Before I arrived in Brazil, I had two contrasting images in my head: 1.) beautiful, tan people sipping on drinks on the beach playing futbol, 2.) the drug and gang infested neighborhoods heard about in the news and movies. Not knowing much, I prayed that I would only have to worry what was in my cup my entire trip.

Prior to departure, I read an article on how the country was invested $700 million into the “pacification of the favelas” in the wake of the World Cup and the Olympics. To be honest, this worried me in the beginning since I started to wonder, “will I be safe there?”.

This worried face soon turned to a grin, stretching across my face, as I landed onto Brazilian soil. Before I knew it, I was walking along the boardwalk of Leblon and Ipanema, sipping out of coconuts and gazing at the pristine beaches. How could you be worried while staring at crystal blue waters infested with beautiful people?

I had a friend who lived a few streets off the beach of Leblon who was willing to have me over for the duration on my trip. Leblon is considered one of the most affluent neighborhoods in all of Latin America, where the rich and famous called their home. As I took my first few steps into his home, my initial thought was, “is this how every Brazilian lives?!” I was in utter shock. He had the entire 11th floor overlooking the ocean and a pool at the top of the building.

The answer was NO. Not even close. It wasn’t until later on in the trip where I started to see the other side of Rio.

We met a traveler from one of the hostels who recommended that we hire a guide to take us around the Rocinha favela neighborhood as a “favela tour”. He mentioned it was one of the highlights of his trip. How is that possible? I was curious to see why.

*For those of you who are not familiar: favelas are the slums or shantytowns located within or on the outskirts of the country’s large cities, especially Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

When we saw the options, it was a bit disturbing to look at some of the photos laid out in front of us. People were riding a safari-like, open van strolling through the neighborhoods, taking photos, as if they were in a zoo. I was not about to parade through the favelas like an African wildlife tour. We opted to have a private tour with a couple who would walk us around the area.

Bright and early, our guide picked us up at the hostel and we headed off towards Rocinha, neighborhood located on the hillside of Leblon. Apparently, this shanty town was located right next to the most affluent beach neighborhood? It was difficult to put into perspective.

As we drove farther into Rocinha, the buildings and roads were visibly looking more run-down and tightly packed. Unlike Leblon, there were many more residents walking and congregating along the streets. Finding yourself in a location that has only existed in your imagination, is always a surreal experience. I felt as if I was put onto the movie set for the filming of The Hulk with Edward Norton.

Once we stepped outside of our van, a feeling of uncertainty crept up my back. The markets didn’t seem too different than anywhere else: a lot of knock-off clothing shops, small food stands, the familiar smells of meat, and stray dogs wondering around the neighborhood. About 30 mins into our stroll, our guide decided to take us down the path of streets they called the “rat walk”. Nothing good starts with the word rat…

As the name suggests, this “path” made me feel like I was a mouse, running through a endless maze of the gutters. Then I noticed something even more strange. Even though it was broad daylight, it was very dark around us…this was due to the buildings being packed so closely together, stacked up high, that it didn’t allow sunlight to reach the ground level. Air was noticeably dense and moist. I started to feel uncomfortable and a bit anxious. How could people live here?

The doorways to the homes between these walkways would barely fit my body. There was a man, sitting in front of one of the doorways, staring me up and down, shirtless with a gold chain, it was obvious that I wasn’t from there. I began to imagine what these areas were like prior to the pacification. It was a scary reality.

We finally came out of the other end and arrived back in the brighter, lively neighborhood area. There were families running around with their kids and people gathered around playing futbol. You wouldn’t be able to tell if people were struggling in the way the people were smiling, laughing, and playing in the streets. It was a breathe of fresh air from where I was just at.

This tour was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It seemed, the only thing the people here and Leblon shared in common was the language, and the love of futbol. I was fortunate to be a friend of an affluent family who took me into their home but I was glad decided to go through with that tour. What a humbling experience, and it reminded me that you have to look past the surface level, if you searching for a deeper understanding of a destination. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t claim to understand what the “real” Rio is because of some day-long tour. But for me, it shed some light on Rio’s struggle for economic equality and the disparity of living conditions, in a place I only imagined as a picturesque vacation.