Rio Day 1: Flying Down to Rio

I'm in Brazil on business.

Ever since the day Danny and I found out we were going to Brazil together we knew that Rio had to be on our agenda. I have literally been planning our Rio itinerary since May and all the planning came into being this weekend. Laura and I braved the rush hour traffic after work (my team let me out a little early) to get to the international airport in Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo doesn't just have rush hour, it has it-takes-two-hours-to-get-to-the-airport-in-a-taxi madness. Most Paulistianos are the first to admit the city's infastructure isn't the best it could be and traffic is miserable. But we got there, got on the plane after going through grueling security (I brought a razor, they didn't check my liquids or my passport), and were off!

As Laura and I were landing in Rio, we were crowding around the window trying to get a glimpse of Christ the Redeemer. It's like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben; once you see it you know you are at your famous destination. We got in a cab (we're experts at avoiding unmarked cabs now or at least make sure the driver is an elderly man that we can overpower if needed) and paid the R$10 to get to our hotel. The driver was nice and with the little English he spoke pointed out some of Rio's sights.

While in Rio, we actually stayed with another Deloitte intern from the US who was there for July as well. Until we walked through the door on Friday night we had never met Will, which was kinda risky for him but worked out great for us. Will had three twins beds in his room so it worked out very well, and he turned out to be a great guy with the same travel warrior attitude as the three of us. Literally five minutes after Laura and I got to the hotel Danny arrived from Curitiba still in his business casual and we were ready to start our vacation!

Lapa

We didn't just want to stay in the hotel our first nice in Rio so we hit the Lapa area. It was crazy! Our taxi driver told us that everyone starts coming out at 11 here. There were all these stands serving food (Laura and I had some skewers of beef, sausage, and chicken) and drinks. Street performers were also there, but we were sure to watch our wallets extra carefully while watching them. A man also came around selling shots of tequila and we had to seize the day and do a shot to Rio.

We walked around a loved it. Laura and I also liked being in the city with two guys; it just added a little extra comfort and protection (not to mention I think they liked hearing my interesting facts about Rio). Throughout the weekend Laura and I kept getting compliments from a lot of Brazilian men but most of the time Danny and Will were watching us, the two pale blondes in Brazil, so it was nice.

After walking around for a while we headed back to the hotel in order to get enough sleep to adequetly seize the next day. We got ready for bed and turned off the lights but kept talking. It was the strangest and yet most amazing thing. We talked about all sorts of things, from baby blankets and the items we brought to comfort us here to "oops babies". Sure, this might sound like every sleepover you've ever had, but the remarkable thing was that we had literally just met Will, and Laura didn't really know Danny well. I guess Deloitte is just a bunch of like-minded people that get along well and that is so cool.

We rested up and then were ready for a truly phenominal first day in Rio.