An overnight bus ride to Ouro Prêto beckons. I’m so over these damn night buses, but needs must when the devil drives or some such rot. Moreover, the bus does not leave until 11.30 pm while Christi and I have to check-out from the hotel Apa at noon, so we have nigh on 12 hours walking the streets of Rio ahead of us. Just great.
We have grand plans to do something impressive today, but the ongoing moody weather is not cooperating. An 8-minute scenic helicopter ride around Christ the Redeemer costs US$75pp while hang-gliding over Rio is similarly exploitative at US$75pp, but if you can’t see any of the views then what’s the point? Ultimately, we return to Sugar Loaf Mountain because it’s the easiest and cheapest of the options we were considering.
It takes two cable car rides to reach the top of Sugar Loaf mountain. The first ride takes us as far as Morro da Urca (215 meters above sea level). We’re surprised to find a helicopter pad here with scenic tours available. And despite the inclement weather, departures are booked solid for the next three hours. What to do? What to do? It’s an expensive once-in-a-lifetime experience with great photo ops, but the skies are grey and the light is gloomy, making the perfect photo hugely unlikely. We contemplate our options over a truly miserable lunch, but one that is enlivened mightily by the arrival of tiny a Marmoset monkey who tries repeatedly to steal my banana. In the end we agree to share it.
Later, we take the second cable car to Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) which is at an elevation of 396 meters above sea level and which offers panoramic views over Guanabara Bay, downtown Rio, the beaches, and tiny Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado. We can at least see everything, but finally decide to forgo the scenic helicopter ride.
Having extracted as much entertainment value as possible from Sugar Loaf Mountain, we return to Copacabana and the inevitable internet café. Christi uploads photos and I plan some future adventures, while outside rain lashes the most famous beach in the world.
With little enthusiasm we finally taxi to the bus station in preparation for 8 hours of semi-cama hell.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching ride.
Speak Your Mind