We went to the Sugar Loaf Mountain on a Friday afternoon and caught the beautiful sun set and the evening skyline of Rio de Janeiro. Coming from Hong Kong, I have to say that I have seen one of the best night time illuminations in the world, but Rio de Janeiro does have her own charm.
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The unmistakable Sugar Loaf Mountain
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It was not cheap to go up the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The cable car cost $R 62. That is quite some money for a cable car ride. To reach the summit, passengers take two cable cars. The first ascends to the shorter Morro da Urac, 220 metres high. The second car ascends to Pão de Açúcar. Once on the summit, visitors have a 360 degrees view of the surrounding areas. When the sun sets, the scenery is breathtaking.
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Christ the Redeemer seen from Sugar Loaf Mountain
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Night view from Sugar Loaf Mountain
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It is inconceivable to visit Rio de Janeiro without setting foot on this iconic mountain. I saw it on paintings and when I finally see it first hand, I am enchanted and captivated by the views. When the hues of the sunset were finally replaced by the glittering lights below, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer sparkled like a bright star in the distance, I knew that it would be a view etched into my memory.
Like all tourists, I also visited Christ the Redeemer statue by taking the tram up the Corvocado Mountain. Once again, the tram was not cheap: $R 55. To avoid the long queues, we purchased the tickets on line and even then had to queue for our turn. The statue is such a legendary landmark that thousands of people flock to see it. In fact the place was so overcrowded and noisy that any serene effect of seeing such a colossal statue was completely destroyed. The place was heaving with tourists, all vying for a spot of photography before the statue. There were women lying on the ground taking photos of their men with their arms stretched out to mimic the statue, and the place was like a circus.
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The magnificent Chris the Redeemer statue
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Sugar Loaf Mountain from Mount Corvocado
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Christ the Redeemer from a vantage point
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There are gift shops on the way to the top but all were peddling cheap tack at some eye watering prices. A small statue of Christ the Redeemer rather badly made was $R150 (~£50). Perhaps two things I will remember about the statue: the nail wounds on both the hands and the very small heart of Jesus Christ.
Back on terra firma, we went to San Teresa for a bite to eat. This is a bohemian area and a bit ramshackle. The place was packed with locals on a Saturday afternoon, queuing up for late lunch. There were street vendors selling clothes, jewelry, and a lot of bracelets that are popularly among metrosexuals. We queued for one hour for the famous black bean stew (feijoada): the stew came with green cabbage, rice, pork scratching with corn meal and orange slices to neutralize the saltiness of the pork. I wonder what the fuss was all about, since I had already eaten the black bean stew at the canteen a few times and decided it was far too salty, just like a lot of Brazilian food.
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Mural at San Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
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Romeo where art thou?
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Home made cakes at San Teresa
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People sitting on the pavement, perhaps waiting for lunch, San Teresa
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Street vendors selling junk from the pavement, San Teresa
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On leaving San Teresa, the taxi took us down hill along narrow streets of cobblestones before emerging to Lapa, the white viaduct and soon the long beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.
