Visit to Sugar Loaf

In another typical summer day in Rio, No, wait, It's August ...

On another day that winter was solemnly ignored by the Sun in Rio, We continue our endeavor to visit points of interest using the Carioquinha project.

Error 1: The Carioquinha to Sugar Loaf works only Monday-Thursday.

Error 2: The most brilliant idea of the universe, drive to the Red Beach!

We leave at 10:00 the morning of Sunday, under a Sun worthy of January. There was a time when we couldn't find with some dear friends, We call to join us on the sidewalk. As I've mentioned previously, We had the bright idea to go by car, because we didn't want to take a bus to the Rio Sul Mall and go from there walk to the Red Beach, Since the bus to the Urca only happens when you're in the mood. Result, the Red beach parking lot was completely packed. The Urca is a charm (deserves a post all about it), but like most of the buildings are old does not have enough places for everyone, soon the streets are always busy. Conclusion, We stopped in the parking lot of the South River, and we return walking to red Beach.

Despite extensive grid incapable you JAG at the entrance to the cable car, Don't be alarmed, Neither line was inside. Wonder full, with endless rows, After all if it is mounted is why probably you need to use. We bought our tickets and we passed them in the bar-code readers. Has centuries I'm not going to Sugar Loaf, and I was impressed how everything's changed. Turnstiles that run automatically when you pass the ticket, a screen that counts how many slots still have on gondola, ANOTHER STREETCAR! Yes, the Nice gondola I rode in my childhood now forms part of the acquis.

During the construction of the pavilions of the international exhibition of 1908 (where today is the Av. Pasteur) the engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos, was delighted with the mountains of Pão de Açúcar, Morro da Urca and Morro da Babilônia, and deduced that it would be possible to connect them through steel cables suspended, as were already in Europe. The cable car project was created in celebration of the centenary of the opening of the ports of Rio, and took 3 years to get ready. The first stretch of the cable car measures 528m and connected the Praia Vermelha to Morro da Urca and was opened in 27 October 1912. 1 year later in 1913 inaugurated the 750 m that connects the Urca Hill at Sugarloaf.

The first cable car is 1912 and was the third passenger chair lift installed in the world! Created by a German company and called the Rail Boxes, were quickly called cable cars since they were very similar to the cable cars of the street time. He had the capacity to 22 people and when completed 60 years was deactivated and replaced by a new model, much more modern and extremely similar to those of the present day.

 

The second cable car was installed in 1972 and its design was awarded in the fourth Hall of the mountain in Turin. Your bubble format was unique at the time and the capacity was 75 passengers. It worked until 2008 When it was replaced by the current streetcar.

In my humble opinion (Sorry Corcovado) the view from the sidewalk to the sugar loaf is one of the most beautiful of Rio de Janeiro. To complete the sea water was a stunning color! Each excerpt performed by cablecar lasts about 3 min, and all the Board run to stick on the Windows (How to resist is not?). In the more typical tourist spirit, We did an hour on ratchet to get to be the first next tram and stay in the huge Windows admiring the view. Although modern and with Windows and hatches open, the cable car is too hot and stuffy. Imagine when we're in the high season and the trams are fully booked? I think some kind of more efficient ventilation wouldn't hurt anyone. Arriving at the Morro da Urca, (It also has trail access), We landed beside two cable cars already disabled, the oldest yellow, remember the distance the Santa Teresa tram.

Hard not to be enchanted with him and get someone to take a picture. Now has a large food court in the center of the Hill, with food for all tastes. Even a restaurant has. Look at the values of the dishes on the menu that stays outside and seemed super fair. I don't know how is the amount of food because we don't come for lunch, but the values seemed OK. Actually, in general all values from the restaurants and shops are not exorbitant, Yes they are more expensive than the stores that are close to home, but it's not for ransom. We ended up staying with the steamed fruit salad that was smelling wonderfully well. You mount it with fruit and accompaniments that you prefer, and they charge by weight: each 100 g are 4 reais. Our friends decided to face the queue pro mate, that in addition to taking too long, in the end still came without ice. After many photos and enjoy the view, We decided to move towards the Pão de Açúcar.

An interesting thing is that now the car has a super cute application that you can download and use at the points marked with. In it, you select which point you are, fits the outline that appears on the screen with the landscape and the play.

So on the screen of your mobile phone appears a little bird flying Brazilian Tanager (a species of bird that live in the Atlantic forest) that tells a little of the history of points drawn on the screen. You can choose to hear the text in 3 languages: Portuguese, Spanish and English. It is worth mentioning that they bothered to put subtitles on the videos and if you want to know the history if not in Morro da Urca, the application works normally, only without the beautiful view! Still in the application has a little game in the number 5, where you guide the Brazilian Tanager to eat oranges in Flappy Bird style, but less stressful.

 

At the top of Sugar Loaf has another bar to make a snack. In addition to a large souvenir shop, prices are not very

inviting. To be honest the only souvenir I bought was at the station on the way back to the Urca Hill who has a vending machine a commemorative coin of the cable car by 5 reais.

Still on the Hill, they created a cultural space called Noggin-the story of a wire, where with the curatorship of the Creative Director Marcello Dantas tells the story of the ski lifts, inaugurated almost 100 years, with projections, old images, interactive wall where through cranks you reveals videos, In addition to machinery, and objects such as the famous marquetry boxes that have marked the history of the first Brazilian cable car. It is a pity that among such clarity inside, How has many projections, It's hard to see. But the hidden videos on the wall that tell the history of the cable car are in screen and are super cool! To watch quietly with headphones available.

General information – Pão de Açúcar

Duration of the tour:

Depends on how long you intend to pass by there, has no specified period. But either way follows the length of the "travels":

• Praia Vermelha/Urca Hill: 3 minutes.

• Morro da Urca/Sugar Loaf: 3 minutes.

Timetables:

• Box office-opening 08:00 | Box office closure- 19:50
• The closing of the Park happens all the time 1 (a) hour after the closure of the box office.

Prices:

• One piece R$62
• Half R$ 31*

• *Elderly: from 60 years with original identity document with photo.
• *Students: MBA, Master's degrees, Doctorates and graduate studies.
• *Private network: Portfolio of Student Id with photo, expiration date visible and within the period of validity.
• *Students from public network: Riocard and/or printed document certifying registration of a student in another State + official document with a photograph, expiration date visible and within the period of validity. For foreign students, present portfolio of student ID with photo.
• *Children of 6 the 12 years and young people 13 the 21 years: Original photo i.d. or valid Original Passport.

• Free – Children under 6 years.

 

NOTE: The tickets sold at the box office from the peak tram, in Praia Vermelha, just apply to the same day of purchase. Sales for other days, only on the Internet. Return of tickets is made for cancellation of the tour, only for technical stop.

 

-Information taken from the Web site and the application of the cable car –