My aim is to do a weekly update, but I have decided to allocate an entire post to the journey given its importance. I certainly wouldn't be where i am today without it.
I arrived at Heathrow by myself via the heathrow express as my family are still on holiday in Mallorca, and i met up with my travelling partner Sophie (also from bristol) whose parents had bothered to come back from holiday to wave her off.
As TAM, the fine purveyours of travel in and out of Brazil insist on check in 3 hours before take off, we had time to relax and get a pret a manger (probably not what i'd planned to have as my last meal in england for 5 months, but they do make a cracking chicken sarnie)
Our overnight flight was completely packed meaning i couldnt sit next to sophie (probably just as well cos she's a snorer) and i was instead sandwiched between a friendly Brazilian grandmother, with an apparent liking for graphically violent films, and a young Brazilian guy from Salvador with great chat, but a tragically small bladder given that he had to wake me up every time he needed to got to the loo.
Hours slept - 5
Portuguese words attempted - 12
Brazilian cuisine sampled - 0
We landed at 5.30am local time, and after finally getting through security (with a very dissapointing stamp for the passport) we got our connecing flight to Floripa.
This flight was much more relaxed, and after again succesfully escaping from sophie, i found myself between an English guy who assured me he was going to a poker tournament 'just to write about it' which i guess is similiar to assuring someone you're going to brothel 'just to watch' and a very friendly Floripan named Ronaldo. With a grin he informed me that i was coming to the island at completely the wrong time of year.
Cheers mate.
2hours later, having eaten 2 slices of crispy toast with a delicious condiment pretending to have something to do with guava, we landed in Floripa in beautiful sunshine and 35 degree heat. We headed straight for the beach where we frolicked in the sand and sipped ice cold caipirinhas
Well thats what should have happened. In fact we stepped off the plane into icy winds and driving rain .
Ronaldo, now firmly my first brazilian mate, kindly offered us a lift to our hotel on the other side of the island.
Having seen the film 'Taken' with Liam Neeson i was initially a bit cautious, but after weighing up certain cold and rain against potential kidnap, drugging and sale into the sex trade we climbed into the car.
We got to our Hotel, called 'Slaviero' at about 10am in time for our first brazilian 'cafe da amanha' or 'brekkie' which involved cereal, toast and coffee. I had been warned about culture shock before i left the UK but this was beyond anything i had imagined.
The year abroad had begun.
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