After saying our good-byes in Paraty we headed to Rio on the bus and entered Carnival mayhem. Our hostel was well located, just two blocks from the notorious Copacabana beach. The evening we arrived we took a quick stroll to the beach and then headed to Sambadromo to experience the incredible parade that showcases Rio's best dancers and musicians. Rio's samba schools set the perfect beat as the never ending stream of extravagant floats and costumes feed an already elated crowd. The pictures can't even begin to encompass the sights and overall feeling that we felt in the stadium that night. The parade goes on until 6 am and we only lasted until 3 before our feet were too swollen and tired to stand any longer. We have heard nothing but horror stories about the crime in Rio, having favelas (Brazilian slums)in every neighborhood except for two in the entire city, and we had been well warned to beware and take all precautions against thieves.
Leaving the stadium that night our nostrils stung with the putrid stench of human waste and we laid eyes on an excess amount or garbage and entire families sleeping on the street. While our eyes were scanning Rio's overwhelming poverty, we could feel the eyes of strangers scanning us and scurried onto the metro and back to our hostel as quickly as possible. For the next three nights we took taxi's home when it was late. I am happy to inform that after Carnival was officially over, the streets seemed to unclutter with garbage and people went back to their daily routines, which I have to admit was a little more desirable. Copacabana and neighboring Ipanema, however, were lined with beach goers and we joined in like the gringos we are! I introduced Aaron to churros filled with chocolate that just happened to be sold on every corner and his obsession spiraled into a full on addiction. I became addicted to the super fruit acai, which is the perfect refreshing and nutritious treat when needing a break from the sun's glare. A trip to Rio would not be complete without taking the windy road up to the giant Christ the Redeemer which can be seen from almost everywhere in the city. The view of Rio from the Christ is pretty epic too. The long spanning beaches and sporadically planted mountains affords Rio one of the most unique geographys in the world (in my humble opinion anyway!).
On our last day in Rio we took a guided tour of only two of the many favelas that house approximately 2 million of the city's inhabitants. This was a highlight for us as it provided insight into Rio's scattered social demographic and importantly, cleared up misconceptions that pinpoint the favelas to be entirely crime-ridden. There are three major gangs that circulate throughout the favelas that are controlled by drug lords and their entourages, but they account for not even 10 per cent of the population living in these neighborhoods. There are favela neighborhood projects that have implemented garbage clean-up programs, home restorations, electricity improvements and resources for schools. With the 2016 Olympics in Rio's future, the government and police will be cracking down on the drug trafficking as much as possible but much more needs to be done to reduce crime and to bridge the enormous socioeconomic gap that exists. The best part of the tour for me was going to see one of the private schools that functions in one of the better favelas that is fortunate enough to have proper sewage and street addresses.
The last two days of our South America tour were spent in Rio with a rain drizzle overhead that cleared up just in time to bare a gorgeous sunset over Copacabana beach and give us the perfect sendoff back to Canada. We returned home today with tans that will fade, but memories that will last forever...AND the best part, the inescapable itch to do it all again (and not the kind you get from bed bugs, if ya know what I mean!). Until next time, Hasta Luego SA!
