Checking in and security was a breeze and we even got our blowguns through the checkpoint. Once on board the first ON TIME flight of the trip we began our four hour flight to Rio. Landing in Rio at 6AM - we crossed two time zones - we were met at the airport by Angela, the representative of the Rio Company who would guide us through our last four days in South America. We boarded our tour bus for the 30 minute transfer from the airport through downtown Rio, under Corcovado Mountain, and into the south side of the city and the neighborhood of Ipanema.
We checked into our hotel at 7AM with a slight snafu that was quickly resolved and found our modern, upscale rooms quite accommodating. The rest of the day was free time for everyone to do as they pleased. It was already quite hot and even though is was a Monday, the streets were unusually quiet. That would change around 3PM.
Some of our our group went straight to one of the most famous beaches in the world, Ipanema, just two blocks from the hotel. Others ventured out into the heat to explore the city. Some simply went to bed and caught up on some sleep and had the first real shower in six days...smile.
We gathered at 8PM for a late dinner at a really nice local restaurant called Gula Gula where we enjoyed some really great Portuguese favorites and some terrific wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment