Homeward Bound

5:00 AM Thursday morning ouch! Cool Cistern Shower – Awake now!! Taxi boy on time at 5:30 and goodbye ADC. Thirty minutes we arrive at Santarem International.

Check in --- off to the Airbus 320 for Belem.

Drop em Boy!

As we taxi out I notice a bird catching a ride on the winglet out to the taxiway. Soo laid back.

Had to head east in the wrong direction for the first leg. Hit the wifi at Belem airport lounge. Same slow BS. Two hours later flying west I see Santarem going by for the second time.

We arrived at Manaus. It is pronounced “Ma” as is mother and “Nouse” as in Mouse.

Security gone wild is all I can say about this place. After being fully X-rayed at Santarem and Belem they haul us off the plane. Into the X ray machine for the third time. Ok no big deal. Down the walkway and there they were –10 Brazilian TSA Storm Troopers in full battle dress. Damn did we have another terrorist attack since I have been gone? First the manual bags check. Second the manual metal wand check. Third the manual take your shoe off check. And lastly “Drop em Boy! “ (Just kidding on the last one.) Oh well I feel real safe on this one. Too bad it put the flight ½ hour behind schedule.

Third leg was five hours to Miami --Very nice stretched out over three seats and bagged it. I talked to Michigan man who owns a mining company. His assistant a Brazilian man spoke perfect English. After telling him about ADC he looked quizzical wondering where the hell did I go? Sweet!

As we approached Miami I started to wonder about making my connection. My Boss, Jeff, had prepped me for TSA hell. I had resigned myself on an extra night at the airport.

Anyway I hit the ground running. After the bags arrived at 7:00 Customs was a free pass. Less than 30 minutes now to make to the fourth flight of the day. Followed a baggage boy to a secret elevator and we were on ticket level like that. Now the road march from terminal J to terminal D. Doing the OJ thing I made it no time flat. Kiosks are great. I bumped the 40 person queue. Sweet talked the American rep that took my bag at the Kiosk. Back to terminal E (Secret the American flight attendant told me). Queue was only 70 folks. Sweet talked the TSA rep that let me in the air crew only line. Through X ray in five minutes. OJ’ed over to terminal D. Five minutes to spare before boarding. Some times things work out.

Arrived in Savannah around 10:30 and home around 11:00. Dead tired! Four flights over 17 hours.

Home sweet home! I was in bed at midnight after talking to the Cinda for a few minutes. 

As I close out this blog here is my lesson learned. It is all about your frame of mind to make you happy. If you are a five star pool bar kind of person this trip is not for you. If you like to see people happy in nature with what they been given in life then this is it!!

This closes out the Brazil Blog. If anybody wants to check it out let me know I will fill you on the boring details.

“Life is sweet”

Bye for now.