(picture of a favela above)
The 'favelas' of Brazil are intriguing. These hillside ghettos of Brazil, ruled by drug lords and often adjacent to very affluent areas differ greatly from an American ghetto.
Without getting into too much detail, I just noticed some loud music coming from the balcony that faces the hillside favela a couple miles away. This particular favela is located right undernead the infamous Jesus statue ironically enough. The music blaring in the distance is Brazilian Funk... It's like rap, mixed with mega-funky basslines and beats and styling. It's an AWESOME style of music, but it's known as 'favela music' or looked down upon as inferior music of the less fortunate. Anyhow, looking from my balcony I can see lights flickering up in the middle of the favela and it seems they're throwing a party. Jammin music, really cool stuff... Its just weird to hear this music blaring, to be able to see the lights flickering amidst the huge favela, and to imagine them in their little town, which police wont dare to enter, throwin down, doin up their own Brazilian-favela kind of way.
They have favela tours in which an employee of the local drug lord allows you and your car safe passage to cruise around and take pictures and stuff. Without this approval you're pretty much guaranteed to be mugged or God knows what else. I'd like to go up there and see it firsthand and get some pics.
Much flavor.
Anyhow, I thought I'd share my little, as insignificant as it may be, cultural observation before I hit the sack.