Merry Christmas! What do you mean, it was yesterday?

After a manic and exhausting few weeks in the UK, I said my last goodbye at 7am outside Heathrow to a friend who had given me a lift at 5am on Christmas Eve. The 24 hours between leaving Brighton and arriving in Brazil went perfectly smoothly. Delta Airlines, along with Heathrow, Boston and Atlanta airports had given me a farewell to efficiency and functioning systems.

On arrival at Brasilia airport there was no toilet roll or toilet roll holder in the first cubicle. The second made up for it – so much toilet roll was stuffed into the dispenser that it was impossible to dispense any toilet roll, only torn shreds. Then there was no handwash or soap.

I collected my bags from the disorganised free for all in the baggage hall. My plan to avoid TAM or TAP worked – to my great surprise all my bags arrived and nothing was stolen.

My first beer in Brazil, Xmas morning

 Friends picked me up at 7am on Christmas Day, and quickly reacquainted me with Brazilian hospitality – at their house I slept, showered, ate and drank beer. I’d been in the middle of winter only 24 hours before, in the frenzied build up to Christmas Day, but everywhere here was green and lush, and I pottered about in shorts and flip flops. At 7am the café/supermarket was open and people were beginning their normal day, ordering breakfast and buying their fruit and veg. Brazilians celebrate the 24^th, but even so, there was little to indicate the festive season. Meanwhile friends and family back home would be stuffing the turkey, wrapping the pigs in their blankets, getting the beers, ciders and wines in the fridge and opening the port, champagne and whisky.

Brasilia

Our friends showed me around Brasilia then kindly took me to the airport for my evening connection to Rio. Although I’d checked in, the baggage drop queue was immense and perfectly static. After Heathrow, Boston and Atlanta this inefficency was even more apparent. When I finally reached a counter there was an excess to pay on my checked in baggage, and my carry on suitcase could not weigh more than 5kg (it started out at 16kg), although my 11kg “personal item” was, apparently, not subject to a weight limit.

Mmm,Canadian Ham

I was the last on the plane after running to the gate at last call. On the flight I receieved a "complementary snack to make my journey more pleasant" (a dry sandwich with a single slice of Canadian Ham* and "cheese"). My observation to the attendant was fruitless, I was offered an identical replacement and a casual shrug of the shoulders.

In Rio, after a 30 minute wait for a taxi, I arrived at the hotel at 9pm, 40 hours after leaving Brighton. My wife’s flight from Palmas had been cancelled at the last minute, despite already having checked in. It made me more grateful that I’d flown with Delta rather than a Brazilian airline, but it meant I wouldn’t see her until the next day. 

*as clarified by the air host in his attempt to impress upon me the luxury afforded to the passengers of Gol.