Travel Photo of the Day: Sugar Loaf Mountain in the Clouds, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In April 2010, Luis and I visited Brazil for the third time, this time starting with Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's incredible city by the sea. On the first day we arrived, there was a torrential downpour which didn't let up until two days before we left. Undaunted, more or less, we decided to forge ahead and visit the sites for which Rio is famous, including Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain). As we rode the cable car to the first mountain, then the second, the clouds miraculously cleared and we were able to enjoy the view for a few minutes, but soon the clouds rolled back in and Luis snapped this lovely, ghostly shot of the view from the top, including the cable car and Ipanema Beach. 

To reach the 1,300 foot summit of Sugar Loaf, passengers must first ride the bondinho or cable car to Morro de Açúcar, the smaller mountain that stands next to Sugar Loaf, then take a second cable car for the rest of the trip (each ride is about three minutes). The views are spectacular from all points, including the cable cars. For the more adventurous, there is also the option to rock-climb your way to the top up the mountain faces, with more than 270 routes available, between 1-10 pitches long. I think I'll stick to the nice, safe cable car.