Arriving in São Paulo...

Arriving in São Paulo...

From this...

To this...not bad for 5 months!!

British themed gifts bought in Heathrow!

Car to the airport: 1hr 30.

Wait in Heathrow: 2hrs.

Flight London-Washington: 8hrs30.

Stop-over in Washington: 3hrs.

Flight Washington-São Paulo: 10 hrs.

Bus São Paulo International airport-São Paulo Domestic Airport: 1hr.

Taxi São Paulo Domestic airport-Maria Eugenia's house: 1hr.

Total travel time: 27hrs

Almost there...

Arriving in a cold and wet São Paulo!

Tonight I am staying at Maria Eugenia's house. She is doing a work placement with a guy who is the best friend of my friend at uni's parents! A slightly tenuous link I think you'll agree!! Brazilians must be among the most hospitable in the world...She has welcomed me into her family home and is helping me find somewhere to live (I have my first house viewing tomorrow!). I am waiting to meet her when she gets back from work in a few hours, although I have already had lunch with her brother and grandma! Oh and it's her birthday party tonight which I will be going to!

The journey started rather stressfully by being aggressively told by united staff at check in that I hadn't bought my "ESTA US visa waver" and that if I didn't buy it soon I would not be able to travel! Thank goodness for my mum's iPhone! After a bit of a stressful start I felt more relaxed after some window shopping in Heathrow duty free.

Wishful thinking!

On my first flight I was seated in between two very large American guys and on the second seemed to be in the middle of a Brazilian tour group dressed in luminous yellow that had been visiting Disney World! Let's just say my intention of getting some sleep didn't really go to plan.

I took a coach from the international to the domestic airport and watched the Brazilian equivalent of "This Morning" in which the presenters were exhaustively discussing the name of William and Kate's baby! I then took a cab to Maria Eugenia's house, a journey which should have taken 5 minutes but took almost an hour, that's rush hour in São Paulo for you!

Anyway I am just very relieved that I am here! I am going to take a well-deserved nap now until Maria Eugenia gets back from work but will write another post soon about the impending house hunt!