Departure day

The day finally arrived. And the last minute panics . Had I packed everything? Where did I put the usb cables? 08.15 arrived and with it Glen, (always on time) my friend who was taking me to the airport.  The time had flown by, so much so that I hadn't had breakfast, not even.a cup of tea. So having checked in and off loaded my case my first stop was for a full English breakfast.

On to the plane and it was no time before BA started to serve drinks and food. And this was at frequent intervals even though I was only flying  economy. Geraint Thomas's book, "The world of cycling according to G"
 kept me amused throughout the flight

The world of cycling according to G" well worth reading

I had two pleasant companions for the flight, Pedro who was from Rio and setting up a Ju Jitsu school in Lisbon and a Brazilian girl who had been in England the past year learning English. It was good to speak some Portuguese although I had to ask them to slow down occasionally.

Half way there and still 3,500 miles to go - all over sea. It's a sobering thought that the plane, a 777, only has two engines........

Somewhere around Cabo Verde

12 hours on an aeroplane is a long time but BA took good care of me. Copious amounts of wine, lunch and snacks. And reasonable leg room.

We touched down in Rio 35 minutes ahead of schedule and I made my way to my hotel in the airport complex. I chose here because it didn't involve taking a taxi, there is good security in the airport and it was convenient for the hire car the next day for the drive to Paraty.


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