Well, I thought my procrastinational (that’s a new word I just made up!) ways had finally caught up with me. You have to have a visa to travel to Brazil and we got our documents into the Brazilian Consol so late I didn’t know if we would make it or not.  So, just to make sure, we included the “expedite fee”, (there always seems to be one).   And just like magic, our visas arrived yesterday!!  Whoo Hoo!
We are packing 4 suit cases but three of them are full of things we are taking to our friends in Brazil. I’m sure Charlotte will find something to fill them up with for our return to the U.S.  For starters, I guess ya’ll know, Brazil is famous for it’s gem stones.  I called ahead and told H.S. Sterne, one of the largest gem retailers in Brazil, to get ready to bring out the display cases.  If she could do as much damage to the Indian jewelry market, I shudder to think of her being loose in a Sterne store in Brazil!
We are having a bit of a problem finding a hotel close to the art studio where Charlotte will be taking classes. Oh, it’s not because they don’t have hotels, it’s because you can’t find one for less than $400.00 U.S. per night!  Hey, we stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City for half that price!  And that was over the 4th of July weekend!
So, we will be leaving out of Dallas for Atlanta Sunday evening and changing planes in Atlanta to fly non-stop to Rio de Janeiro. The flight time is 9 hours and 45 minutes. The good news is we upgraded so all drinks are complimentary!  Do the math!  They better have a good supply of Crown and Diet Coke on board!
I will put on my Dr Dre headset and let the world go by! (literally!)
I sure hope some of my ’65 classmates sneak on board with us, it will be a great trip. Welcome all virtual hitch hikers and stowaways! It’s Samba time!