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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

The Favela: Rocinha, City of God

Brendan

The Global Nomad

It may seem a strange suggestion to spend an afternoon in a slum. How about one of the largest slums in the world?

Favelas, the slum areas of Brazil, dot the countryside – in fact, there are 350 of these impromptu villages in Brazil, many of them within Rio’s city limits. Run by (often rival) drug lords and gangs, the favelas are a side of Brazil few tourists venture into. Going to visit a place like this may seem like madness, but it can be both educational and safe. Just don’t go on your own….

We choose to visit Rocinha, the largest favela in Latin America, a makeshift city within a city. Made famous by the movie City of God, Rocinha (ho-SEE-nya) is home to 200 000 cariocas (residents of Rio de Janeiro). Although they pay no taxes and have only basic services, the labour that Rocinha and Brazil’s other favelas supply keeps the city’s buildings clean, hotels staffed and clothes cleaned.

The sights, sounds and smells of this community are an in-your-face reminder that there are no government services here– no electrical power, no water, no police, no sewage systems and no garbage removal. Fifty-five percent of the kids between the ages of 4-13 attend the four schools in the favela – many of the rest are “put to work”, begging on the streets of Rio. Two hospitals here attempt to service the needs of this huge community, suffering from ailments many developed countries haven’t seen in decades.

A tour through one of Rio’s favelas is a fascinating experience. There are several outfits that will take you, prices are reasonable and most if not all have ties to the community. We chose Be a Local, and they provided a well-run, educational trip. (The initial ride to the top of the favela on the back of a motorbike was either a highlight or a shock, depending on your personality). The organization supports a daycare in Rocinha, and also offers tours to football games and the like.

Go see the other side of Rio, bring your camera and an open mind. Oh, and don’t be scared—you’re likely safer in the favela than outside. In the words of one guide “the same guy who will steal your wallet on Copacabana beach won’t touch you in here—the gangs rule this place with an iron fist.”

Be A Local
bealocal.com

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Sunday, April 27th, 2008

Hang gliding Rio - the video

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Had some issues uploading video earlier but they seem to be solved now. Check it out!

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Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Fly like a bird – Hang Gliding Rio

Brendan

The Global Nomad

There are some crazy pursuits that, more than others, cry out for the right venue. Bog diving, for example, just wouldn’t be the same outside Connemara Loughs. For me it’s always been bungee jumping in New Zealand. It’s not that I haven’t had chances other places, but somehow it just doesn’t seem the same jumping off a crane parked in an amusement park, with nary a bridge in sight.

And so it again seemed one of those times when I returned to Rio hell-bent on jumping off a cliff.

I had tried skydiving—that’s just insane—and bungee jumping was still waiting for my first trip to New Zealand. But hang gliding always struck me as the closest thing to actually flying: no engine. No plane. Hell, you even have wings. And what could be a more poetic, scenic and undeniably cool places to do it than from the dramatic cliffs above Rio de Janeiro, landing among the bikini-clad flesh sea…

Rio’s hang gliding central is São Conrado (aka “pepino”) beach, where a stretch of sand is reserved for the frequent landings. Gliders take off from Pedra Bonita, high above, and on a god day the queue to take off can be 5 or 6 gliders deep.

Costs vary from about 100 US and up, and finding a nut case willing to take you tandem is often as easy as walking Copacabana beach looking slightly unstable. Although it is possible to get cheaper rides this way, it has always seemed prudent to me to pay a little extra for quality when dealing with situations involving potential death. (This is the same logic I applied when renting automatic weapons in Cambodia. So far so good.)

For my first-ever hang gliding experience I chose Just Fly. They were professional and fun, and they even managed to get my acrophobic girlfriend to run off a cliff. Kudos to them.

For an incredible experience you will never forget (especially if you choose the optional CD with photos of your flight from a wing-mounted camera), take the plunge. If her grin afterwards is any indication, it’s even fun for the more sane among us.

Bonus: the typical flight path takes you close to Rocinha, the largest favela (see next post) in Latin America—a bird’s eye view of how millions of poorer Brazilians live. Oh, and you fly over the beach and beautiful mansions as well, but hey, that’s Rio for you.

Just Fly
$144 USD at time of writing for a 10-minute flight

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Thursday, April 10th, 2008

Footie Time

Brendan

The Global Nomad

As any Brazilian will tell you, Catholicism is only the country’s second most important religion. Number one? Futebol. And this coming from the largest Catholic population in the world.

There’s no question that when it comes to the world’s most popular sport, it’s hard to beat the Brazilians, on the field or in the stands. So what could be more Brazilian than going to a soccer match? And if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right: go to Rio’s Maracanã stadium.

When Maracanã was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA world cup, it was by far the largest stadium in the world; attendance at the final match was 200 000, the largest crowd to attend a soccer match in history. Today the place seats a more modest 95 000. To see Brazilians truly in their element, a game should be on any curious visitor’s agenda—football fan or not.

Finding out when games are on isn’t hard—just ask any carioca (Rio resident). If your Portuguese is as bad as mine, you can always check online. Here is one listing, posted by a Brazilian tour guide: http://futebolnomaracana.blogspot.com/

Some tips for taking in a game:

• Buy tickets ahead of time. Things get crazier, more crowded and more drunken the closer the game gets. Save yourself the headache and the long lineups and go earlier in the day or even a day or two before.
• Tickets can be bought at Maracanã itself, but there are other places if that isn’t convenient. If you are going to a local club game, tickets can be bought at the local stadiums of each team. Price is about 10-15 USD.
• Repeat after me: Botafogo. Fluminense. Flamengo. Vasco da Gama.
• Wear the right colours. Better yet, get a jersey from your favourite team. Just be sure to…
• Sit in the right place. Or rather, make sure not to sit in the wrong place. If in doubt, get seats in the white section, which is mellower, in the middle and less partisan.
• To tour or not to tour: most hotels or hostels can set you up with a company like bealocal.com who will pick you up, get you tickets, and bring you to and from your seats. Be aware, though that naturally there is a premium for this—the evening will set you back about 70 USD.

Note that games are played later than you may expect, to allow working people to get home and then to the game in time. At the time of writing, weekday games start at 9:45pm and weekend games at 6:10pm.

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