It's probably hard for most folks in the United States and Europe to imagine. Maybe you've seen movies like "City of God" and have a notion from that of what favela life is like in Brazil. Despite my more than a decade of contact with Brazil, it's sometimes difficult even for me to keep retain and awareness of the reality people face daily there.
I've never set foot in a favela. Perhaps I lack faith or courage, but I prefer to believe it's the good sense my mother taught me that's kept me away. Several years ago when I was in Rio de Janeiro to take care of some business at the American consulate, our taxi driver told us a story. He said one day he had three young American men hire him to drive them around the city. As he drove near the edge of one of Rio's many slums, he pointed it out. They asked him to slow down, and the next thing he knew two of the boys had hopped out of the car and ran into the favela. He yelled for them to stop and waited a few minutes, but given the dangerous area they were in he couldn't stay. He drove to remaining young man, now increasingly worried about his friends, back to the hotel. The police were called and were taking the report when one of the young men walked into the lobby. He was roughed up and shoeless (he'd been mugged) but otherwise okay. Not long after that the last young man came in. He'd been tossed in an open sewer. Both were incredibly lucky.
With the 2016 Olympics scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro, I wonder how many tourists will be stupid and decide to go sight-seeing in a favela? Sure, the police may get things under control by then (hard to believe) or the drug lords may authorize "official" tours. Still, pretty risky.
See also:
2016 Olympics in the “Cidade Maravilhosa” (Igneous Quill)
