Mine´s a Caipirinha

Brazilians say "God made the world in 6 days, the seventh he devoted to Rio", so we thought we'd use the 2 remaining flights available on our RTW ticket to see for ourselves! With a stunning mountain backdrop and a deep blue sea studded with islands they may have a point - though perhaps not the Favelas!

One of the most densely populated and crime ridden cities, we were a bit unsure of what to expect - especially after the horror stories people insist on sharing with you about their own trips - so we left most of our luggage and valuables in Santiago and hoped for the best.

What we found was THE image of Brazil with 'Christ the Redeemer' watching over the city from his prime Corcovado position, Sugar Loaf jutting into the sea, stunning beaches and beautiful people - in fact so many people - don't they have to work?! The wardrobe of choice seems to be bikini or speedos - even around town - the latter of which led to a lot of speculation about budgie smuggling!!

We found a nice little apartment (bizarrely the cheapest accommodation option) just off Ipanema beach and set about settling into the cocktail sipping, football playing, samba dancing beach life - it was hard but soon we were like locals!

In between walks along, sunbathing on and drinking beside Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, as well as watching the dismal England vs. Israel match in an equally dismal English pub (the Lord Jim - DON'T go there as the staff are rude, the place is scummy, the drinks are overpriced and the TVs are sh*te!), we did manage to squeeze in the obligatory tourist trips of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado - both of which were great.

We also went off the beaten track and took a tour of the Rocinha Favela - the largest in Brazil. A city within a city with its own banks, shops, buses, TV and radio channels, the first thing that strikes you is the view. One of the few cities in the world where the poor live above the rich, they have the most magnificent views of the city. The second is that whilst the homes are small and tatty, they have all the mod-cons - plasma TVs, computers, nice furniture etc. All the Favelas are run by gangs and 20 something drug lords - this one was Los Amigos de Amigos (the friends of friends) who ensure there is no crime as they don't want the police around, making the Favelas the safest place in the city to live (as far as robberies are concerned - shootings however are rife!). In fact our guide told us about an attempted bank robbery there 2 years ago - the robbers were the police and the crime-stoppers the dealers!

We also visited the much smaller Vila Canoas Favela which is part of a community project run by our tour company (who donate 80% of the tour fee to the project) and an Italian charity in order to provide better education and opportunity for the residents.

Both were really interesting to see, but it's so sad that they only exist because the government and the people don't care. There are no safety nets and no funding available to help - the only way out of the Favela is through gang membership (despite the short life expectancy) or sports/music - for example most of the Brazilian football team comes from Favelas.
We both really enjoyed Rio as it's so vibrant and the picture of South America - our only regret was not building more of Brazil into our trip. Oh well, maybe next time ...