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So, Friday was our last full day in Rio and also (as you will see from the pictures) a day of clouds and rain!
In the morning we went on a tour of Rochina which is the biggest Favela in South America. It was gloomy, gray and rainy but on the plus side this did add to the atmosphere! We were taken by bus to the bottom of the favela (it is built up a hill) and then taken on the back of motorbikes all the way up to the top (a little scary but the drivers were experts- I guess they have to be! I did keep thinking, "if mum could see me now!!") and then worked our way down through the streets with our guide.
It is crazy how many people and buildings are crammed onto the side of this hill- there are over 200,000 people and the favela is still constantly expanding. The buildings and the streets are tiny and all on top of each other and the smell wasn't great either but it's not all about poverty- a lot of people choose to live there because of the cheap rent. (also many dont pay tax or for electricity- they have attached their own wires to the pylons from which they steal it.)
The favela is run by three gangs who are drug dealers but these are only about 7-8% of the population. Admittedly it was a little scary when one dealer walked past us with huge gun in hand! but it is their responsibility to keep order as there are no police. Our guide said that there is not a crime risk inside the favela- but that the same guys that will shake your hand inside the favela will be the ones that mug you in the streets outside. Shoot outs between them make the place dangerous but we didnt see any trouble at all, it was a really interesting trip. (Well that is my little lesson on Rochina for you!!)
On Friday afternoon we re-donned our macs and set off to explore Copacabana though I imagine the place would feel a lot different in the sunshine! We looked round the fort then had a coffee break in an AMAZING coffee shop there. For our final night in Rio, we went out to a club (00 - Zero Zero) which was good fun.
We left Rio on Saturday and spent one night in Saquarema, a popular surf spot which would have been lovely had it been sunny but sadly the grey clouds still hadn't cleared. Last night we came to Arraial do Cabo and much to our delight the sun came out today- so we had some time on the beach at last!
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