Go back to Brazil.
Go back to Pedra da Gavea.
Though we had one more climb on the menu, there was no way in hell I was getting back into my rock shoes. Instead, Duda and Didi took us on another quick city tour. This time we went up the larger Twin Brother (Dois Irmãos) via a nice hike that originated from inside the Vidigal Favela. Our experience with Rio thus far had been that it reminded us of New York City that we knew from the 90s: safe enough overall with some neighborhoods that you wouldn’t want to be walking around and displaying your large SLR camera in. The favelas were a separate country in a way. The law of Brazil stopped at the heavily armed police perimeters at their borders. Inside the favelas, the law was dictated by a given gang. The Vidigal was apparently the one favela where taking tourists had been okayed; a “posh favela”. Walking through it we noticed that most people were just normal and seemed to be going about their business. There were only a few characters that raised internal alarms and we were trying not to make eye contact with. And we were asked not to take photos (sorry). Above the favela, the hike itself was spectacular and offered yet another set of urban vistas. We burnt our final half day in Rio at the beach double fisting caipirinhas and nursing our beat up bodies. We saw our second rainy spell in Brazil as we were taking off for home. We’ll be back.
Photos
Go back to Brazil.