I can feel it, coming in the air (sweet Phil Collins)

Okay, so it's been a few days since I wrote my last (or should I say first?) entry. I figure if I'm going to write a true blog, I should write more than one. It would also be a good idea, I suppose, to actually write a thing or two about where I'm going. That was the idea from the beginning, and so far, I've only written about pre-departure. Okay, here goes.

Where did I leave off? Oh, right, Mom taking me to the airport. Things went well at this point. I was feeling better after a little rest. I got my boarding passes, one from San Antonio to Atlanta and one from Atlanta to Rio, with no problems and got through security with less trouble than I expected, although I did have to give up my only toothpaste and a small Swiss Army knife that was included in a "Survivor Kit" given to me by a friend. I didn't know it was part of the kit, though I probably wouldn't have known any better anyway.

I got to Atlanta fine. Nothing happened, and I had plenty of time to waste in Atlanta before my next, longer flight. So I walked around and just coasted through the time, waiting to board my next plane. Before I knew it, I had a missed call from Mom. I called her, and she told me she was called by Delta because my flight was delayed. I was unaware, since I'd been walking around, and the other folks waiting to board the same plane were still sitting there like nothing was going on. ANYWHO, I got off the phone with Mom and asked a gentleman if our flight had been delayed. He told me something along the lines of the plane not being suitable for flight and that they ('they?' Who's 'they?' I'm really not sure. I guess the people who fix planes.) were going to need to fix the plane. He said we were scheduled to leave around midnight, as opposed to eight thirty, the original scheduled time.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm going into such detail with this aspect of the trip. To make a long story short, we had to change gates and wait a little longer before they told us our flight was cancelled altogether. Great. Then we waited at a service area to receive a hotel and meal vouchers. I eventually received these things and waited in the crazy 'shuttle area' for the Red Roof Inn shuttle. That's right, Red Roof Inn. I can't complain, though. It could've been worse, like the Milner in Detroit (no offense, Milner.). It wasn't a bad night, not at all.

I got to the airport at about seven the next morning for my nine o'clock departure to Rio. Yea. I got through security with nothing confiscated. Double yea. Then I got an amazing Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel at McDonald's and soon boarded the plane. It felt good to finally be on a plane headed out of the country.

The ride felt longer than it actually was. Fortunately, I sat next to a nice girl from Holland who was pleasant company, and I was able to watch The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman...for free! Sweeet! That's what happens when you're a...well...high roller.

The rest of my time on the plane consisted of me struggling to sleep and getting pains in my neck. Oh well, guess that's flying for you. It was cool to look at the monitor tracking our progress. I must say it's wild to look out the window and notice you're flying over the northern coast of Venezuela. I mean, for the most part, it just looks like normal...um...land. Part of you thinks these exciting new places you're flying over will look more exotic or something. That might just be me, though. It was also kind of weird flying over what was supposed to be my final destination: Brasilia. I mean, we went RIGHT over it. The Dutch girl and I agreed that it might've been a good idea to request a drop off, perhaps a parachute.

So we descended into Rio, the city featured on E!’s ‘Wild On’ with Brooke Burke that looks especially large at night. You can't see much of what Rio's known for (except for crime, perhaps, although I didn't see that, either.) when it's dark. A feeling of excitement and nervousness, along with the urge to put on bug repellent, to protect myself from dengue (Yeah, I'm a tool.) took over. I knew where I had a reservation for the night, although I didn't know how I was going to get there. I had no transportation reserved to get me to Brasilia. Basically, I was running on the assumption that things would work out. Would they?