Rio de Janiero: A Tale of Two Cities

It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, here in Rio. Brazil is prospering more than ever before, and all eyes will be on this country for the next few years, as it is hosting the World Cup in 2014, and the Olympics in 2016. The city of Rio is a flurry of activity, and you can see progress, albeit slow progress, everywhere you look, preparing for these events.

However, lurking in the shadow of these grand occurrences is an underlying problem that Rio will find difficult to hide once the world looks their way more closely: the rampant crime and poverty that is being determinedly ignored while the wealthy prosper.

Of course, this is a tale as old as time; citizens of a developing country don´t all benefit from the strengthening economy; not everyone can grow richer at the same time. However, the level of poverty in a city that is pouring billions into two international sporting events is a terrible thing.

When we first arrived in Rio, our bus from the airport to the hostel took us past a favella (a Brazilian slum or shantytown). These favellas sprung up all over cities much the same as the ghettos in the US and Europe did, back when the cities were newer, and people were looking for a fresh start in a flourishing place, hoping to pursue success and wealth. Of course, an overwhelming majority of these people never accomplished the success they dreamed of, and it is the ancestors of these people, plus many more that wished for the same thing since then, that now occupy the favellas of Rio, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, etc. The communities are normally built in areas of the city which the wealthy have shunned, such as on steep hills (Rio is very mountainous). They are overcrowded, the building are in terrible shape, and the streets are filthy with rubbish and waste. Some people have constructed tents for themselves out of bin bags, and that is where they call home. When we drove past this particular favella, I couldnt help but look; these people are suffering so much, and yet the majority carry out their daily tasks with a cheerful attitude. It made me want to cry. We then drove maybe only 3 or 4 minutes more before passing an enormous church, very newly renovated from the shiny look of it, covered in gold and marble. And that made me feel worse. Rich and poor; successful and suffering; live but a stones throw away from each other, rubbing shoulders, yet never quite coming into contact with one another.

Later that night, we went out in an area of the city called Lapa, which is quite a bohemian neighbourhood, for a street party. After about an hour, we were suddenly surrounded by police officers, armed to the teeth, rushing past us to a spot only 50 metres away. We turned to watch (how could you not?) and I was half expecting to see someone with a gun, or a brawl, or God knows what. But no, the threat that required a dozen or more armed police officers to rush together for, was a group of twenty five or so children, between the ages of 10 and 15. According to a Brazilian boy we were with, these kids stole from crowds to buy drugs. But from the way they were being attached, assaulted, and hauled around by grown men with guns, you´d think they were the drug lords themselves. They were lined up along the wall and patted down. If any resisted, or tried to run, they were thrown to the floor or against a concrete wall. And they were just children!

I understand, they were breaking the law, and the police obviously have to be seen doing something about the problem of these drugged up kids, but throwing them around and essentially just abusing their power over them is hardly going to make them change their ways. All it does is increase then tension between the police and the people in the favellas; they see the police as as much of a target to hate as the wealthy people outside of the slums. The problem doesn´t lie in the fact that some kids are doing drugs and must be stopped, the problem started way before then, when these children were brought up in such poverty that drugs seemed like a better option to them than anything else. Can you imagine what it must be like to be addicted to drugs and being so desperate to score, at any age, let alone 10 years old? And Brazil is so corrupt that I would bet anything at all that the very same police officers beating up these children are being bribed to look the other way by the men high up in the drug dens. In fact, I´d put my life on it.

Sometimes we walk past someone sleeping in the street and I get an overwhelming urge to give them all my money. Of course this is not sensible, and it´s always better to give a homeless person a drink or some food than money, as chances are they will not spend the money you give them on something that will help them. And yet who am I to judge what´s ´good´for them? I don´t have to sleep under a piece of cardboard, I don´t know what it´s like to not eat for a week; who am I to tell them not to drink or take drugs, if that´s the only pleasure they get from life? It´s just so sad. And truth be told, even if all the money that´s going towards the World Cup and Olympics was not being spent on these things, chances are it still wouldn´t be put towards helping the millions of people that need it.

And it´s such a shame because I still love this city. It´s beautiful both architecturally, and in the natural landscape. Built on the beach, and surrounded by tropical islands, it is an incredible place to explore. Josh and I spent today just wondering around, going nowhere in particular but stopping to look at everything. We went up to the Christ the Redeemer statue the other day, with stunning views over the whole city; we caught the final parade of Carnaval 2013 on Saurday night, and saw all the floats and costumes and samba dancers; we went up Sugarloaf Mountain at sunset and watched as Rio turned its lights on in the darkness... It´s such a exciting, exotic, colourful, lively place. The areas of Ipanema and Copacabana are thriving, full of tourists and rich Brazilians, with beautiful men and women strolling around like they own the place. (Perhaps they do?) But there´s so much wrong with it, too many people suffering wherever you look, that you feel guilty for enjoying yourself too much.

I have loved and hated Rio. It´s opened my eyes to the state Brazil is in, and I hope hope hope that as it becomes a bigger player on the world stage, as the 8th strongest economy in the world now, that it takes a look at where the money and aid is really needed, and tries to better itself socially, as it has now managed economically. Rio is a beautiful place, but it needs to stop basking in the attention of the world, and focus on the more pressing issues at home.

Brazil take 1: Rio Grande do Sul

I love Brazil.

I don't think I've ever been anywhere hotter than Porto Alegre. The heat we experiened in our first few days was ridiculous, we couldn't move it was so hot. It's actually the humidity that gets you, not the heat itself, but still. We have been staying at our friend Fernanda's house, a girl we met in Albuquerque on our year abroad. It's so good to have friends from all over the world because you have an excuse to travel so you can go visit them!

Her family have been so welcoming, and we have been very spoilt this past 10 days and behaving not at all like real backpackers. Her mum absolutely point blank refuses to let us help in either preparing the meals, or washing up afterwards, insisting that we are guests, which is very polite considering we've been here for 10 days and before last Wednesday,  she didnt know us from Adam, whoever he may be. Her brother is on his summer holiday from uni at the mo, so he's been our tour guide while Fernanda has been at work.

We went to her beach house at the weekend, and met her huge family, who all talk at once, shouting over each other, and don't stop to listen. It made me feel very at home - if anyone has ever met the Fernback side of my family, you'll understand :) Unfortunately it rained all weekend, but we still managed to eat almost an entire herd of cows on Sunday when her dad cooked churrasco, which is Brazilian bbq. It was delish, although a bit overdone for my taste. People in South America cook their steaks to well-done, and I'm more of a 'eat it while it's still mooing' kind of girl. We also went on a quad bike on the sand dunes at the beach, and aside from a minor capsize where the bike somehow ended up on top of us, it was so much fun!

We were unlucky with weather again this week, when we went to the little mountain town of Gramado, which looks like a village in the Alps. All the architecture is very German/Swiss, and makes you feel a bit like  you're in the Sound of Music, minus the spontaneous bursting into song. It rained a lot there too, but was very hot and stuffy when we came back to Porto Alegre again, so maybe it was a sign that we shouldn't have stopped being freeloaders? Who knows.

Today we are heading further north to the state of Santa Catarina, to a beach town called Garopaba. This is where we will be spending Carnival, Brazil's most (in)famous festival. Am very very excited! We'll still be with Fernanda,  as well as her boyfriend and some of their friends. Apparently the plan is to spend all day on the beach, eat churrasco and drink caipirinhas (Brazilian cocktails) all eve, and party all night.... sounds good to me!