Day 83 - Rio de Janeiro

We started the day by visiting the other side of Rio: the favelas.  Favelas are slum villages built up the mountains surrounding the city.  They often have a dire shortage of clean water, sanitation, education, and government involvement, and are generally ruled by the drug lords.  There are a few “pacified” favelas that have been cleaned up by increased police presence and are relatively safe for tourists, given they have a proper guide.  These are the minority.

We drove through several favelas, including Santa Marta and Provincia.  Our first stop was a few steep streets up the hill.  Our driver let us out to walk around, but he drove himself down the street a ways where it was safer.  How do you like that!  We were mostly fascinated with the electrical poles.  The favelas often illegally usurp the electrical wires, and the poles look like a sort of high-tech medusa – and a major fire hazard.  A woman peered her head out the window and after seeing us immediately asked if we were lost.  Nic used his Portuguese skills to say that he was an engineering student studying electrical systems.  As far as I could tell, she believed him.  We found our driver quite far away and later stopped at a gas station.  The driver told us to put our cameras away because there were many drug dealers in the area and cameras make them nervous.

We continued to salvage the rainy day by dining out.  We by chance found a buffet-style restaurant where you pay for your food by the kilogram.  I loaded up on all kinds of foods that I have never seen before – and actually liked everything!  Look for new foreign cuisine in my house after I get home!  We finished the day with a happy, hearty pillage of the dessert buffet.