Somehow, after all of yesterday's walking, I still woke up at 0545. I finished packing and left a tip in the room for the nice folks who'd been taking care of me (0700). I then headed down to the main level. Last night, I had issues with confirming my flight to Rio. Fortunately, both Booking.com (website) and GOL Airlines (Facebook Messenger) sent messages to me that helped to sort out the problem. In the lobby, I was able to thank Mateo and Gonzalo for their services and then paid for my room (0715). The staff let me store my bags in the lobby while I went to breakfast (cereal, pastries). The hotel also set up a shuttle for me at 0800 but it didn't arrive on time. When I checked with Gonzalo on the status, he prompted the driver, who finally showed up at 0815. After that, I said goodbye to the Ramada and we got on the road towards Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. I'd learned that Buenos Aires actually has two separate airports (one for domestic and one for international) but I lucked out by getting to use the same one leaving the country as when I'd arrived on December 12. On the flip side, I remembered (as we drove) that this was the first flight on the trip that I’d scheduled without the help of the USAA Travel agent and it felt a bit risky to be using the airline (GOL)... Still, the weather was beautiful and the taxi ride went relatively smoothly. As we drove, I started to wish that I had more time in this amazing city - I'll definitely have to return! The driver dropped me off at the Departures terminal (0835) and I quickly found the GOL desk. It was mobbed with people and I gradually deduced that there was another (earlier) flight that was being handled. When I asked about the best thing to do, I was told to wait until exactly three hours before takeoff. Since this was still about 60 minutes later, I killed time by trying to figure out whether I could get any Argentinian taxes reimbursed. By the time I eventually found an actual person to assist me, I learned that I couldn’t get money back because I hadn’t done the entire, complex process correctly. Oh well... After that, I sat in a chair and watched some guys who were shrink wrapping any bags people had brought (for a fee) - I ended up seeing a lot of hiker backpacks getting “mummified." Just before 0940, I got in a line just outside the official check-in queue and waited for my own flight to be called. It probably took 20 minutes more before the entire line of passengers for São Paulo was finished and then most of the agents took a 10 minute break (only one stayed behind in case late São Paulo passengers arrived). At 1015, our own queue finally began to move - I felt fortunate to be near the front and got checked in easily (once again, two pieces of baggage checked for free). I then navigated my way to the International departure area and proceeded through security (they were quite serious) and Argentina Immigration. By 1045, I had made it through to the gates and felt a bit better about the way things were going. I ate a snack in the area near Gate 17 (where my boarding pass said I should be waiting) and used a phone charger nearby. During this time, I noticed a gentleman with an iPad who was walking nearby and realized I’d seen him at the Buquebus terminal the day before. It turned out that he was a representative of Argentina’s Tourism Board and he asked me to take a brief survey about my time in Argentina (I obliged him). At the scheduled boarding time, I noticed that the gate was still completely deserted and decided to check out Gate 20 (a status board showed that was where the flight would be). I found a huge line of people there and noticed the distinctive orange of the GOL logo nearby. From this point, time seemed to stop... I noticed many of the same agents here that I’d seen at the check-in counter (small staff?) but no announcements of any kind were made during the next hour. I actually could see the plane (B737-800) outside the window but nothing happened when the departure came and went. Eventually, I got the gist of the situation from watching the expressions of others: we’d had a mechanical problem that was needed to be resolved. Eventually, the agents started checking people in (before the gate even opened) and finally (1300), we were allowed to board. We then managed to get everyone seated and the doors were actually closed (the plane wasn’t completely filled). At that point, though, I heard announcements in Spanish and Portuguese that the Argentine Federal Police wanted to re-check all of the carry-on bags! With many groans, everyone got their stuff and we started walking up the jetway. Midway, however, we were told to turn around and return to our seats. I’d only half understood what was happening and tried to get more info from nearby passengers. In the end, as best I can figure, everyone accepted the random and unexplained disruption with phrases like “it is better not to ask”... Once on the plane again, there was another delay before a large number of extra passengers arrived. My guess is that this was partly the source of all the other issues (the airline and security didn’t want to depart with a partially full aircraft). We finally departed at around 1350. I had a window seat and got to see some of the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires during the climb out - I’m not 100% sure but I think I also saw Colonia as we crossed the delta if the River Plate. The only outlets were strange “USB” ports which (again) wouldn’t work for me. We got snacks on the plane but the flight was otherwise uneventful. We landed at Galeo Airport in Rio de Janeiro at 1650. Once I was off the plane, I found that I had a LONG walk to immigration. Luckily, the line for foreigners was not long. I retrieved my bags and then proceeded through customs quite quickly. My first attempt to get cash initially failed (there was, apparently, a problem with the computer). Instead, i snaked through a huge Duty Free area. Once outisde the Security Zone, I started getting harassed by taxi drivers - they followed me all the way through terminal and almost demanded that I used their services. I managed to find an ATM at 1710 and took out some Reals (first time using my credit card to get cash). After that, I managed to set up an Uber but then had to find the place where they were waiting. On the way to that location, I got even more harassment from drivers - wow! I eventually found my Uber and we left the airport. By then, it was raining and I discovered that the driver (Vitor) didn’t speak English. And it was already getting dark! We made good time from the airport to Copacabana Beach, fortunately. Along the way, I saw the Christ the Redeemer statue and Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf). It appeared to be "rush hour" because everywhere we went had busy streets. I was able to chit chat a bit with driver and was impressed by his driving skills - I got lots of evidence that the Rio drivers were crazy... We arrived at my hotel (Mercure) at around 1815 and I was quite pleased to find that the place was right on the beach (on Avenida Atlantica). While trying to check in, I had trouble with my credit card initially. I was also faced with a question about "Real charge versus US dollars" and then discovered that the hotel had own conversion rate - I chose the Real rate and it turned out to be much better in the end. I actually had to call my bank to sort things out before the card finally worked (1900). Before going to my room, I talked to the desk staff (Lorena, Guy and “Peter Parker”) about arranging tours (etc.). After stashing my stuff and changing in to "beach attire", I went downstairs again and went outside to look for a beer. It was still raining a little bit so I ducked into the first place I found - a little beach bar called Mar de Copa. By then, it was already dark but I still had a nice view of the sand and palm trees. I ordered a small glass of Chopp (local Pilsner) that was on Happy Hour special and later got a 600ml Brahma Duplo Malte to go with some fried shrimp. The waiter was quite nice and we talked about beer, Rio and Miami (his daughter was born there). The ambience and music were also good and I took my time, relaxing. I found that my seat location in the bar allowed for some harmless vendor harassment but vowed to do better in choosing a table. I finally finished up my evening at 2050. As I was leaving, a guy chased after me on the way out (he called me “Boss”) but I didn’t understand what he wanted so continued across the street. Once in my hotel room again, I watched some videos on my phone (first time on the trip) until I got sleepy. Went to bed at 2215. Really excited to be in this iconic place!