Thiago's gorgeous mom, Vera is in fact the hostess, because I only had a brief hi and bye from the man himself. The place is not that easy to find first time round. It is actually about +-/150 m off Ladeira Ary Barossa (Ladeira means slope, and boy is it steep!) and I took one of the white VW mini buses (2.50R$) up from the Av Atlantica and Vera then collected me from the Hostel Babylonia. Without luggage I recommend the motorbike taxi service @3R$ up the hill. They all seem to know Thiago. I had a room with a bathroom ensuite, no hot water, but in these hot climes it was not a problem. A very comprehensive breakfast with the best coffee on the rooftop terrace with a breathtaking view on to the Copacabana and Christo Redentor. As a solo female traveller I felt completely safe even after dark. Multo obrigado to Vera for doing a huge load of laundry for me free of charge. Although Vera nao falam Ingles we understood each other just fine. For a favela experience I can definitely recommend it.