Day 1 in Rio

Survived the 10 hour flight -- not bad actually since the seat next to mine was vacant -- and got hit with a heat wave (40 degrees celcius - about 100 F) upon arrival to Rio de Janeiro. Hotel room at the Sheraton Barra is nice (with a killer ocean view from the balcony) but a bit of a drive from everything. I met up with some new "friends" from aSmallworld network and had a few batidas and some tasty seared tuna at Zaza Cafe in Ipanema. So far, a great start and I have a few days to settle in before Carnival starts! I also just learned that a buddy of mine from b-school, Kevin Williams "KJ", is going to be in Rio on Thursday so my new plan is to stay in Rio til Saturday then check out the Salvador scene for a couple of days and then fly into Recife and see Olinda's carnival (the three perspectives should give me a good feel for three very different celebrations of Carnival, from Rio's spectator sport to Salvador's more hands-on experience to Olinda's authentic cultural celebrations).

Well, now I'm off to see some sights, but I leave with pics from yesterday's short walk on the beach and views from and of the hotel.