We woke up to -31F in Brooklyn Park on the morning of January 30. A bit before noon we departed for the airport, and roughly 21 hours later we stepped out of a Boeing 767 at Rio de Janiero airport where the temperature was 36C (about 97F) — a change of about 128 degrees.
We feared the cold might have delayed our departure from Minneapolis. It did so, ever so slightly. The only real issue (aside from the plane being ice cold inside because the ground heaters couldn’t keep up) was that the catering trucks were frozen, so that the coffee and snacks couldn’t be loaded aboard. Someone went and got a bunch of bottled water and we took off for JFK. Our arrival was only 20 minutes or so behind schedule, and the plane had warmed up nicely once the engines were started.
JFK was another story. High winds had reduced the number of usable runways, backing things up. We were supposed to have had a 3 hour layover, but it turned into 5. Then the plane taxied over to the de-icing station and got in line. De-icing took forever, not only due to the number of planes lined up, but also due to the fact that the wind blew the antifreeze everywhere other than where the nozles were pointed.
We finally got into the air about 3 hours later than scheduled. It was a nice, new Boeing 767 and we had a pair of good seats (one aisle, one window) near the back of the plane, but Delta was having a bad day. Also, those seats seemed awfully close to the seats ahead of them, making it difficult to stretch out. Thanks to drugs and alcohol, however, I managed to pass out for nearly 5 hours. Mary did not fare as well.
Because we were so late to arrive, we were met by a car and driver, rather than the usual bus. All the others in the group had arrived well ahead of us. We met with our tour director briefly in the hotel lobby, then went to our room for some overdue showers and to change into some less wintry clothing. We did a bit of exploring of the hotel and environs on our own. Our hotel is right on Copacabana beach, only a block from the famous Copacabana Palace hotel. We have an outdoor pool on the 20th floor, and one of the world’s most famous beaches across the street.
Our group met for the first time for an orientation meeting at 4 p.m. Carolina, our Chilean tour director, seems more than competent, and the group of 20 introduced ourselves to one another. OAT groups are usually limited to 16, but groups for this tour are a bit larger due to some economics surrounding the small cruise ship we will be on later, when we explore the Chilean “fjords. The group appears it will be a good one — typical OAT, couples around 70, give or take, mostly retired educators of one sort or another..
After the meeting, Carolina took us on a brief walking tour of the immediate neighborhood, then to dinner. The typical Brazilian restaurant served a buffet of salads, vegetables and cheeses. Then waiters came around to the tables with various meats on large skewers, right off the fire. They would keep bringing meat until we begged them to stop, then they brought dessert and coffee.
We walked off some of the huge meal along the beach before turning in a bit early.
JFK was another story. High winds had reduced the number of usable runways, backing things up. We were supposed to have had a 3 hour layover, but it turned into 5. Then the plane taxied over to the de-icing station and got in line. De-icing took forever, not only due to the number of planes lined up, but also due to the fact that the wind blew the antifreeze everywhere other than where the nozles were pointed.
We finally got into the air about 3 hours later than scheduled. It was a nice, new Boeing 767 and we had a pair of good seats (one aisle, one window) near the back of the plane, but Delta was having a bad day. Also, those seats seemed awfully close to the seats ahead of them, making it difficult to stretch out. Thanks to drugs and alcohol, however, I managed to pass out for nearly 5 hours. Mary did not fare as well.
