Day 1

Greetings from Gramado!!! I made it here safe and sound.

The flights were fine - Sao Paulo airport is crazier than LAX, times that by not knowing the language and being in a time crunch of passing through customs, retrieving luggage, finding the terminal where you check in domestically, having to check in an large piece of luggage in a sea of 500 people, go through security, find the gate, have 3 gates changes, take a bus...in less than 90 minutes!!! The first time I feel asleep was on the last plane but my head kept bobbing - so I kept waking myself up. I was so tired but immediately felt better when I saw a well dressed driver, with a professional looking sign with my name on it. From there...oh yeah! Who cares about never ending flights, lines and dirty bathrooms.

The resort is beautiful and the customer service is amazing. They put together a schedule from the moment I walked in the door - a consult with a physician, an assessment made which sets the course for the weeks activities, lunch, massage, beauty consult, assessment with a physical therapist, water station circuit, dinner and a movie! And I arrived past noon. Wow. This destination won best award for Latin American spa destination the last 3 years and Conde Naste award among others.

I was given a choice of 1200 calories or 800 calories a day. Huh? What a bout the box of TJ's chocolates I packed and the chocolate chip muffin that made it all the way to Brazil from Fresh and Easy? My contact Adrianne, couldn't be nicer. Today's her birthday and I bought her a box of See's chocolates - which she jokingly said was contraband. When I came out from one of the consults she commented how wonderful the candy was - so I am glad for that! 1200 calories a day? That's like - a meal ! The grounds are beautiful, the treatment areas are all sparkling clean and spotless. The staffing must be more than 1:1. Well, I must be on my way to my next appointment.

More later
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