A Flat Tire and Early Flight to Avoid Carnival

Greetings Everyone:

 

Happy Carnival Everyone!!  It's Carnival weekend in Brazil and while the parties and parades started last night, I won't be experiencing any of it.  Why?  Because, as I have been trying to explain to people (especially locals) for the past few months, I am not rich and I cannot afford Carnival.  I am on a very limited budget, which is the only way an around the world trip like this is even possible.  During Carnival, every hotel, hostel and apartment raises their prices 300-400%.  So where a dorm bed in a hostel might normally cost $15 per night on a regular night, the price for the same dorm bed during Carnival will average $100 per night.  You won't find a hotel room for less than $400 per night; but, at least that's the same price for up to two people.  Lodging places also require a minimum stay of five to seven nights and most only sell packages for Carnival.  Needless to say, there is no way I could afford to spend that much money for five days and still be able to continue on this trip.  So while I would have loved to have spent Carnival in Salvador or Rio, the cost was just too prohibitive.  To make matters worse, since Carnival is a national holiday, many Brazilians also go on vacation during the long weekend, so anywhere even remotely similar to a vacation spot will raise it's prices and operate with Carnival packages.  This makes it very difficult to be a tourist in the country during Carnival.  Without money to participate in Carnival or go on vacation, locals have the option of just staying home.  Unfortunately for me, I don't exactly have a home and can't just leave the country for a week just to avoid Carnival.  So after searching dozens of cities and locations, the only place I could find that was not charging Carnival prices was Sao Paulo, which is not only a less than exciting and still expensive city, but I just spent eight days in Sao Paulo last month.  The only upside is that I get to spend the entire time here with my "Polish boyfriend" who was arriving in Sao Paulo from Germany at the same time and is also traveling in South America but also trying to avoid paying Carnival prices.  

 

I hadn't seen Marcin since we parted ways in Berlin last September after spending four days together in Poland so we were both really excited to see each other again.  We made plans on where and how to meet in Sao Paulo before I left Rio.  The plan was for me to take the bus to Sao Paulo and arrive early enough to get to the hotel and check in, then head back out to the airport to meet him at the gate by the time he got through customs and immigration.  I left Rio on Thursday morning at 10:50 AM for what should have been a six-hour bus ride to Sao Paulo, meaning I should have arrived just before 5:00 PM.  Marcin's flight was due to arrive at 6:25 PM so after the customs process, I was expecting him to come out of the secure area around 7:00 PM.  That was the plan. 

 

Well, two hours into the bus ride, as is customary, we made a rest stop.  Now, I have been on plenty of bus trips over the last few months and I know how this works.  The stop was only supposed to be for 20 minutes, as the driver even said before he opened the door to let people get off the bus.  I have a habit of checking my watch whenever we stop so I know how much time I have in case I want to smoke one last cigarette.  Well, 20 minutes somehow turned into 40; thus, we were already behind schedule.  Once we finally did get back on the road, we were only 15 minutes into the journey when one of the tires blew on the bus.  I kid you not!!  We got a flat tire!!  We heard a loud pop, then a rumbling and felt the bus start to shake and vibrate the same way it would feel if you got a flat in your car.  There were never any safety concerns and I was quite surprised at how well the driver handled the situation, especially since I would think I blow out on a bus would be much more dangerous than in a car just due to the weight and higher center of gravity, but I suppose they design things to handle appropriately because after pulling over to check the tire, the driver was still able to drive half a kilometer to a gas station where there was someone on hand to change the tire.  Add another 30 minutes to the already delayed journey.  When we finally reached the outskirts of Sao Paulo, it was a little after 5:00 PM... rush hour.  Traffic was a crawl for most of the way to the bus station so we didn't pull in until just after 6:00 PM. 

 

I had already decided after the flat tire there was no way I would have time to go to the hotel and check in first, so upon arriving at the bus station, I immediately went to buy a shuttle ticket to the airport.  The next shuttle didn't leave until 6:35 PM and the trip is usually 40 minutes without traffic.  Marcin was obviously going to get through customs before I arrived so I was just hoping the entire time he would be smart enough to wait for me.  The traffic wasn't so bad going to the airport; I guess everyone was going the opposite direction.  The shuttle arrived about 7:30 and I rushed with my bags to find the International Arrivals.  I had no idea where to go and was only vaguely sure I was even in the right terminal.   It's amazing how many things you overlook when you're rushing, even when you walk right past them, which I realized after checking at the information desk only to learn that Marcin's flight arrived early, at 6:00 PM.  Shit.  By the time I finally got to the International Arrivals, which I had walked right past upon first entering the airport, there was Marcin, sitting patiently waiting with a smile.   

 

Instant Relief.  I wanted to immediately hug and kiss him, then explain and apologize for being late, but before I had the chance, some old man that was sitting nearby interrupted trying to ask Marcin something.  He only spoke Portuguese and Marcin explained we did not understand.  He asked what language Marcin speaks, to which he replied, "Polish" (in addition to at least four other languages).  The guy continued trying to explain that he was waiting for his daughter to come out and he would introduce them.  Marcin asked, "Does your daughter speak English?"  "No, but I will introduce you."  "Why?"  We were so utterly confused.  We kept asking, why do you want us to wait for your daughter?  Do you need help or information?  But he seemed to want nothing other than to introduce Marcin to his daughter.  We could only assume he was trying to play matchmaker, so we told him we were tired and didn't have time to wait, then politely, but firmly, excused ourselves to leave.  Then I finally had the chance to get my kiss and we were on our way to spend the week together in Sao Paulo, the city with the worst Carnival in Brazil, as one local put it. 

 

Cheers,

Ozell