CBC's Andrew Chang in Rio: Lots to do 4 days before Olympics

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 10a.m. local time (Rio is four hours ahead of Vancouver) meant I had a long day ahead of mebecause I don't nap well.

• CBC'sAndrew Chang shares his Rio experiences

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 clearwas 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 inand 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...