I know it has been a week, but this entry is worth the wait! This is the second installment for my Not For Tourists journal. This time I am focusing on a neighborhood that has become near and dear to my heart-Castelo. Enjoy!
Castelo, Rochina, Pauvuna-I am there.
After reading my Good Times entry, you have made the decision that you must spend a few days in Castelo, Rochina or some other favella that is near and dear to your heart. Your best bet is to have an established relationship with someone who already lives there. Trust me.
Are You Up for the Challenge?
This is an important question that you may want to ask yourself. During my short stint, I quickly came to the realization that favella life has physical requirements. Coordination, Agility, Balance were all tested during my stay.
· On numerous occasions, I had to hop over holes in the alleyways. Most of these alleys are hard dirt and intermittently covered with small wooden boards so the ground is not even and treacherous. At night (due to little or no lighting), if you don’t have good vision and footing, you may just take a tumble.
· Most of the favellas are built into the sides of the mountains. So you will be doing a lot of walking uphill. If the neighborhood that you are in is flat, you will still have to climb steep, cement staircases. Sometimes these staircases do not have railings. One false move and…I don’t want to paint that picture for you.
· It is common to come across large standing pools of water or trenches of water on your path. As we headed to training one day, we approached the main entryway of the house to see a large trench filled with water. The water pipes were being repaired or something. I had to carefully walk the trapeze to the end of the corner.
· There is usually a small wall dividing the main doorway to each residence. When we returned home from the club, there must have been some miscommunication on leaving the key for us to get in. Consequently, my hostess had to kick off her flip flops and quietly climb over the wall (about 6ft) to gently unlock the front gate to let us in.
Please Don’t Stop the Music!!
Rihanna’s song sums it up. You will hear music, and it will be loud. There are no noise ordinances here.
I Like Privacy
I like privacy as well. However, you are going to have to compromise. Depending on the way your residence is structured, you may have many places in your living quarters that are open to the entire world. For example, every morning people had the ability to watch me walk to and from the bathroom to handle all of my personal business. Due to the size and set-up of the bathroom, I was not able to get dressed there so…my shoulders and legs were free for the world to see! (I guess, when I am more famous, paparazzi will know where to get good pictures when I am partying in Castelo…) I, on the other hand, had the ability to see people cooking dinner, watching television and taking a bath.
I am not talking about open windows. Some residences lacked coverings for entry ways or window areas. It felt a little weird to be able to see all of these things, but the occupants seemed totally immune to it.
Meet the Locals
I would like to point you to a novella that I watch here every evening called Duas Carras (Two Girls). It is a soap opera that lots and lots of men, women, boys, girls, dogs, cats & birds watch Monday-Saturday at 9:00 p.m. The setting for this drama is a favella. Now, some of the details of this novella are a little over-the-top. However, the actors and actresses are a good reflection of the local population.
Ladies, there are a lot of guys who took the challenge to be physically fit to live in the favella. (Likewise gentlemen, there are ladies who are doing the same as well.) I was extremely pleased with the guys that crossed my path. They were running around carrying surfboards, riding motorcycles and waiting at the bus stop waving to me as I passed them by on the bus. It was quite entertaining.
I am sorry guys. As far as what the ladies were doing, I am not exactly sure. I will tell you that they were dancing hard in the club if that is any indication.
Pedestrians Take Heed
People commonly complain that driving in Latin America lacks a certain adherence to laws. My experience has found this to be quite true. Therefore, if someone is driving anything (bike, bus, car or motorcycle), please take heed and move as far away as possible. Wild driving, no sidewalks and dirt roads can spell disaster. For example, an oncoming car ran over a small portion of my foot while I was in Castelo. I think the driver ran over at least one other girl’s foot as well because she started yelling. Fortunately, it was only a small part of the tire and my foot was fine.
Wardrobe Check
I don’t have any tips on what you can do to blend in. I am starting to believe that no matter where you go people will be able to sniff a stranger out.
For example, when I bring my friends to Seneca, South Carolina they wonder why people stare. I tell them it is because people can tell they are not from Seneca. (It is actually reaching a point where I get a few stares sometimes.)
Now imagine trying to play chameleon in a Brazilian favella. It doesn’t matter if you speak the language or look the part. I have been working on the “blend-in” for the last 3 months…
Therefore, I am going to give you a couple of tips on what you can do to call less attention to yourself.
1. Leave all Jordans, Airforce 1s and rare sneakers at home. I took a prized pair of my kicks but they never saw one inch of Castelo. I realized that I had enough stares when I was staying in Copacabana. Plus, the grounds are too unpredictable to keep your kicks clean and it will send off an alarm that you are an estrageiro (foreigner) with cash. (In case you don’t know, tennis shoes are expensive here. They are selling non name brand sneakers for around $60 USD. Nike Shox start at $150 USD.)
2. Everyone wears the flat flip flops. However, most of the girls have at least one pair of the platform flip flops. They will save your feet when you have to step in puddles of water (inevitable when it rains).
3. Always good to take a look at the wardrobe of your host or hostess. This is an excellent indicator of the types of clothes that are commonly worn.
Follow Your Guide When…
1. You hear gunshots. If your friend is calm, follow their lead. Sometimes locals like to shoot in the air to start a party or to celebrate when the home team wins a match.
2. You see a fight. They are still using fists in Castelo. I am not sure what they are doing in other places. Therefore, if your friend stays to watch the bout, enjoy the entertainment also.
3. You see your friend immediately and/or random leaves a location. Don’t ask any questions. Just move. Usually it means that they are trying to move away from a potentially dangerous situation.
Castelo, Rochina, Pauvuna-I am there.
After reading my Good Times entry, you have made the decision that you must spend a few days in Castelo, Rochina or some other favella that is near and dear to your heart. Your best bet is to have an established relationship with someone who already lives there. Trust me.
Are You Up for the Challenge?
This is an important question that you may want to ask yourself. During my short stint, I quickly came to the realization that favella life has physical requirements. Coordination, Agility, Balance were all tested during my stay.
· On numerous occasions, I had to hop over holes in the alleyways. Most of these alleys are hard dirt and intermittently covered with small wooden boards so the ground is not even and treacherous. At night (due to little or no lighting), if you don’t have good vision and footing, you may just take a tumble.
· Most of the favellas are built into the sides of the mountains. So you will be doing a lot of walking uphill. If the neighborhood that you are in is flat, you will still have to climb steep, cement staircases. Sometimes these staircases do not have railings. One false move and…I don’t want to paint that picture for you.
· It is common to come across large standing pools of water or trenches of water on your path. As we headed to training one day, we approached the main entryway of the house to see a large trench filled with water. The water pipes were being repaired or something. I had to carefully walk the trapeze to the end of the corner.
· There is usually a small wall dividing the main doorway to each residence. When we returned home from the club, there must have been some miscommunication on leaving the key for us to get in. Consequently, my hostess had to kick off her flip flops and quietly climb over the wall (about 6ft) to gently unlock the front gate to let us in.
Please Don’t Stop the Music!!
Rihanna’s song sums it up. You will hear music, and it will be loud. There are no noise ordinances here.
I Like Privacy
I like privacy as well. However, you are going to have to compromise. Depending on the way your residence is structured, you may have many places in your living quarters that are open to the entire world. For example, every morning people had the ability to watch me walk to and from the bathroom to handle all of my personal business. Due to the size and set-up of the bathroom, I was not able to get dressed there so…my shoulders and legs were free for the world to see! (I guess, when I am more famous, paparazzi will know where to get good pictures when I am partying in Castelo…) I, on the other hand, had the ability to see people cooking dinner, watching television and taking a bath.
I am not talking about open windows. Some residences lacked coverings for entry ways or window areas. It felt a little weird to be able to see all of these things, but the occupants seemed totally immune to it.
Meet the Locals
I would like to point you to a novella that I watch here every evening called Duas Carras (Two Girls). It is a soap opera that lots and lots of men, women, boys, girls, dogs, cats & birds watch Monday-Saturday at 9:00 p.m. The setting for this drama is a favella. Now, some of the details of this novella are a little over-the-top. However, the actors and actresses are a good reflection of the local population.
Ladies, there are a lot of guys who took the challenge to be physically fit to live in the favella. (Likewise gentlemen, there are ladies who are doing the same as well.) I was extremely pleased with the guys that crossed my path. They were running around carrying surfboards, riding motorcycles and waiting at the bus stop waving to me as I passed them by on the bus. It was quite entertaining.
I am sorry guys. As far as what the ladies were doing, I am not exactly sure. I will tell you that they were dancing hard in the club if that is any indication.
Pedestrians Take Heed
People commonly complain that driving in Latin America lacks a certain adherence to laws. My experience has found this to be quite true. Therefore, if someone is driving anything (bike, bus, car or motorcycle), please take heed and move as far away as possible. Wild driving, no sidewalks and dirt roads can spell disaster. For example, an oncoming car ran over a small portion of my foot while I was in Castelo. I think the driver ran over at least one other girl’s foot as well because she started yelling. Fortunately, it was only a small part of the tire and my foot was fine.
Wardrobe Check
I don’t have any tips on what you can do to blend in. I am starting to believe that no matter where you go people will be able to sniff a stranger out.
For example, when I bring my friends to Seneca, South Carolina they wonder why people stare. I tell them it is because people can tell they are not from Seneca. (It is actually reaching a point where I get a few stares sometimes.)
Now imagine trying to play chameleon in a Brazilian favella. It doesn’t matter if you speak the language or look the part. I have been working on the “blend-in” for the last 3 months…
Therefore, I am going to give you a couple of tips on what you can do to call less attention to yourself.
1. Leave all Jordans, Airforce 1s and rare sneakers at home. I took a prized pair of my kicks but they never saw one inch of Castelo. I realized that I had enough stares when I was staying in Copacabana. Plus, the grounds are too unpredictable to keep your kicks clean and it will send off an alarm that you are an estrageiro (foreigner) with cash. (In case you don’t know, tennis shoes are expensive here. They are selling non name brand sneakers for around $60 USD. Nike Shox start at $150 USD.)
2. Everyone wears the flat flip flops. However, most of the girls have at least one pair of the platform flip flops. They will save your feet when you have to step in puddles of water (inevitable when it rains).
3. Always good to take a look at the wardrobe of your host or hostess. This is an excellent indicator of the types of clothes that are commonly worn.
Follow Your Guide When…
1. You hear gunshots. If your friend is calm, follow their lead. Sometimes locals like to shoot in the air to start a party or to celebrate when the home team wins a match.
2. You see a fight. They are still using fists in Castelo. I am not sure what they are doing in other places. Therefore, if your friend stays to watch the bout, enjoy the entertainment also.
3. You see your friend immediately and/or random leaves a location. Don’t ask any questions. Just move. Usually it means that they are trying to move away from a potentially dangerous situation.
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