Leaving another lovely school with great
people. Friday Isabella brought her bathroom scale to school and I was able to
weigh and arrange my luggage. I bring a surge protector with me since a surge
can fry a computer. Problem is surge protectors are the size and weight of a
motorcycle battery, quite heavy, about 4 kg. I brought a lighter one from home….but
it melted. Food poisoning can turn you
against a place, so I was out of the hotel as soon as I could. Got to the
airport 4 hours early Saturday and they put me on an earlier flight to Rio,
with my over weight and over sized bags. When I arrived I got a taxi and in
about an hour with heavy traffic, I was in Barra De Tijuca. Very nice place, I’d
call it surf city, people surfing morning till night, surfboards on cars and
kids walking by with surf boards. I was just a short walk from m the beach and walked
to work by the beach every day, 1.8 km. Sunday morning I spent at the beach,
forgot hat and sunscreen so had a sunburned face. Found a friendly family to
watch my bag and did a bit of swimming at the edge of the surf, but I’m not a
surfer and those huge waves made me uncomfortable so I walked the beach.
Beautiful place.
The school is in two buildings on either
side of the road, with classes of toddlers to year 3, beautiful children and
great teachers. Rio is a very hot place, was soaked every morning after walking
to school.
I brought a luggage scale with me but last
I saw of it was in Halifax airport. I’ve been searching for two weeks for one
and Thursday I adventured by taxi to the Barra Shopping Mall to find a one. It
is a HUGE mall but I did find what I couldn’t get in Sao Paulo, a nice luggage
scale. On the road again Saturday morning, taxi to airport and a nice GOL
airport check in girl let me by even if my bag was almost 2 kg over weight, and
my carry one was about 5 kg over and too big, but I managed to get by all check
points. Landed in Campina Grande expecting to be so warm by it is 500 meters
elevation so cooler than Rio by far.
