Unclear error message while getting started

[Bruce Korb]

$ sudo port selfupdate
Password:
Warning: No index(es) found! Have you synced your source indexes?
--->  Updating MacPorts base sources using rsync
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: port selfupdate failed: Error
synchronizing MacPorts sources: shell command failed (see log for
details)
$ sudo port sync
Password:
Warning: No index(es) found! Have you synced your source indexes?
Error: Synchronization of the local ports tree failed doing rsync
port sync failed: Synchronization of 1 source(s) failed


So several questions, but first note this is an absolutely fresh install:

1.  what log file?  How should I know where it is?
2.  If I am doing a sync, how can it be that I haven't synced my
"source indexes"?
3.  Why don't the installation guides talk of what is needed to get started?
4.  All I really want are a few command line tools (like "guile").  This is
    an awful lot of learning and futzing and struggling for such simple needs.

Thank you!  Regards, Bruce