“Seventy-six reais? Are you kidding me?”

“It wasn’t that expensive last year, was it?”

Must have been the Olympic Games effect. I’m pretty sure tickets to the Pão de Açúcar were cheaper. But Mark was looking forward to riding the cable car and after all, it would be the only paying attraction we would do in Rio de Janeiro—we had ruled out the Corcovado because it’s a hassle to get there.

Yet, we have some time in Rio, during this final workweek before the Carnival officially begins. So, we bought the tickets, reluctantly posed for the picture—you have to have your picture taken in front of a fake background, even if you don’t buy it—and got into the cable car. This is our third visit, I know the best spot in the standing room only bondinho.

First stop, estação Morro da Urca.

“Wow, we are high on the mountain!”

“Uh-uh. See the other mountain? That will be the final stop. We’ll take another cable car to it in a moment.”

“Now?”

“In a moment.”

“But hurry! We are going to… OH NO! WE MISSED IT!”

“Mark… there is a cable car every five minutes…”

“What do we do, then?”

I shrugged. “Take pictures. We came here for the view. That’s the point of it.”

Indeed, it’s the point. After making fun of the fact there is now a Havaianas store at the top of Morro da Urca and that the café sells pães de queijo on the Pão de Açúcar, we paused and finally enjoyed the scenery.

Yep, it’s as beautiful as you can imagine. The beach, the city, the hills in full view for your city-porn enjoyment.

From the top of the Pão de Açúcar, you can really appreciate how crowded Copacabana is, how tall the Corcovado Hill, how long the beaches are.

You’re at the top of this Brazilian magic.

Buy the tickets. It’s worth it.