LA to Brazil

So we got our flight from LAX at 10.30am to Atlanta no problem, 4 hours in the air and something like 1300 miles. We arrived to Arlanta airport (busiest airport in the world ;-)) and it was 6pm local time which was the first head fuck... Were we hungry? We didn't know as it was meant to only be 2.30pm! I was feeling ill and we were both shattered as we'd hardly slept at the motel due to the heat. Flight 2 from Atlanta to Rio departed at  9.56pm local time and the turbulence after one hour (going near the Bermuda Triangle!) threw our drinks all over us (red wine) and caused the cabin crew to suspend all service and everyone had to sit the fuck down immediately. I watched The Little Mermaid, for a nice distraction - totally forgot Sebastian was Jamaican! 

We spoke to a really sweet Brazilian guy next to us who is a traffic journalist in Rio operating from a helicopter and likes musicals like Billy Elliot. Ok then. 

4570 miles later we arrived in Rio and, having followed the advice on travel forums, typed up a fake itinerary and printed out a bank statement, we were all ready to be taken aside by customs police demanding our proof of onwards travel before granting us entry into Brazil. Either denying us entry, making us but an outbound flight there and then and/or fining us. We queued up for ages, Ken was in a sweat, saying nothing, and when it came to us they simply took our passports, stamped them and didn't even say hello! So good we didn't buy the £450 flight! 

We walked through the airport to find our transfer, a short fat old geezer holding a sign saying "Jina Sinclair" (Jemma, Jenny, Gina, Donna, Turner but Jina, that's a first) and I asked him his name in PortguSpanish to which he replied 'Alfred' then went off in Portuguese assuming we know more than "what's your name" (we have 'happy new year' and 'I have many beers')

He drove us like a maniac through the amazing city of Rio and we arrived at our hostel, paid him 70real and then we were told by our hostel that there was a slight problem and that we had to go to another hostel for this night only, their mistake, so we jumped back in Alfred's taxi and went to another one. 

We went out and got food and then went straight to the beach to meet Kat and Jo. We found them via old school methods (meet opposite this street on the beach whenever you can) as we have no phones and played on the beach and in the sea all day getting beers and ice cream and fresh prawns and sarongs and brought over to us from vendors.

We went back to our hostel, collapsed on the bed from exhaustion and then woke up to a tropical thunderstorm! We went out in it in our shorts and flip flops to find some dinner and it was awesome.