Day 1 ... and off we go

Today dawned a beautiful day and we were excited to get going. Thankfully we had an early afternoon flight so no need to try and fill the day! 

Up and out of bed, dressed, finalised our packing, had breakfast and then we were ready to twiddle our thumbs until our pick up at 9.30. So obviously we had time for a quick puzzle!

Then off to the airport we go! An easy check in, security and passport control and before you know it we were airside and able to relax before boarding our 12+ hr flight to Santiago, Chile.

LATAM Airlines were a pleasant surprise. Clean, comfortable and efficient.  Meals were lovely and the staff happy and helpful. We had paid a little extra for premium economy which gave us 10cm extra legroom  ... an absolute bonus. (Ian - I watched 3 movies and listened to 3 albums.)

We arrived into Santiago about half an hour ahead of schedule, with the magnificent Andes outside the windows, and made the easy transfer through the airport to the gate of our connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We then boarded our next plane that would take us from Santiago to Rio de Janeiro. Another great plane flight ... only 4 hours this time.  The highlight was the first half an hour when we flew across the top of the Andes. Absolutely amazing! (Ian - I have flown along, beside and up into the Himalayas. The Andes are not quite of the same scale but there was something special about crossing from flat land on the Pacific coast, up an over the range, and then to flat land on the Atlantic side.

 

We landed on time (despite a delay in boarding and departing) and made our way through passport control, luggage collection and finally security. From getting off the plane at 5.20 to meeting our guide Paulo and driver Malom took about 40 minutes and the bulk of that was the massive hike from our arrival gate to the main terminal.

Paulo and Malom whisked us away and we began the 40 minute ride to our hotel at Copacabana Beach . Paulo provided a wonderful commentary and explained what would be happening over our days in Rio.  He helped us check in, talked about some safety issues (mainly he wanted me to take off my necklaces) and then they left us to get settled.

 

Our room at the hotel looks directly over the beach, so after dumping our bags in the room,  we headed out for a walk to explore our neighbourhood. Tonight was just a wander, a chance to grab some water and some $$ from the ATM at the fancy hotel just down the road from us, and then we finished with a shared gelato. 

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What a great day for what has been mostly a travel day (20 hrs all up). We are both pretty tired but will sleep well.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we have our first day exploring Rio.