We arrived about quarter of an hour early at Rio and I got through all the formalities ppretty quickly having been one of the first off the plane. My luggage turned up promptly and I was soon landside scouring the the name plates. "Adam Komorowski" was singularly absent! I waited an hour until 6.00am but nobody turned up, a tad galling as I had pre-paid for the transport. In the end I caught a cab and got to the hotel just before 7.00am. There they seemed to suggest they didn't have a reservation for me. I showed them the voucher from the Flight Centre and whether that convinced them or not they told me they would have a room for me but not until 10.00am. They put my luggage away and I dozed in the reception area until finally told my room was ready. There is a bed, a bathroom and a small wardrobe and TV but not much room for anything else! I had a kip until 1.30pm and suitably refreshed after a shower, donned my shorts for the first time in ages and went out. It was overcast but 20 degrees.
I walked down to Copacabana Beach and had a stroll around. The name Copacabana comes from the Bolivian town of that name on Lake Titicaca, where a few days ago I changed coaches on the way to La Paz. From what I can make out, it was previously called Sacopenapa, but after a chapel was constructed holding replica of the Virgen de Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia, the area was renamed Copacabana on July 6, 1892. The beach is 4Km long and is filled with golden sand. It possibly wasn't the best of days to see it in its full glory, but beggars can't be choosers.
I found a Post Office on the way back, bought postcards and stamps, and wrote them out and posted them It's someone's birthday very soon, isn't it Leia? When I got back to the hotel I arranged for a sightseeing tour for tomorrow, set up the WiFi for 24 hours and had a chicken strogonoff before retiring for a well deserved kip.
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