Top Of The World Or At Least The Top Of Rio

     Like most travelers to Rio De Janeiro, I was excited to see the world famous " Christ The Redeemer" at the top of Corcovado.  Not only is it "the site to see" in Rio but it is regarded as one of "The Seven Wonders Of The World" and it marked the third one that I have been lucky enough to see.  I would have to agree with the experts, because this an amazing and memorable experience.  The 100 foot Art Deco statue alone will impress most travelers, but the fact that it is perched on the edge of a 2,300 foot drop that provides the most breath taking views imaginable.  The views will give you a true sense of how magnificent this city truly is.  from the amazing beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the formidable rock formations of Pao De Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) and Morro de Dois Irmaos (The Two Brothers) to the densely crowded urban sprawl of this city of over 16 Million people.  This amalgamation of man-made and natural beauty creates the most mind boggling of experiences and will leave you lost for words.

     To get to this monolith, you must first travel to the base of Corcovado or "The Hunchback".  This is a very large mountain that jets up in the middle of the city, and creates a very remarkable site on it's own.  from here you board The Estacao de Ferro do Corcovado, a cog wheel train designed by the Swiss tn the 1880's to get individuals to the top of this gigantic mountain.  This absurdly steep climb takes about twenty minutes as you pass through the thick tropical vegetation of Floresta Da Tijuca.  Here you can see a plethora of tropical plants, exotic flowers and incredibly beautiful birds.  Once you reach the end of the line, there is still a climb of 220 steps to reach the summit.  As you make the accent, you can start to see the legendary views that this place is renown for.  By the time you summit the climb, you can gain a real appreciation of just how difficult it was in the 1930's to get this massive monolith up here.  The sides of this pinnacle are thousands of feet straight down and provide the most epic of views with the statue placed at the focal point.  It is truly a magnificent site to behold and once you have had the opportunity to experience it, you may never want to leave!

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=christ+the+redeemer&qpvt=christ+the+redeemer&FORM=IGRE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSgvvbCQq9c