Chicken Heart

Hola!!!! We have arrived safely in Brazil! and on my word, what a trip! So we arrived at the airport at 8. Upon going through security, they arked us if we had visas to paraguay (we had a 6 hour layover in paraguay). we said no only brazil. the security took out passports and itenerary and said they had to make a call to make sure it was ok for us to fly into paraguay. Apparently, the in transit area of the airport was closed overnight (which is the area we would have to stay in since we didn´t have visas and they needed to make sure the country would accept us prior to our departure. so dude takes off, leaving us there with no real information or even his name, for over a half an hour. Finally dude comes back and lets us know we will be met by someone to escort us to the intransit area where we will stay- by ourselves- until the airport opens again. The also let us know we HAD to pick up our backpacks because they would not be checked all the way thru





so mad dash through check-in, security, and boarding since we lost almost a hour by the end of the ordeal. Which by the way, the security in b.a. is super lax! So zip zam bam and off we went to paraguay. Upon arriving at 11pm, we debark, noting no one waiting for us. so we wandered aimlessly into customs in which we asked a security guard for help, in which the language barrier kicked in full force and we some how managed to figure out via hand gestures we were supposed to go up stairs. We found in-transit and was ready to curl up and pass out when we realized, hey we need our bags... so back down stairs we wander to find the oh-so-friendly security guard (note sarcaism) and ask how we get our bags. being the wonderful man he is, he becomes angry by our prescene in the customs area and lack of ability to communicate. forunately a sweet stewardess stepped in and helped translate. she also pulled in a bag boy who explained to us the bags were checked thru to sao paolo and we would have to pick them up there, not here. so back up stairs we went to curl up on the lovely airport chairs for 5 hours.





440 - wake up board the flight to sao paolo. arrive in sao paolo... taxi For-Ever! arrive at gate, late, and then we have to walk to what seems like the end of the airport to pick up the luggage and go through customs. we had about an hour and fifteen minutes until our flight departed for rio. we hustle to baggage and wait and wait and wait.... the stuff finally comes out on the carousel. 45 minutes later, still standing in baggage collection, we realized, our stuff was not coming. off to the help counter to practice our portugese. T minues 10 minutes until connecting flight..... the very nice man at the counter explains, that no, we do not pick our bags up here, they are checked all the way thru to Rio.... so here we get worried because everyone said they were checked thru to the previous destination..... but due to the lack of time we were like alright, off we goooo... so we hustle thru customs and realize we have to check in again for the connecting flights.... ahhhh t minus 20 minutes. we step in the extra long line and as a employee walks by katie goes, we have 20 minutes until our flight leaves. The AMAZINGLY SWEET and NICE woman grabs our information hustles us to the front of the line prints us tickets then says follow me. She is short of run thru the airport to another counter, to security, in which we cut the line, the all the way back to the last gate in the terminal, go figure! We profusely thank her, kiss on the check and board being the last ones to get on the flight, t minus less than 5 minutes. ahhhh sounds not that bad when i describe it now but on less than 5 hours of sleep, no coffee, not feeling well, not having showered in 3 days, and not understanding the language or where our bags were, we were stressed!!





Arrive rio 1030 am. Baggage claim, what do you know, katie´s bag appears asap. so i wait and wait and wait, another airline is added to the carousel adding to the confusion, so i wait and wait and wait,. tears begin to show, and smack there´s may bag, turn to katie, vicotry pump in the air, grab it and off we go.





next two hours were spent trying to figure out the stupid atms, food, how to buy a english to portuguese dictonary, and get a taxi. Finally, we arrive at the hostel to check in only to be notified....... there was a ´problem´ in our room and we cannot get in it.... even through it is already an hour after check in.... so off we go into rio to kill time.... and wow what a city! I love love love what i have seen of rio so far. amazing beautiful, friendly, precious.... i could go on and on but rio def to my breathe away much more then buenos did. I wish i could speak portuguese. so we wander picking up a few necessities... starving I saw and stand selling acai, heaven... oh ssoooooo delicious, i could live off of that stuff. So katie and i sat and enjoyed. cruised back to the hostel, got our room and passed out for 3 plus hours, woke up, showered and set out to attack rio once again (this time pepper spray in hand)





for dinner we landed a delicious brazilian bqq per recommendation of the hostel rep. sooooooooo good, katie and i our stuffed to the brim... amazing side dishes and all you can eat meat,,, so we ate and ate and ate... the meat ranged from chicken, filet, prime, ribs, pork, ham, sausage, etc etc etc annnnnnddddd chicken hearts!!! baaahahaaa yes chicken hearts. we declined but the waiter insisted, i caved and got one, katie stayed strong.... so now i can say... proudly,,, or more like awkardly, i have eaten chicken hearts... actually not bad tasting... would have been better if i hadn´t know what it was!! walked home in the rain and now i am here with you attempting to down load photos, do you feel loved?





so that is the deal for now..... oh and ironically (given everyone has said to be careful) we feel safer in rio... possible because the men here are way and i mean WAY less aggressive than the men in ba.... which is greatly appreciated.





and now for photos.... wait for it wait for it wait for it..... and fail once again,,, for the 1200 time, sooooo beyond annoying and fustrating.

lo siento

until tomorrow...