CBC's Andrew Chang in Rio: Lots to do 4 days before Olympics
Crews were hard at work, hauling heavy equipment
Technically, the "first day" of my trip to Rio de Janeiro took two days.
It's about a four-hour flight from Vancouver to Toronto, and then another 10 hours from Toronto to Rio. And that doesn't include pre-boarding, security screening, layover time, and perhaps most importantly: the fact that I didn't sleep a wink on either flight.
Touching down at 10 a.m. local time (Rio is four hours ahead of Vancouver) meant I had a long day ahead of me because I don't nap well.
After going through customs and validating my Olympic accreditation, I checked in at the media village — a collection of dormitory-style apartment buildings. This is home for the next few weeks.
After getting the lay of the land from the team that's already been here for days, I decided to get the lay of the land myself. What quickly became clear was that though many of the venues were fully up and running, there was still a lot left to be done.
It was easy to spot crews hard at work, hauling heavy equipment in and out of venues. Pylons, bricks, and gravel were all over — remnants of a job started, but not yet done.
But, perhaps the most important pieces of the puzzle were in place. It's like the old saying goes: when in Rio...
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