Pão de Açúcar

The views from the top of Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) are truly incredible. I do not know of any other major city that gives such an all encompassing view of the surrounding area. All of Rio is laid out at your feet. While I originally thought of Brazil as less technologically advanced than the United States, I read that engineers built a cable car to the top of 396 meter Sugarloaf Mountain in the early 1900's. There were only two cable car systems prior to this one in the world at the time.

This photo shows the other famous Rio landmark, Christo presiding over the yacht harbor and one of the city's many beaches. While Ipanema and Copacabana get all the press, there are many more beaches from which to choose. If only I had time to visit each one instead of seeing them as a bird does from the air.