New year, new plan

Trip Start Oct 16, 2008
1
23
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Trip End Apr 16, 2009


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Where I stayed
Aerolineas Argentina
(Rio de Janeiro hotels)

Flag of Brazil  , State of Rio de Janeiro,
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

We woke up on New Year's Day with purpose and after breakfast sat down at the computer to book some flights.  We realised that six months was maybe a bit too long, and a bit too much to ask of our little boy, things were started to become more like work than fun, so we decided rather than pack it all in and go home, we would break up the odyssey with a side-trip to Australia.  Dallas was beside herself excited at the mere suggestion of it, as it had been two years since she had seen her grandson - half his life.  We found a reasonable fare with Aerolineas Argentinas and were set to leave within four days.

We continued with the slow rhythm of beach life, eating lots of pizzas and açai slushies with granola, enjoying Anna's company, and Marina and Jorge's hospitality.  Patrick continued with his swimming and playing with Rodrigo and Eduarta, and any random teenage girl on the beach who would play with him.  It kept raining on and off, but our spirits were raised with the prospect of soon seeing my family and being able to speak English in every transaction, not to mention being able to flush the toilet paper.

On the day of our departure, Marina had tears in her eyes and said her house would be a sad place without Patrick in it.  It was a long farewell.  We took a three-hour, nauseating taxi ride to the airport, and I felt so sick when we arrived that I left our Argentinian hats in the back seat - bugger!  We arrived way too early for our flight because we were worried about holiday traffic but passed the time in a strange North American-style diner with old planes hanging from the ceiling.  The first flight was about four hours to Buenos Aires, where we had a four-hour layover.  By the time we boarded the plane for Sydney at 2am, we were like death warmed up.  Not the best way to start a 17-hour journey.  The plane was really old too, it still had ashtrays in the armrests and screamed like a banshee on takeoff, didn't fill me with confidence.  The food was typical Argentinian stale ham and cheese sandwiches, the service was appalling, and the plane was completely full.  But, the price was right, and we made it in one piece.  Well, three pieces.
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