For any of you who read the second episode of this Blog, you will have gathered that Breno, our guide for these two days, had made a massive initial impression on all of us and we did wonder if the all round excellence of Day one could be continued into Day two. The simple answer is an unhesitating yes and looking back now, we can't understand why we doubted Breno's ability to transfix us once again like he had done yesterday!
He arrived on time at our hotel, only on this occasion, to be met by four rather than six passengers. Happily, we were joined by Stuart and his wife Frances, Stuart being the Captain who flew us out to Rio on Monday. Like yesterday with our four BA compatriots, they proved to be wonderful company for the day and it was great to share this experience with them.
Having completed what I thought were all the tourist "must dos" yesterday, we started off with the "secret beach" and ended the day with the Taunay waterfall right in the middle of the city of Rio. In between seeing those attractions, the one thing that made an indelible impression on all of us was a visit to a favela.
For those of you who might not know, a favela is a Brazilian slum built in an urban area. The first ones appeared in the late 19th century and were built by soldiers who had nowhere to live. Over the years, the numbers of favelas have continued to grow and at the last count, Rio had 600 of them, the largest housing some 350,000 people!!
The drive into and up through the Vidigal Favela was mesmerising and it would take a week to describe the full experience. This isn't the sort of thing that Linda and I would normally do. We have visited South Africa six times and not once have we visited a township feeling that we didn't want to be entertained by other people's misfortune. And yet this felt very different with us gaining an impression of a very happy place to live with lots of smiling faces on view and people working hard to make a living.
Vidigal is one that encourages tourism and if does have the knock on effect of bringing much needed money into the community, some of ours which was spent on beer and food in a restaurant at the very top of the hill. The view looking down over Ipanema was sensational and I could have rested here for hours putting more cash into the community via the consumption of very cold beer.
I will return to favelas before the end of our trip but meanwhile will let some photos tell the story of today.
It has been tremendous in every way and we can't thank Breno enough for the enjoyment and experiences he has provided over the two days. His knowledge of the city is amazing and not once have I been able to ask him a question that he couldn't answer. I tried so hard!
Tomorrow, we have an early start in the hope of getting a flight to Foz do Iguacu to witness some of the most stunning waterfalls in the world.
The Secret Beach
Breno and Linda at the Hang Gliding Site
Another View of Ipanema
Can You See the Monkey Face?
Is There an Electrician in the House?
The Stunning View from the Top of the Favela
Our Travelling Companions Stuart and Frances
Taunay Waterfall
No comments:
Post a Comment