Boa Noite Brasil
The last installment of Brasil photos is now up! I wish I was able to take more photos but unfortunately the risk of getting my camera stolen was too high. My friends discouraged me from bringing it to a futbol game that we watched and to Rocinho, a favella community. It's a shame because both were fascinating in terms of scale. You're not able to fathom how large a stadium looks until you sit up close. I wanted to get photo of the locals who have so much team pride that it makes Americans look sad when they go to football games. But since there's no point in mentioning those without photos, I'll come to a stop.
Our final touristy day was really easy to plan. We had had 2 days of rain and chilly winds so it put most of us in a sleepy mood. PAO DE ACUCAR was the last thing on the list to see. We had originally planned to go during dusk so that the view at sunset would be spectacular. But the rain made the skies cloudy and the view in the end wasn't as we had expected. However, that didn't mean that the overall view wasn't great. The greatest thing about Rio is the ability to see at great heights from different points. I'm not used to seeing so many mountains.
Another name to call Pao De Acucar is Sugarloaf Mountain which is a lot easier to say. You can hike up "natural" steps towards the first mountain which then you must take a tram up to the second one. Another hike another opportunity to set my standards for another physical journey. This hike was short. About an hour at the most but I recall it being shorter. The only thing I regret is not wearing some tennis shoes. Sandals on damp ground makes things a little too dangerous for my taste.
As you can see from my photo and reflection, the second mountain is a little higher.
This is for future travelers out there. The next time you want to ride these things come to that yellow looking window in the photo below. We had a hard time finding this because it wasn't at the front or the back of the mountain. It was hidden along the side. If you hiked up the first half, you get a discounted ticket. Take the cable car all the way down FYI! You don't want to walk down a mountain at night without proper hiking gear.
Reaching the top, I realized that this view was the best that I had seen the entire week. You are high enough to see everything but not too high where you're not able to discern what is what. I loved being able to see the expanse of the ocean and sand and the city all at the same time.
In the end, the nighttime view was a great perk even though we didn't see a dramatic sunset. It was the ideal vision of what my trip was like. Beautiful =)
haha I was feel silly when I say corny things like that. Alas, another trip ended! Another trip to begin soon!
