Brasil - SP&Pantanal Day 15

Day 15 and Day 16 - Tuesday, August 11, 2009 & Wednesday, August 12, 2009 – Day at the Aldeia, Flight from São Paulo to Atlanta and then on to Denver. Home to Monument, CO

We spent the last day of our Brazil adventure with Tia and the family. Victor and Desie came to say good-bye to us, Renata and her children stopped by on their way to São Paulo, and Lia’s girls spent the afternoon with us.

We had a great lunch and then finished packing. Tia suggested a walk which was perfect to be able to stretch our legs before our long flight home this evening and during the night.

The taxi arrived right on time at 4:45 and we had a very good driver who talked to me the whole trip to the airport. Traffic was the usual parking lot. It is hard to imagine my family driving in this congestion which is the norm every hour of every day.

It took us 90 minutes to get to Guarulhos. We checked in for our 9:51 flight and then fought the long lines through security. The emigration counter was slow as they only had 3 stations open for foreigners, but we got through without any problems.

The Delta Sky Club welcomed us and we had a few hours to check our mail and start the final journal. It is always better to be early than late and we never know with the traffic how long the drive would take.

The desk attendant called our flight and we went to Gate 02 to board the aircraft. The plane was packed but we were lucky to be one of the first to board and then found our seats easily.

The flight was 9 hours and was very smooth and the service was excellent. We both got a few hours of sleep after a late dinner and woke up about an hour before we landed.

The facilities in Atlanta seem to improve each time we are there. We were met by a cute little Beagle “sniffer dog” upon arrival and then went through US immigration. We had to claim our bags then go through customs but that was easy as well.

We took our bags to be rechecked for our connecting flight to Denver and then had to go through security again, one glitch here in Atlanta.

Today we took the train to Concourse B and went to the Sky Club Lounge to check the mail and to get a cup of coffee. I will have to get used to American coffee again after the great coffee we had in Brazil.

At 7:45 we packed up our bags and went to the gate, very close to the Sky Club. We boarded and then relaxed one more time for our flight back to Denver.

When everyone was on the plane, the Captain told us we would be leaving a bit early so at 8:10 AM we pushed back from the jet-way and we were in the air by 8:40, our designated departure time.

There must have been a good tail wind or else the pilot was in a hurry to get to Denver, as we arrived 30 minutes early at DIA. Getting in at 9:10 was great for us as the airport shuttle took us right to our car and we were on our way South to Monument.

We picked up a few groceries at Safeway and were in the house by 10:50. It did not take long to get the washer and dryer going and to sort our travel gear. With the luggage in the storage room, we almost felt like we were back to normal, but always ready for a new adventure.

Traveling in South America is always a treat and going home to Brazil to see the Family is very thrilling. We look forward to having them come to visit us as well as another adventure for us in Brazil. The country is so huge and so diverse, there is still much more to experience.

A CD OF EACH TRIP IS AVAILABLE.

These CDs are compilations of slide presentations of each day (pictures of the events during the day) accompanied by music reflective of the nation and day.

On most CDs there are presentations on the people of the country, people traveling with the group, flowers, and panoramas.

On more recent trips, short videos have been included on the web pages and these videos are also available in the CD.

The CD is available for $20 US. Shipping and handling is included for US addresses. Slightly higher for overseas shipping.

To view an example of the presentations Click Here

As it is an 8:13 presentation, give yourself time to see it in its entirety.

Please contact garciatrips@gmail.com for more specific information and a screen capture of the CD menu.

I am enjoying ever moment of your trip. Pictures are wonderful.

Interesting trip; great pictures.

Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

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