While cities like New York, Paris, London, and Las Vegas continue their reign as the most visited destinations in the world, so much of the world lives in far less elegant confines than the wide Champs-Élysées or park-view Fifth Avenue. Slum tourism, or “poorism,” has taken off recently—even eliciting coverage from the New York Times—but has elicited a fair degree of unease in those who consider the trend voyeuristic and exploitative. Our take? You don’t need a tour company to see that there is more to Rio than Christ the Redeemer and beautiful beaches. The slum is not a modern-day phenomenon, nor does it exist solely in less-developed places. Not ones to avoid the unpolished parts of any destination, IgoUgo travelers head to some of the world’s best-known slums—and return to tell their tales.
Rio de Janeiro
From Favela Tours by WitlessWanderer: “I'm not sure I quite knew what I was getting myself into when I called and booked the tour for that afternoon, but I'm glad I did. Fun isn't the word, but it was one of the most interesting tours I've done and showed the Rio beyond the beaches.”
From "Relax, you are in Rio.." - safety, security and the Rochina favela by actonsteve: “Whatever the ethics of visiting a favela, I found it one of the most interesting parts of my trip to Brazil. But take a tour, don’t go there on your own. Incidentally, there is a reason to envy the favela residents—they often have the best views in Rio for a fraction of the real-estate costs.”
Johannesburg
From Johannesburg – A Jumble of Contrasts by SaraP: “Houses and their facilities run the gamut from respectable gentility to tin-roofed despair. Think Joburg, and what comes to mind? Danger and violence, Soweto and the history of apartheid, wealth and poverty living side by side...all this is true, but there’s much more, so much potential and unexpected beauty that you must visit to appreciate and perhaps understand.”
Cape Town
From Township Tour by dragonseeker: “This is a real third-world slum with houses constructed from ancient sheets of corrugated iron and pieces of rubbish. Despite appearances and the obvious poverty of the locals, there is a strong sense of community and a very well-maintained level of security provided by the elders. It was a wonderful, uplifting experience to make contact with these people and to share their experiences and struggles to better themselves.”
Beijing
From The Beijing Beat by nikki-chan: “I took in the standard sights—the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, the Palace of Heaven—but the most unusual aspect of the trip was the hutong tours. Hutongs are the narrow alleys running through the traditional quadrangle dwellings that surround the Forbidden City. Horse-and-carriage tours take you through the narrow alleys to see how people live. Despite the tour's obvious political agenda (many Chinese advocate replacing the quadrangles with high-rises) I enjoyed an up-close look at local life.”
India
From Child Literacy Tour in India by Karen Mazze: “Pratham offers free, customized, half-day guided tours of the innovative educational services they provide at the water pump in the slum, at an impoverished municipal school, in a free clinic, and in volunteers’ one-room flats. These are places that Western visitors rarely have access to. If you have kids with you, bring them! This is one of those unforgettable experiences that you will be talking about long after you return home.”
From Calcutta by ManuelaPop: “I walked along the sidewalk through the slums of Calcutta. There were blue tents set up all along the sidewalk, and many families found shelter underneath them. I tried to look inside a tent. I could only see colorful, ripped clothes hanged in front of the tent. A woman washed her skinny, naked children. As I got closer to them, they started begging me for money. I gave away some change. As other families saw me, they came closer. I found myself surrounded by tens of people begging for money. I threw some rupees in the air, and as they tried to pick the money up I ran away. I suddenly got dizzy. I felt exhausted and confused. I scanned the images in front of my eyes, but I had a hard time realizing what was happening. This was not the reality I knew. There was too much chaos and too much poverty all around.”
Haiti
From Haiti Mission Trip by nvbuchholz: “When I planned my mission trip to Haiti, all the travel books showed the ’tourist’ spots of the island. This is not the true Haiti. Haiti is a very poor, depressed nation. Yes, there are highlights, but the low points sometimes hide the highs. Overall, this was an experience I will not forget. It definitely allowed me to count my blessings as an American. What we take for granted, like drinking water, clean air, and a semi-clean atmosphere, are non-existent.”
Venice
From The Blue Walk – For Richer or Poorer by Ozzy-Dave: “This tour is an eye-opener, visiting the poorer, unspoiled areas of the city. There are endless old lanes and squares to explore where life continues unaffected by relentless year-round tourism. Stock up at the Rialto market for a picnic by the Grand Canal or mix it with the locals in one of the colourful bars. It covers around 5 kilometres, but count on extending that once you arrive at the Jewish Ghetto, one of the most fascinating, atmospheric and historical areas of the city. Allow all day.”
Prague
From Prague’s Jewish Ghetto: Exotic Museum for an Inextinguishable Race by Mutt: “In 1781 Josef II issued the Toleration Edict, freeing the Jews from many of the former restrictions and removing the gates from the ghetto. In gratitude, the Jewish Town is later named Josefov in his honour. Following the revolutions of 1848, the Jews are emancipated and many move out of the ghetto, leaving it to decay into a slum that is cleared at the beginning of the 20th century. The surviving buildings were spared by the Nazi invasion of 1945, due to Hitler's plans to turn them into an ’Exotic Museum for an Extinguished Race.’ The people were not as lucky. Hitler's rather eccentric plans have led to these buildings becoming a storehouse for Jewish treasures from all over Eastern Europe, making Prague’s Jewish Museum a one-of-a-kind collection.”
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