Anniversary Trip: Day 5 - Adeus Brasil

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Our last day in Brazil (or so we thought). We woke up again to a nice big breakfast slightly early to catch our flight. We had avacado pudding, watermelon juice, scrambled eggs, fruit (honeydew, oranges, grapes, strawberries, pineapple), fresh breads, muffins, sweet bread, and a caprese dish (mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, deli meat). After stuffing ourselves, we finished loading our suitcases and checked out. Luckily, the same guy who carried our luggage up the stairs carried them down the stairs this time. Erik gave him some of our last Brazilian money as a tip.

We got to the airport with just under 2 hours to spare to catch our flight. As we stood in line to check in our luggage, we noticed that the line stopped moving. The workers kept coming to people in the line to tell them something in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Finally, they told us in English and in Portuguese that they couldn't check anyone in due to "meteorological problems." It was raining lightly in Rio, but we saw on our phones that there was no rain in Panama City. Erik asked if the flight was cancelled, and they said "no." Finally, they took our passports and gave us vouchers for the same flight the next day, a $500 credit on a future flight, and an overnight stay at the airport hotel. Our best guess is that they overbooked the flight and stopped checking people in when they reached full capacity. We walked to the other side of the airport to get to the "hotel." While we waited in line to check in, Erik looked up flights online. We could take a United flight that night with a layover in Houston for $700 each for premium economy. The people in front of us overheard, and Erik told them to look up flights on United and American if they didn't want to wait until the next day. They were traveling back to Atlanta, and we ended up seeing them several other times before leaving the airport. They warned us that the hotel room was quite small and didn't have a window. We saw them leaving the the restaurant as we sat down for our complimentary meal.

I ordered fish, and Erik ordered chicken. I wish I had substituted fries for the rice.

After eating, we went back to our room and booked the flights on United for that evening since we had to get back to Phoenix for the kids' first day of school on Monday. Erik wanted to try to get some sleep in the afternoon since the flight would be a redeye. It was kind of noisy in the hotel hallway, even with earplugs. After a few hours, we got our stuff together to check out. We assumed that all of the treats in the room were complimentary as well (guaraná, cashews, ferrero rocher), so we stuffed them all in our bags. Unfortunately, they charged us full price for all the snacks, which came out to over R$100 ($20). I told Erik to put them all back, but he said he didn't want to bother and just paid for them.

We walked and walked across the airport again to check our bags. For some reason, our bags were heavier when we checked in for United, even though we should have been under the weight limit even with our extra snacks. We rearranged some clothes, and Erik threw away his sandals because they were still wet and smelled bad. It took a while to walk to our gate, and we took our time checking out the shops. Erik found a Rio Hawaiian shirt that he liked, but they didn't have his size. At the gate, I got singled out for enhanced security screening. Once we got on the plane, we discovered that premium economy was worth the price for an international flight. The seats reclined farther, and we had a foot rest bar. They gave us a packet with travel goodies like before (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, ear plugs, sleep mask), and meals were served with real plates, utensils, and glasses. Erik tried to get some sleep while I watched episodes of the Office.

Sunday, July 30, 2023

We arrived fairly early in Houston. They had us pick up our luggage and check it in again as they shuffled us through another security line. We didn't have to wait too long to board our flight to Las Vegas. Once in Vegas, we got our bags, hopped in the van, and drove to pick up the kids at a nearby gas station from Grandma and Grandpa. Then we made a shorter than usual drive back to Phoenix and went to bed to be ready for the first day of school and work the next day.