Sorry for the lack of updates mi amigos. My boy flew over to join me in Buenos Aires and there has been many exciting things to show him in that gorgeous city. Before he came though I said goodbye to my lovely travel buddy Sharna and spent a week in Rio de Janerio by myself. I got off the plane in Rio feeling so tired and sick but the hot stinky scent of the ocean was so invigorating. It was that stench of humidity that just hits you and is so tantalizing because it teases you with the smell of the sea, which, after 5 weeks of no ocean after being used to seeing it at the end of my street every single day back in Australia, was much desired. I somehow managed to score a super lush hostel which was very social and luxurious so inbetween trips to the beach and the pool there were many new friends to be made and way too many nights coming home as the sun was coming up. Rio is definitely a party city! Besides dancing the nights away to Samba I went on a few other noteworthy adventures. The first is obvious, Christo Redentor, the Christ the Redeemer Statue; the second, Escadaria de Selaron, the Stairway to Heaven; and the last, the Dona Marta Favela, which was probably my favourite.
Christo Redentor is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and it is very easy to see why. It sits atop the highest point in Rio de Janerio, on the peak of the Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city. It is absolutely massive and so imposing (like most Catholic/Christian monuments I suppose), standing at 30 metres tall, not including its 8 metres pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 metres wide. It is very impressive and quite lovely to be honest. Im not the biggest fan of religious icons but this statue is supposed to represent peace, symbolised by Christ`s open arms and it is situated in such a beautiful place with lush green jungle surrounding it and a steep winding cobblestone road linking it to the city below (which on ascending and descending it in an old combi van was an adventure on its on). Plus I saw a monkey!
The Stairway to Heaven, Escadaria de Selaron is very appropriately named. A colourful stiarway of mosaics wind down from Santa Teresa (an incredible neighbourhood of its own - previously owned by the wealthy these cobblestone alleys now consist of crumbling derelict mansions tainted by some impressive graffiti) to Lapa, a dodgy but fun suburb. An eccentric Chilean artist, Jorge Selaron, started decorating the dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house in 1990, and covered some 250 steps with over 2000 colourful tiles. He started decorating the steps with tiles that he scavenged from construction sites and waste found on the streets of Rio. Later on, as the steps gained publicity, he was able to use tiles from over 65 different countries that had been donated from visitors from all over the world. You can tell just from looking at these steps that they were a massive labour of love from an artist which eventually became all consuming. About 300 of the tiles were hand painted by Seralon and he was constantly changing sections of the steps so that it was an ever evolving piece of art, one that was never completed due to his death. Seralon killed himself on his beloved steps earlier this year as he always said he would. He told his friends (including my very knowledgeable tour guide) to buy his artwork when he died as it would be immensely more valuable after his death and that the only way his "crazy and unique dream will end is on the day of my death". A true artist to the very end. The only silver lining to his death as well is that tourists and locals alike can now sit on the steps without the threat of getting beaten by Selaron as he guarded his artwork fiercely.
The Favelas were something else entirely. For those of you who dont know, the favelas are the shanty towns in Brazil that were created by former soliders and slaves who had no land ownership and no options for work. They were called `favela` after the vegetation these dwellings were built amongst that provided shade and protection, as well as hiding spots when necesaary. I went to Dona Marta, in the south zone of Rio de Janerio, one of the biggest urban favelas. It was the first favela to be pacified in 2008 by Rio`s first Pacifying Police Unit. Since then there has been minimal drug trafficking (although I absolutely spotted some shady drug dealers there) and is open to tourists (guided of course) to enable foreigners to gain an insight into this harsh yet close community. Dona Marta (also occasionally referred to as Santa Marta) has close to 10, 000 residents with over 2, 500 houses. There are kindergardens, day-cares, eateries, a ju-jitsu school (where I was actually invited to try out my very basic white-belt skills) and a police station. Being the steepest favela in the city it also had as a furnicular. Whilst there is now a basic sewage system, water piping and some electrical cables the favela definitely still had a shanty-town feel to it. Houses and shelters are constantly falling down, thanks to frequent earthquakes and limited sturdy building structures, yet the houses just get rebuilt time and time again. This process of rebuilding seems an accurate representation of the people I met whilst I was there. In the face of harsh adversity you will continue to find, time and time again, notions and actions of friendship and resilience in this close-knit community. I think my favourite example is when a new house is built and new residents appear (which are only allowed in if invited by existing residents due to the increasing lack of space) the entire community pitches in to help built the new house. The first and foremost step is a big party on the building site, which is attended by all members of the community. Not only is this a bonding experience, and of course an excuse for a rowdy party (which will all know Brazilians are totally capable of), but also helps the building process by compacting the dirt floor. To me, this union of these proud people despite constant challenges perfectly portrays the spirit of the people who live in this shantytown in the heart of urban Rio.
One of Dona Marta`s claims to fame:
Check out this awesome project that I was priviledged enough to witness in Dona Marta:
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