Women's Day Out.

Pão de Açucar ( Sugar Loaf ) Hike: Sugar Loaf is a landmark and top attraction in Rio. On Saturday, Cilene, Luiza and I hiked up the first mountain of Sugar Loaf -- Morro da Urca. The second hill is accessible by cable car, or with professional rock climbers. The trail was steep and took us 40 minutes to climb. At the top we relaxed on the shady lawns, ate banana, biscuits and chocolate, and browsed the stores. The 360 degree views were fantastic.

Santa Teresa Arty Neighborhood: In the afternoon we visited Santa Teresa, a neighborhood located on top of the Santa Teresa hill, by the centre of Rio; it is famous for its winding, narrow streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists. We had dinner at a restaurant that served cuisine of the Amazon. I can't even begin to describe or name the dishes we had as the names are strange to my tongue. 

Anyway, I had this drink made from a fruit called graviola (in English soursop). The fruit is promoted as a cancer cure. The drink is prepared with a hint of garlic -- hardly noticeable until pointed out to me.

Graviola fruit ... milky white color juice.

Taperaba fruit...mango yellowish color juice.


Samba House: The highlight of the evening was visiting a real samba house. Before heading out to the Lapa district in Rio, we had banana upside-down cake that Luiza had bought from a street vendor while in Santa Teresa. We got to Carioca da Gema around 10:30 pm. A lively band of seven male members kept the crowd of dancing nonstop. Carioca da Gema is a genuine samba house - most of the people were locals - everyone sings along with the band and dances samba. The place is known among locals for having high-quality musicians. The entrance fee (no drinks included) was R$30 per person. The place was small and packed. I'm going to guess there were around 70-80 people in there. It was altogether a fun night. We left the house at 2 a.m. The streets were full of revelers and it felt like carnival. Music and people spilling out of restaurants and sidewalk cafes.