Hi All,

After leaving Washington DC last night we had a fairly uneventful flight arriving in Rio a little after 11 AM today. Made our way through immigration, baggage and customs, found our way to the pre-paid cabs, and were at our hotel and checked in by 1 PM. I had a lot of angst over what hotel to stay at with so many to choose from and ended up booking at the Ipanema Plaza and we are very happy with the choice. We are one block from Ipanema Beach and there are lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance that will be vieing for our attention over the next couple of days. The hotel has a lovely rooftop pool with cafe and the view of the beach in one direction and Christ The Redeemer (peeking in and out of the clouds) in the other direction is spectacular. Our tour guide is picking us up tomorrow at 7:30 AM for a planned full day of touring. We hope the weather will be as sunny and beautiful as today.

Sandee