October 13, 2014 Copacabana Beach to Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Time to get out of this place and head to airport to catch my flight to Manaus.  Packed up and headed out and caught a local cab.  Its about a 20 mile trip, but with traffic it took almost 2 hours.  I almost missed my flight. Really bad city planning, since there is only one road leading from main highway to beach areas. I realized while we were driving to the airport that the pollution/smog was really bad. I had not noticed it on the way into Rio.  I could smell it coming through the ventilation from the cab's A/C.  I think vis was abut 1/2 mile.
I get to TAM airline desk...never heard of TAM.  They say I have no reservation and if I expected to be on the flight I would have to buy another ticket.  Grrrr. Then I remember the Travel Agent I was using at World Travel made me a copy of the ticket number just in case I would have trouble.  How prophetic. I found the ticket information and now the agent is real pleasant.
A pretty un eventful flight, except the travel group that was to meet me at the airport no showed.  I waited an hour.  Ive become a lot more patient in my old age, so I just went to the curb and "negotiated a cab fare".  Holiday Inn hear I come.
I got to the Holiday Inn and it was very nice.  Not like the one I had to live in for 6 months when I first went to Gulfport to work at corporate office for Phillips Colleges back in the 1980's.   I got to my room and had a message waiting for me from the travel group.  They were very apologetic and insisted on paying my cab fare when they would come to pick me up in the morning for our trek out to the Amazon Rainforest.
I grabbed a hot shower, finally, and stood under it for about 20 minutes.  Some things you take for granted and this was one of them. Went down stairs and had dinner.   They wait person recommended a local fish dish that sounded pretty good. About midnight, I woke up with the most terrific stomach pain and nausea.  I actually thought I had appendicitis.  Wonderful come to a city on the Amazon River and they are going to cut me open in one of their hospitals!  Then I started losing it on both ends.  At least the pain went away.  After about two hours of this, things seem to get better.  I slept for about 4 hours and woke up feeling fine.