Carlos met us in the morning and took us back to Pepino
beach to go paragliding and enjoy Rio from the sky. We met up with Max and
Marinho (our pilots for the day) who, after some creative passport numbers and
indemnities, took usy up to Tajuca Forest and onto the Pedra Bonita ramp. Now
that we were standing on the ramp we very quickly realised that there was no
turning back.

 



We watched a few hang gliders take off from just above us
and then a paraglider. It looks simple enough, then Marinho (my pilot) came
over to get me strapped up and tell me what to do. All he had to say was “walk,
don’t jump, just walk when I say”. That sounds simple, after all the walking I
have already done in Rio.

 



Damien was the first to get going and all looked simple
enough when he took off. Then came my turn. The parachute was laid out and
checked and then, to add some drama, the wind caught it and tangled a few
lines. Very calmly the team got the parachute under control and prepared it for
takeoff and told me to come get strapped in.



After getting strapped in and a quick safety check we were
ready to go, wait, were we?? Marinho was just standing sill while my nerves
were building and I had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself a little, but
we were still waiting. After what seemed like an age (probably only a minute)
Marinho told me he was waiting for some more wind. When the wind was right
Marinho told me to walk, so I walked and walked and then I had no more ground
to walk on. I lifted my legs and we were up in the air. The relief and
realisation that we were in the air was the most amazing feeling. I then began to
actually enjoy the view.

 



Wow, what an experience! The views and the flight were
totally worth it!

 



Once safely on the ground I was greeted by a very excited
Damien. We very quickly made our way to the beach shop and had a beer to
celebrate our safe flight.

 



We met up with Carlos again and a couple from Colorado (they
were on the tour with us yesterday and also went paragliding) to go into
Rocinha. We took a quick walk and bus ride to the favela and then a motor taxi (motorbike
taxi) up to the top. Most favelas are built on hills as these areas were not
built on and were therefore the ideal space.

 



Rocinha is one of the largest favelas in Rio with about 164 000
people living in it and about 30 000 businesses operating within it. From what
Carlos had to say and my own experience (with Rocinha and Chavez Magueira) these
are actually very safe places with a very strong community feel to them.

 



Throughout the tour through the favela and also the tour the
previous day I was constantly reminded of the social and political similarities
that Brasil and South Africa have. There are obviously major differences but I
was surprised at how similar the challenges faced by both countries are.

 



After the trip through Rocinha we ate at a restaurant where
we paid for a buffet style meal on a rate per kg basis. This was one of the
best meals that I have had in Rio and it was very reasonably priced!

 

After lunch we made our way back to Ipanema and our hostel
where we chilled for a while before making our way down to the beach for a few
beach side beers before an early departure to Ilha Grande in the morning. At
the beach we were surprised to see a good game of touch rugby being played with
locals and foreigners.