Like Going From Night to Day

Brazil- Finally, a country with its act together!!

After an exhausting, nearly 24 hour "commute" from Lima through Santiago to Rio de Janeiro, I am experiencing a completely new and different world here in Brazil. Hallelujiah!!!

Landing at Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport last night, 8 hours later than expected, frazzled, rumpled, fatigued and ready for the the next round of near-impossible hoops to jump through, I calcuted that I needed to accomplish four essential tasks in the least amount of time: baggage claim, immigration/customs inspection, traveler's checks conversion and catching a taxi to my hotel. As the Boeing aircraft clumsily skidded to the runway and came to a full stop, I called upon my adrenaline gland to work double duty, gathered my strength both physically and mentally and charged out of the airplane like a bullet.

Baggage claim: Usually, an easy, unfettered step if you can muscle your way toward the top of the carousel without being too "French" about it. Amazingly, my over-stuffed, well-worn, slightly ragged red suitcase was the third bag to be spit out and chugging along on its side. Wow. A break at last. Snatching that up, a sense of hope blossoming in my heart, I looked for the immigration line, which was conveniently marked and labelled next to the baggage area. Hmm...an intelligent system. How unusual!

Immigration: Since I had gathered a bit of momentum out of the plane and been so uncharacteristically LUCKY in my first task, I saw ahead of me only five people in line waiting to show their document. Brazil was the only country on this trip that required a visa, so my expectation was that it would also be the most complicated customs portal through which I would pass. There were 8 immigration booths open, all of which were staffed. My wait took 2 minutes. My turn at the window took 30 seconds...stamp, stamp, shuffle, shuffle, done, "Obrigado! Enjoy your stay in Brazil!" WHAT?! That was it?! 30 seconds. I was floored but increasingly giddy by this point.

Money exchange: Ok, some quick background. When I got my traveler's checks at the US bank in Everett, the woman who issued them to me just said, "Sign your name here at the top on each one" So, complying, I wrote my first name, middle initial and last name- the standard way I write my official signature. My first day in Ecuador, I asked the staff at the hotel where I could cash my traveler's checks. They instantly shook their heads and said that not very many banks will cash them in Ecuador; it's very tough to do. But they told me of a bank that would possibly do it. Mind you, all of my spending money for this excursion was locked up in these American Express notes. So went to the Banco Pacifico at their suggestion, and they tell me that yes, indeed they do exchange them. But when I presented my checks to the teller, she noticed that on my passport I had written (as instructed) my entire name- first, full middle name (not just the initial) and last, which did not match how I'd signed them in Everett. So she said they could not cash them. Talk about a gut-wrenching, nauseating feeling. I spent the next 4 hours wandering from bank to bank to bank until finally I found one that - thank God - didn't notice or seem to care! Now my new problem with my traveler's checks as the trip progressed was that somehow, mysteriously and tragically, some kind of liquid in my luggage (mouthwash, lotion, cologne) had leaked out (despite me double-checking everything to be sealed tight as a drum as I packed) and smeared off the first half of all my signatures on $800 worth of my checks! Just the most important parts of them, of course! So I was sure they were lost forever.

But here in Rio, with my renewed sense of luck and good fortune rising, I stopped at the money exchanger's booth and pulled out both the damaged set of checks as well as the other, intact ones I had left, still in prisitine condition, and inquired first about the soaked set. The two, friendly Brazilian money changers smiled at me and said, "Hey, no problem, we can still cash those for you. It's not a big deal. As long as you sign at the bottom, and it looks like your signature, it's OK." Incredible. Fantastic. Surreal. They cashed all of the bad ones on the spot. I could NOT believe the ease with which these first three hurdles had been jumped.

Taxi: I know from my experience that the "official airport taxi" system is a racket. They drive better cars. The drivers are slicker, better dressed and know how to work the tourists. However, the convenience of walking out the airport exit and hopping in an air-conditioned cab and being whisked away in an instant really appealled to me particularly on this night. All I wanted to do was get this final task done and be in my room. I asked the tall, dark-skinned driver dressed in a well-tailored suit, "How much to Copacabana?", and he responded "$R90" (the currency in Brazil is Reals). I said without even knowing, haha, "Ahhh...too much! Can you give me a better price?" Looking at me skeptically, he reluctantly said, "Ok, $R80" to which I agreed. I didn't know how much money I saved; all I knew was that I was behind the driver's seat in so many ways now and my confidence was surging.

Driving into the city of Rio de Janeiro, the air quality was excellent, unlike the grey, highly toxic, exhaust-filled air of Lima. Brazil must have emissions tests! There is no honking, very unlike Ecuador and Peru where taxis honk incessantly, for no reason at times; they just seem to like to toot their h0rns, so the streets are noisy and never silent. But tonight, riding into the city in my brand-new Honda Pilot, there was peace. It was a striking and welcomed contrast. The freeway and arterials were smooth, well-maintained and no trash was anywhere lining the streets, whereas many of the largers cities here in South America are blemished with piles of rubbish strewn everywhere with no sense of urgency to have them removed.

All in all, arriving in Rio like moving from day to night. From bewilderment into enlightenment, from chaos into order, from backward to forward. And now, I can simply focus on walking the beaches, swimming in the pool on the top floor of the hotel, seeing the magnificent views of this extraordinary and unique city, and finally feeling like I'm on a traditional "vacation" instead of battling my way through a mine field of challenges. Ahh...Rio, you are my oasis now!