Joined by friends from England, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Brazil, we embarked on a tour of Rio. We saw the impressive Sugarloaf rock formation, the Selaron stairs, and Christ the Redeemer…kind of.

We started off by taking a teleférico (seems to be a theme to my travels) to Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf mountain).

We went up two cable cars until we reached the top. We even encountered a group of singing Brazilian children, which made for quite the noisy ride. We offered an enthusiastic standing ovation. We were all already standing, but it’s the thought that counts.

The views of the bay were glorious. There was a bit of a haze that made the rock formations look even cooler. Very mystical.

Interestingly, the government actually demolished many of the hills that used to dot downtown Rio. They then took the resulting debris and used the materials to expand the coastline. They used this newfound land to construct a highway. If you look closely at the below picture, the flat land at the edges of the coast is actually a landfill!

Following the panoramic views of the city (and a sumptuous lunch), we made our way up to see Christ the Redeemer (a world wonder). We were very excited. However, when we reached the top, it appeared that fog had decided to pay Christ a visit as well.

Had Christ risen? Would he return? The excitement was palpable. Ah hah! Wind gusts cleared the sky to tease us with a silhouette.

We had 40 minutes at the top to catch a solid view of God, Jr. As soon as he appeared, he once again receded into the mist. Every time the clouds would start to clear, the whole crowd of would start to cheer, only for the statue to disappear yet again.

Eventually, I decided that it was picture time. Had to prove I was actually there.

Oh well, there’s always next year. As we rode down the hill, the fog began to clear so we got out to take some pictures of the view.

These two Brazilian girls were taking pictures in the prime spot for quite awhile. Eventually, two other girls from the United States felt they had waited long enough. They decided the best course of action was to get in the Brazilians’ way and get their photo through brute force. Unwholesome words and unhappy faces were exchanged (though I’m not sure either faction understood the other). I decided to take my own picture imitating the temporarily warring states of Brazil and the USA. Shoutout to Brett for playing along.

Finally, we made our way to a vibrant staircase in the Lapa district.

The colors were fantastic. Painted tiles were omnipresent. Lots of positive vibes.

Finally, the tour ended, but not before I decided to present my best guess of where we were on the map. I assume I was relatively close?

My night concluded with a wonderful night on the beach. Despite tracking about four pounds of sand back to the hotel, it was well worth it. All around an unforgettable day.