The jeep that picked me up for the favela tour. I thought they had made a mistake. I had expected a tourist van. My tour mates were a couple from the UK, a man from Switzerland, a family from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and two Cuban men from Miami.

Photo taken on the way to the favela. Hard to take photos from the jeep.

Old and new buildings.

Cartoon on a wall.

A high-rent district.

More cartoons.

Coming into the Rocinha favela, the largest and richest favela in Rio. There are about 600 favelas in Rio and about 1,000 in Brazil.

Farther along.

Farther along.

This favela has many shops, services, and restaurants including a McDonald's (we didn't see it). It is a city within a city, but a city that is controlled by a criminal organization that makes its money by openly selling illegal drugs.

A sushi restaurant is here.

The houses and buildings are many storied and run up a hill.

Some buildings have balconies.

The art center: artists' works for sale, but no photos of the art work allowed.

Another view. You can get keys made here.

The view from here of Rio.

One of the sellers here.

I had to buy one of those CDs in the photo to take this photo.

I thought his dog was cute.

The man really got into having his photo taken.

Onward. Are you safe visiting a favela? It is highly advised that you do not visit a favela on your own. You will not be welcome. You need to go on a tour. But while on the tour, this is the safest place to be in Rio as the "Mafia" in charge of the favela do not allow visitors on a tour to be molested, robbed, or bothered. Not the same elsewhere in Rio.

More of the favela.

Mural.

Mural.

Mural.

Store.

More of the store.

A favela resident.

Live chickens for sale.

Dead chickens.

Meat.

Electrical wire art.

There are motorcycle taxis here as well as bus service.

A pizza parlor.

More stores and restaurants.

Free wifi.

Onward.

Ruffles and beer.

We are now walking up a building. There were at least four stories to climb.

The climb was well worth it for this view. The Rochina favela's population according our tour guide is over 200,000. It runs right into a high-rent district at the bottom of the hill.

Another view of the favela.

There is a swimming pool for the children to use (middle left of the photo). However, there are not enough schools for the children so they are left to fend for themselves when their parents are at work. Most of the people who live in the favelas are employed. A favela's residents are made up of the poor and also of the not so poor.

The government replaced some of the favela buildings with apartment houses.

Another view. There is only one hospital for the favela's 200,000 residents, not adquately providing for medical needs.

Close-up showing roof patios.

Balconies.

A roof area.

Another view.

Another view.

This man owns the building that we have climbed up. He also runs a souvenir shop here which has air conditioning. Our guide had to sign a form that he had brought a certain number of people to the favela as the number of people visiting it is limited.

For sale in the souvenir shop.

Colorful Christ the Redeemer figures.

Art work.

A carnival mask.

Back down the stairs onto a street. The street is high up on the hill.

To go down the hill, we entered a stairway between buildings.

Gang insignia as to who controls this building.

The stairs were steep and not in great repair and with no railings.

Farther along.

In the stairway.

Our tour guide.

Farther along.

We are behind a pastry shop.

At the bottom of the stairs. Thank goodness!

Mural at the end of the stairs.

A barber shop at the end of the stairs.

Close-up. It's air conditioned and has a picture of Che Guevara on the door.

Also cartoons on the door.

Inside the barber shop.

And another picture of Che Guevara.

The barber shop also serves as a favela post office. People do not have addresses or the postal carriers refuse to walk up stairs to people's apartments, so mail is left here. No one steals someone else's mail.

Two favela residents.

Traveling down the hill.

Nearing the bottom of the hill.

On a wall.

Favela scene.

Looking back on the favela from the high-rent district.