We went to Botafogo Praia Shopping for Lunch. The Japanese restaurant in the shopping centre offers a great view of the waterfront and Sugar Loaf. =) Well.. the food are as attractive as the scene as well. cant help from drooling...

Lost my Ralp Lauren Polo Sunnies while trying out the clothing in the shopping plaza. I had to admit that i am as ditzy- headed as always. =( However, it didnt simmer down my high spirit of getting up to the Famous Sugar Loaf!!

We set off to Sugar Loaf aka pau de Azucar ard 4pm. According to our Brasilian colleague, this is the best hr to go as we can catch the unbeatable beautiful scene of sun-set while the cable-car moved its way up to the hill.


The height and unmistakable outline of Sugar Loaf makes it one of the main attractions of Rio de Janeiro. It is located on a small peninsula at the entrance of the Guanabara bay, forming two steep hills (morros): Urca with 220 meters and the Sugar Loaf with 575 meters. Although one can trek his way up to Urca and take the cable car from there to Sugar Loaf, the most popular way of reaching the top is to take the cable car - a system that has been in operation since 1912.

The present Italian-style cable cars complete the journey in two stages. Access is located across the General Tiburcio square and two-way return tickets for both legs are sold at the ground station for $35 per person. The station holds a basic infrastructure comprising souvenir stores, toilets, an information office, schedule boards and photographs of the cable car history. The service runs every 30 minutes from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The excitement is felt from the very beginning due to a totally glazed cabin that allows us to get a fantastic aerial view of the region.

The first leg of the ascent takes us from Praia Vermelha to a height of 220m (720ft) above sea level and stops at the summit of Morro da Urca. On this plateau lies an amphitheatre (the highlight of Rio's nightlife in the 80's with a nightclub named The Frenetic Dancing Days), heliport, restaurant, fast-food bars and souvenir shops.Here, there is a wide platform with trails in the middle of deep vegetation and natural observation posts located at different heights. I can see the Copacabana beach, the port, the Christ of Cocovado, the Guanabara bay and Niteroi. Fantasticabulously Picure-perfect scene!!!!!

If you got some spare money to spend, you can even take a helicopter ride from here which enables you to have a panoromic view of the region!! Okie.. put it on my bill too. =P

The second leg completes the journey to the Sugar Loaf over a distance of 750m (2460ft). It is also a marvelous ride with even more breathtaking 360-degree views from the region. There is a trail with native forest around the top of the hill and, as in Urca, fast-food shops, souvenir stores and toilets can be found on this platform. Similar platforms exist here, which offers views of the oceans and beaches, the city and the mountains as far away as the Tijuca National Park. By the time we reach the summit of sugar loaf the sky was ored dark. Impressively, the nite scene was unforgettable magnificient.. now i finally understand why this place attracts more than a million tourists each year and never fails to be one of the post card selection.

Our stomach was grumbling like hell even thou we are mentally full after the feeding of so many 'WOW' and 'WOO' sceneries. Edward recommended an Italian restaurant near Ipanema and for god sake.. its such a good catch!!! One of the best italian cuisine i ever had. Toast!!!

Labels: Brazil, Lets Tuck In, Sheepish Breakaway