The day has finally arrived. We are leaving for Rio de Janeiro at 11:10 p.m. for our 10+ hour flight to Rio.  I'm not looking forward to spending that much time in a cramped space, especially since we couldn't get business class. I'm sure I'll be exhausted once we land but we'll start our adventure on adrenaline. Our hotel is right across the street from Copacabana Beach so we may just relax and catch up on our sleep on the beach for our first day.

Brazil (or Brasil as they spell it) is the largest country in South America and fifth largest in the world. It is famous for its football (soccer) tradition and its annual Carnaval in Rio. Unfortunately, we cannot attend either as Carnival occurs in the spring and there is not a soccer match scheduled at the famous Maracana Stadium while we're there. 

Brazil was inhabited solely by the Tupi and Guarani indigenous people. The Portuguese (not the Spanish as many believe) began settling late in the 16th century, with the extraction of valuable wood from the pau brasil tree, from which the country draws its name. It became the centre of the Portuguese Empire by 1808, when King Dom João VI (John VI) fled from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal and established himself and his government in the city of Rio.

For 2 decades (1964 - 1985) Brazil was in the midst of a brutal military dictatorship, known as "Os Anos de Chumbo" (Years of Lead) that imprisoned, exiled, tortured, and murdered potential enemies, most of them innocent civilians. Talking about these times is still a taboo topic. With the establishment of a National Truth Commission in 2011 Brazil has begun to face the human rights abuses that accompanied the U.S.-supported coup that overthrew democratically-elected Joao Goulart in 1964. Gradually Brazil has returned to democratic rule, while facing the challenge of keeping its industrial and agricultural growth and developing its interior. Now Brazil is Latin America's leading economic power. However, there are still high rates of political corruption and income inequality. A consequence of this is a high crime rate, specifically in large cities, notably Rio. So we'll have to be aware of our surroundings all the time. I've (unwillingly) shed all my jewelry and replaced it with cheap costume pieces.  I've got to say I feel naked without my regular "trinkets" but I feel better knowing that a thug won't take my rings (still attached to my fingers).

So stay tuned for tales of our adventures....