EC-Rider Travels

I have had the most amazing day. Starting off with a negative COVID test (hooray!) which was such a blessing as Edivaldo had suggested I spent the day with him as he wanted to show me around and take me on a hike …. a walk, I thought, well not quite……

I met him at 9, and we headed off to a lovely coffee shop which reminded him of England. The most amazing cakes and pastries all made on the premises and masses of young sitting around with their lap-tops ‘working from home’. The mist had unfortunately descended which was particularly unfortunate as kind Analida had arranged for Paulo to take Iain and Niccy to see the Christ and Sugar Loaf, which were at this point completely immersed in the rather wet clouds. The weather here, like so many other parts of the world, is completely upside down and no one quite understands where the sun has gone.

Anyway after a long breakfast and a lot of chat, Edivaldo and I headed off on our adventure. First on the Rio tube, very sophisticated and efficient though we managed to miss the stop as we were chatting so much. We then took an Uber (again amazingly efficient) to the base of one of the favelas called Vidigal and …. entered a very different world. I am so intrigued by these communities, run by drug barons and the militia and breathing total fear into their ‘host’ city. It is hard to get any information about them from any of the guides and no one really seems to even talk about them.

I asked Edivaldo to tell me more and what life was like living there, he had lived in a Favela until he was ten. He said they varied hugely, most, simply being hundreds of houses for the poorer communities, rarely with any amenities, shops or schools, although the one we were visiting did have a some. There are many favelas in Rio and rather than being on the outskirts, they are dotted around the city, sprawling, steeply up the mountains. Roads are often so narrow, vehicles can’t get up them and so walking up and down the steep hillside (usually steps) is the only method of getting back and forth. He lived about half way up his favela, but it still took 40-50 mins to get up and down. Shopping was only done once a month with the whole family going down to the supermarket, on the periphery of the favela and lugging everything back home. He lived with his grand-parents, two aunts and two uncles and his two siblings. He had lost contact with his parents when he was a tiny baby. His uncles still live there, but he does not visit.

Most modern favelas appeared in the 1970s when many people left rural areas to find work in the cities. About 6% of Brazilians live in favelas. They are run by different gangs who are constantly fighting one another to gain control of new areas or a second favela. Drugs rule and are sold openly on the streets. Gun fights are common and Edivaldo told me he sometimes could not go to school as there was shooting in the street. Each gang has different rules which everyone has to follow and could change over night. Edivaldo told me, quite matter of factly, that a change of leadership, might for example, mean you could not wear red.. or talk to certain people. I guess, it becomes the norm if you are growing up there and indeed he said it was a happy place and not as deprived as everyone thought. I have to confess, Vidigal, looked pretty desperate to me and this was considered to be one of the better ones.

Next part of the adventure was to take a motor-bike taxi to the top of the favela. I am quite pleased to be writing this, as I guess it was perhaps not 100% sensible to go on the back of a complete stranger’s bike, with no helmet, up an almost vertical hill, winding in and out of the narrowest spaces, along a very bumpy road at quite some pace …. but I am here to tell the tale and Daniel my driver (probably a drug baron) was very sweet – I think!. After about ten minutes we got to the top of the favela where there was in fact a school and rather amazing football pitch – football is everything here. But goodness the squalor of the living conditions on the way up were quite sobering.

We then started on our ‘hike’, not just a little stroll but a climb up one of Rio’s mountains called Morro Dois Irmãos or The Two Brothers and needless to say we were heading up the bigger one – the one on the left! It was quite a climb, but very much better with the help of a gorgeous ballet dancer to guide and catch me when I fell. Sadly the mist was still with us but did lift every now and again, to reveal the most stunning views over Rio and some incredible frigatebirds and black vultures circling around – below us!. We sat on top of the mountain and chatted for most of the afternoon and then headed down, the return journey also including the local bus!

Unbeknown to me, while we were on the bus, Edivaldo called his aunt who came from her office to meet us. I have rarely been hugged and squeezed so much as she proudly took me off to see where she worked in one of the shopping malls. Analida had paid for her and Edivaldo’s brother to come to London for his graduation and she even remembered what colour I was wearing! The adventure ended with a delicious iced drink called Açai. Such a great day and an insight into the real Rio, I loved it.

Well I say the end of the adventure; of course such a day could not end without some Samba. Once again Analida’s generosity came to the fore as she took Niccy, Iain, Edivaldo, me and sweet young Mattie to the most amazing Samba bar, down-town called Rio Scenarium. It was the kitschest/coolest place with a lot or caipirinhas and everyone dancing the night away. Much excitement about the RB dancers and just as we were leaving a young guy recognised Niccy from her instagram and nearly died of excitement at having his photo taken with her and Iain. We eventually rolled into bed at about 2am – quite tired but what a day!