Pao de Acucar & Santa Teresa
This morning we went to Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf), one of Rio´s icons which can be seen from most part of the city. The summit is at a soaring 393 meters. To get there, one must take the telefonico (cable car), first stop is at Morro da Urca at 215 meters, next stop is from the peak of Morro da Urca to the top of Sugarloaf. The cable ride was very fast. It zipped through and we were at the summit in no time. It was a cloudy day. When the clouds passed, we could see the Cristo Redentor and the Corcovado mountain. The winding coastline was clear in view and the beaches curved like the hems of skirts, the waves like the lace embellishing the white beach sand. The view was breathtaking even on such a gloomy day. I could only imagine in my mind´s eye how gorgeous it would be if this were a sunny day with blue sky and blue sea.
The weather is warm and humid. I was happy to wear a dress and not freeze. Women dress completely differently here in Rio as compared to Santiago where the style is very much conservative. You see a lot more colors and a lot more skin, and not just on the beach. It was definitely more tropical.
Because of the clouds, we decided not to go to Cristo Redentor today. This morning´s hang glide session was also delayed until tomorrow depending on weather. We decided to go to Santa Teresa via Centro and took the Bonde to the old hilltop Bohemian neighborhood. Santa Teresa. The Bonde (tram) is the last of the historical streetcars that once crisscrossed the city. In the 19th century, Santa Teresa used to be the neighborhood of the wealthy, therefore a rich collection of 19th century colonial mansions and villas still remained. Nowadays it is the center of Bohemian Rio.
At last night´s Samba show, we met a couple from Spain, who recommended a Brazilian restaurant Do Arnaudo, at the second stop of the Bonde in Santa Teresa. As we were scanning through the pretty houses and winding streets, Mike saw the restaurant. We rang the bell and hopped off the bonde. The double cable rails inlaid the cobbled street, Do Arnaudo sat on the right side of the road on the way up hill. It was a bar/restaurant. We ordered dried jerk beef with pumkin, rice, beans and onions. Basically a small portion of feijoada. In Portugese, it´s called lombinho com macaxeira arroz (faijo de corda e farofa de abobora). I had a caipirinha. This was a cocktail made from cachaca. It went very well with the feijao and was very strong. Since I had it on an empty stomach, in no time, it went straight up my head.
We spent about two hours wandering in the pretty neighborhood of Santa Teresa, following the tram track up and down the hill. At the end of the trail, it made a circle and the track came back to where we had lunch. Nearby was the Bonde station. The Bonde comes very half hour. Local kids hop on and off without tickets but it was a norm. The Bonde was so full there was already people holding on and hanging out each side. Two local girls opened their arms and exposed two seats for Mike and me. The girls held on to the cable steel handle the entire time back to Centro, giggling, chatting with each other and making calls on their cell. It was quite an experience for me, sitting squeezed tight in one of the four spots in my row, in this 19th century yellow cable car, rattling down the stony hill.
The weather is warm and humid. I was happy to wear a dress and not freeze. Women dress completely differently here in Rio as compared to Santiago where the style is very much conservative. You see a lot more colors and a lot more skin, and not just on the beach. It was definitely more tropical.
Because of the clouds, we decided not to go to Cristo Redentor today. This morning´s hang glide session was also delayed until tomorrow depending on weather. We decided to go to Santa Teresa via Centro and took the Bonde to the old hilltop Bohemian neighborhood. Santa Teresa. The Bonde (tram) is the last of the historical streetcars that once crisscrossed the city. In the 19th century, Santa Teresa used to be the neighborhood of the wealthy, therefore a rich collection of 19th century colonial mansions and villas still remained. Nowadays it is the center of Bohemian Rio.
At last night´s Samba show, we met a couple from Spain, who recommended a Brazilian restaurant Do Arnaudo, at the second stop of the Bonde in Santa Teresa. As we were scanning through the pretty houses and winding streets, Mike saw the restaurant. We rang the bell and hopped off the bonde. The double cable rails inlaid the cobbled street, Do Arnaudo sat on the right side of the road on the way up hill. It was a bar/restaurant. We ordered dried jerk beef with pumkin, rice, beans and onions. Basically a small portion of feijoada. In Portugese, it´s called lombinho com macaxeira arroz (faijo de corda e farofa de abobora). I had a caipirinha. This was a cocktail made from cachaca. It went very well with the feijao and was very strong. Since I had it on an empty stomach, in no time, it went straight up my head.
We spent about two hours wandering in the pretty neighborhood of Santa Teresa, following the tram track up and down the hill. At the end of the trail, it made a circle and the track came back to where we had lunch. Nearby was the Bonde station. The Bonde comes very half hour. Local kids hop on and off without tickets but it was a norm. The Bonde was so full there was already people holding on and hanging out each side. Two local girls opened their arms and exposed two seats for Mike and me. The girls held on to the cable steel handle the entire time back to Centro, giggling, chatting with each other and making calls on their cell. It was quite an experience for me, sitting squeezed tight in one of the four spots in my row, in this 19th century yellow cable car, rattling down the stony hill.
posted by Koshka at 10/16/2009
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