So overall, it was not the most comfortable flight with a screaming, unhappy baby, but I’m just relieved that I made it. The taxi drivers swarm around you when leaving the airport and get pissed if you tell them you have an Uber. I will just say nothing next time. I'm sure that the 40-minute ride to the hotel with them wouldn’t compare to the $13 that I paid.
Apparently iphone theft is a big problem, so we were told not to walk around the street holding it as everyone does in NYC. “Just snap the picture and put it away”. There is a presence of military police on the streets but not shocking since there is a large population of disadvantaged people on the outskirts of the touristy places.
For the rest of the afternoon, I strolled along the Copacabana beach promenade and got a margarita-type drink called a Caipirinhas and an Açaí smoothie. While I waited for my room to become available, I went to the rooftop pool. Overall, not a bad recovery from a shoddy start.
This afternoon, our tour manager got us together for an orientation. The group is large and lively so should be fun. Even in that short time, the different personalities come through.
Our Tour Manager, Veni is an interesting person. He spent time with a family in the US as a student and still has a strong connection with them. I appreciate it when the tour managers reveal something personal about themselves like family history, good or bad, which makes them relatable. Yeah, Veni was pretty open about his past relationships as well.
We all introduced ourselves and mentioned our favorite G1 trip. I think I was the only one who’s been to Cambodia and Vietnam. Afterwards, Veni took us to a Brazilian restaurant, specializing in steak, of course, for dinner. Lots of meat, some seafood etc. It turned out to be an extraordinarily good, memorable meal.
After that, we went back to the Windsor Leme Hotel hoping to get some sleep. We have some days with VERY early starts this week. Tomorrow is the biggest attraction in Rio- Christ the Redeemer and we are supposed to get there early before the crowds arrive.
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