look fantastic!
[...] Brasil Day 5 (Part 2) by Andi Perullo- I loved Andi’s post about the favellas in Brasil, and how the media can be so very wrong about a place. Yes, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings, especially if you’re a solo female traveler, but don’t let the media hype keep you from cool, amazing experiences! If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow @AndiPerullo. [...]
Superb post!
WOW, now this is a true travel writer we have here!!!
What a fabulous post!
Wow! Thank you! You made my day with this post!
Bella!!!