Posts tagged rio de janeiro
Visiting the Favelas of Rio
We never thought we’d ever be involved in a high speed motorcycle chase during this internship.
But GAP Adventures threw us a curve ball today.
Our tour guide, Marcus, led us through the favelas of Brazil, which are essentially the city slums.
As he began to give our group a run down of what to expect, Marcus mentioned the current omnipresence of drug lords and automatic weapons and the 200,000 people who live their lives in such conditions. We weren’t sure what we had gotten ourselves into.
“Our tour begins at the top of the mountain,” he told us. “In order to get there, we need to ride these.” He pointed to a group of motorcyclists who were idly waiting for us. We all hopped on the back of one these rickety motor vehicles and hung on to a complete Brazilian stranger for dear life. We took off racing up the crowded mountain, zigging and zagging between trucks and other bikes, all completely uphill with no helmet.
When we eventually screeched to a halt at the crest of the hill, Marcus said, “Now up here at the entrance, you will see young men who have guns and drugs. Do not be alarmed. These are my friends and I follow the rules. We will be fine,” Marcus calmly stated.
Sure enough, we passed men holding automatic weapons and getting rowdy in the local bars on Sunday morning. “They are harmless,” he explained as we walked by. “But absolutely no cameras in this area… We don’t want anyone to get shot.”
Our group proceeded into the labyrinth and stopped periodically for Marcus to explain certain aspects of the village. He showed us local artisans, introduced us to children who lived there and pointed out a local child care center that was run by volunteers.
“This is important for you to see,” he told us, “because there is hope that lives here too.”
Despite the weight of the place, he envisioned a better future for this place. He told us of ongoing municipal projects to better the space as well as other grassroots efforts to raise the standard of living.
As we walked out, our heads were spinning from witnessing that side of the city, but we were appreciative to have our eyes opened to reality. It is enlightening for tourists to see all sides of humanity that exist in a place like Rio to get a more holistic understanding of its culture.
Casey & Natalie