Place: Păo de Açúcar (Sugarloaf), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date: November 1, 2012.
Camera: Sony DSC-HX20V.
On our last full day in Brazil we decided to visit Păo de Açúcar, otherwise known as the Sugarloaf, so that we could watch the sun set and get some great panoramic shots over Rio.
Getting to the top of the 395m mountain requires two cable car journeys. The first ascends to Morro du Urca, which affords great views over Rio's extensive shoreline. The second makes the final ascent to the summit of Păo de Açúcar.
Unfortunately, after eight days of exquisite weather — hot, clear, sunny — the clouds decided to close in just as we were having a bite to eat on Morro du Urca. As we sat there looking up at our final destination, the mist got thicker and thicker — until we could no longer see the top of the mountain.
By the time we got onto the second cable-car it was like entering a netherworld. It was very atmospheric — literally.
The view at the top wasn't much: just some tree tops and a never-ending sea of white mist. How disappointing. There was a half-hour wait until the next cable-car, so we had to fill in the time by browsing in the souvenir shop.
Of course, as luck would have it, when we went back down to Morro du Urca, the mist began to clear, the clouds lifted and the skies brightened.
We had about an hour until sunset, so we partook in "happy hour" at the bar and drank caipirinhas — Brazilian cocktails made from cachaça rum, sugar and lime — before taking photographs as twilight descended and the lights of Rio twinkled into life.
It was a rather magical end to our holiday...
