Sleepy in Brazil

We made it successfully to Sao Paulo. We are two hours ahead of Colorado time, three ahead of the Pacific Coast, so as I start this posting it is just past noon on Thursday here. We arrived on time at 7:45 am after nine hours of flight time from Dallas. Our flight started with a decent dinner of lasagna (me) and chicken (Mike) followed by lights out for the next severn hours. If we can't get side-by-side seats on a two person aisle, we always opt for aisle seats across an aisle from each other. That's what we had for this flight. Mike had the aisle seat on the two person side, while I had the aisle on the center, five person section. Lucky for me, there was only one other person in my 5 seat section. So, I spread out over three seats, lying in a crunched up manner while Mike had to sit up all the way beside a soundly sleeping young Brazilian man. After rolling around all night like a hot dog in a fast food restaurant, I consider myself fairly well rested and not too stiff. Mike, on the other hand, had no sleep. He watched Blind Side for the second time enjoying it just as much as when we saw it in the theater, then as he was more tired he watched that stupid Vince Vaughn movie about couples on vacation. His review: Don't even bother renting it. He said he didn't sleep at all, and if that wasn't bad enough, he had to shake me to wake me up for breakfast. Talk about rubbing it in that I had a decent sleep!

Imagine the worst baggage claim crowd you have ever encountered and you will be ready for the arrivals hall in Sao Paulo. Luggage carts are free, and everyone has one or two surrounding them as they crush to the luggage delivery belt. I am not sure why, but the American Airlines luggage allowance is universal for all countries except Brazil, where you are allowed up to 70 pound bags. We were all heaving these huge bags around. When you see your bag (yeah for those yellow bands we put around ours that make them stick out) you have to crush through the people and carts to grab it, then turn around and force your way back through the crowd that has swallowed up the path you created to make your way in to the belt. No complaints though, our bags were there just as they were supposed to be.

We made a strong impression on the beautiful Brazilian Federale that examined and stamped our passports as we went through immigration control. We demonstrated that not all Americans are rude, uni-ligual tourists by showcasing our command of the Portuguese language. "Bon Dia" got us a smile and a return "Bon dia" when we walked up to the counter. After our passports were stamped and we were ready to leave, "abrigado" the Portuguese word for "thank you" got a "You're welcome" in response. As Caitie told us when she first was learning Spanish in Spain, "when they answer you in English it is a sure sign that you are butchering their language". Oh well, we tried.

Becuase we anticipated correctly that Mike (who never sleeps on planes) would be tired after the flight, we booked a room at the airport Marriott, only a shuttle ride away from the airport. Like airports the world over, the shuttles all collect passengers somewhere along the driveways in front. We made our way outside, found someone to direct us to the hotel waiting area, and settled in to wait along with the crews from the United and American flights that arrived from the US at the same time. Fifteen minutes later, along came a small shuttle bus with the Marriott logo. I flagged it down and carried the first of our two big bags(so much for packing light) out to the shuttle steps. The non-English speaking driver kindly blocked my way into the shuttle. Figuring he was going to assist with my bags and I should therefore drop the heavy bag and return for another, that's what I did. Turns out that this shuttle was "reserved for flight crews" (I was told by a bilingual Portuguese United airlines flight attendant). He assured me that the driver was calling another shuttle for us which would pick us up momentarily. It took about twenty minutes more, but finally we had a private shuttle ride to our hotel.

All Marriotts looke remarkably similar and the Sao Paulo airport property is no exception. It sits near a highway exit (yes, we can sure hear that traffic) in the airport suburb. A breakfast buffet is included in our fare, so we had lots of fresh fruit and buffet bacon and eggs. The pineapple was wonderful as was the deep orange colored papaya. Good enough that I look forward to tomorrow's breakfast. The highlight of breakfast was the recommendation (by the very same flight attendant that denied us access to the first shuttle bus) for which of the six juices to try.... coconut water which pours from the coconut when it is opened. I love anything coconut, and this water was very refreshing.

We feel fortunate that the heat spell in Brazil at Carnivale time last month that killed many people seems to have been replaced with mild fall weather. It is a bit humid here, which accounts for the gorgeous greenery and my exceptionally frizzy hair, but it isn't hot today.

If we are properly rested up tomorrow we will head out to see the city and tell you all about it. If it is a sleepless night, expect to hear about our experiences reading and washing our laundry.

Until then, ciao!
Deanne