New City, New Country, New Continent, New Hemisphere

On first impression, it's just like every other crowded, old coastal city. It has that humid, urban smell that New York gets in the heat of summer. There are people everywhere, with little retail establishments all crammed together on every block.

This is my first time to be south of the equator. It seems like it should feel different than it does. The water in our toilet doesn't go the other way around, it just goes straight down.

It does feel different being in South America. The birds are different. The trees are different. It's very green and lush.

And here we are in Rio de Janeiro. I'll bet there are few other places where extreme wealth and utter poverty coexist so visibly.

Clyde and I arrived in Brazil after an overnight flight from the U.S. The taxi ride to the J.W. Marriott was probably the most of the real city that we'll probably see. From the freeway, we saw slums (favelas) literally abutting luxury high rise apartments. Most of the apartment buildings that aren't slums still look a little run down. All residences, rich and poor, seem to have a satellite dish attached to the outside wall. There is graffiti everywhere.  The only perfectly pristine buildings are the churches.

Our hotel is just across the street from the beach. No favilas are visible from here. Our room overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, and of course, has every comfort. It's almost easy to forget the nearby poverty when you're on the roof, 17 stories up, looking down at the coastline and all the incredible green mountains that pop out of the ocean.

We took a walk down the street to take a look at the  90 year old Copacabana Palace. After just a couple of blocks, we were so soaked that we needed a shower. Some Coloradoans have trouble adjusting to high humidity.

Tomorrow we meet up with our friends.Greetings from Brazil!

By the way, this is my 200th BillsWeek post. Wow, I've had a lot to say!