YA LEUM.57 — Sleeping in the favela by mistake
In the last post we finished the Ruta 40 after 2 weeks traveling by car…
We had to be in Rio de Janeiro in two days for a great adventure — to meet the Reboul-Salze family. Mathieu and I were together for nearly a year now but living a different life from the rest. Away from all our friends and family. Just me and him, at our own pace, living what we wanted, where wanted with no one else.
We left the old life behind, a life in which we did not know each other’s past. And there we were, traveling to Brazil to meet Pierre, Marie, and Thierry. The Parisian family had the tradition of meeting in different countries, since Mathieu and his brother Pierre used to travel the world, sometimes in opposite directions.
I was not nervous but rather curious.
While still in Buenos Aires, we looked for the fastest and cheapest way to get to Rio de Janeiro. The most logical option was to catch a plane but a true backpacker always tries to find the cheapest option. The flights were quite expensive and that option was only considered for two minutes.
The bus, the most common transport mean in Latin America, was expensive too. Yet, the problem was not about the price anymore but rather about how long the trip would take. We wanted to take the same bus company for the entire trip, with the minimum amount of stops possible. When we bought the ticket, we were told that there would be only one change and would in 24h we would arrive at our destination.
What really happened was different.
The first bus exchange went perfectly fine. It happened a little later than what was expected but nothing noticeably strange happened. After seven more hours on the road, we were asked to change to another bus again.
However, we believed there was only one bus exchange planed.
That was when the nightmare started.
We never understood what happened but it was clearly a case of bad management by the bus company.
We ended up exchanging from one bus to another 5 times and the trip lasted for 51 hours, instead of 24.
Two nights and three days on buses. The passengers, including us, were getting desperate: people had other trips arranged, work meetings, family waiting, lacking a bath and food… it was one of the worst trips ever.
Once I went on an equally tiring trip when I crossed Laos in two and a half days. Yet, this trip was much worse… because no one told us a thing, we did not know what to expect.
The Carnival was starting and everyone on the bus was excited about arriving at Rio de Janeiro as soon as possible…
We finally arrived at the wonderful Rio.
At Rio de Janeiro, we were hosted in the house of a friend of Mathieu, where Mathieu’s brother was already waiting for us. Once we arrived, we went to see him.
Mathieu’s parents only joined us two days later. So, first, I met his brother, Pierre.
What an excitement!
Pierre was traveling too, just like us, but he had his own path. Pierre left Paris in January 2016 after being quitting his job as an Engineer. Since then, he had been in Southeast Asia, lived in Australia, traveled with Mathieu through Tasmania, and arrived on the South American continent.
Once he opened the door, I saw a traveler, just like us. A man with an open heart, with a warm hug, and many kilometers at the tip of his fingers.
It was a beautiful moment between the two brothers, in a fresh house in Rio de Janeiro, and our host made us feel at home as much as my mother would.
We talked about our journeys and the beauty and corruption in Brazil. Our host, Ana, told us some whimsical political stories from Brazil.
On the next day, we got ready to go to the Carnival… but I cut my finger deeply and we had to stay at home.
Yet, on the next day, we directly joined the crow, the well-known blocos. The carnival blocos are a group of people who follow the music band through specific routes inside the city. There are blocos everywhere, which means that there is music everywhere too.
The energy and vibe in the city are something I never felt before. There is so much joy, music, color, freedom… the carnival in Brazil is the experience of a lifetime.
I felt like a tourist… although I was dancing like everyone else, it felt like I was not there yet.
Then, we went to the sambadrome. It was also an experience of intense music, color, and joy.
The kind of experience that is kept in your heart.
Two days later, the parents of Mathieu joined us and we kept exploring Rio de Janeiro.
We cycled through Ipanema, climbed to see the Corcovado, visited the botanical garden, drank caipirinhas, visited a favela, walk through the city, event at night, ate chicken pastries and beans which I love!
However, the best story is yet to come.
The parents of Mathieu asked to rent a room with a nice view over Rio de Janeiro.
Mathieu did quite some research online, but everything was fairly expensive. Mathieu was for 2 years living on a small budget, so his perception of quality, location, budget was quite unique.
But he had a mission: a room with a view.
After so much research, he finally found a room with an amazing view!
When the taxi arrived at the destination he asked “are you sure that’s where you want to stay? This isn’t a very good area”
“What do you mean? Where are we? We book a room here?” — since I was the only speaking Portuguese, I was trying to understand where we were before filtering the information…
“That’s favela Santa Teresa!” — he answered with a somehow concerned tone!
Mathieu had book a room inside of the favela!
Maybe not a place I would go myself, but definitely not a place to take the parents.
To improve the situation — It was after 7pm, so already dark.
So 5 people, packed with luggage and bags, crossing the narrow streets in the dark, with barely space for two people, walked for 15 minutes to arrive at the accommodation.
We still passed by some guys with guns patrolling the streets…
Someone in the coffee place where we asked for directions told us the guests of our accommodation were fully protected and safe because the owner is very well seen and respected in the area.
I felt much BETTER!
Still, when we arrived, the entrance had locks and chains everywhere…
There was some tension in the air since we were all a bit insecure with the situation.
When the owner opened the door — a big, broad and joyful smile immediately made feel in peace!
And for the record — It was a mesmerizing and stunning view over Rio de Janeiro.
From the top of the favela, at night or in the sunrise, we saw a spectacular scenery from the Corcovado, passing through the sea, reaching all the hills and clouds
Totally worth it!!
February, 2018
Patricia Assis
