April Fools! Charlotte - Miami - Sao Paulo - Florianopolis - Chapeco (almost)

31-Mar - 01-Apr

We arrive to the AA departure desk in Charlotte one right after another, saying goodbye to our loved ones and hello to our travel mates.  It was a busier travel day than we anticipated - being Easter Sunday.  We make bets about the weight of our over-stuffed luggage as we head to the counter to check in and, one after another, begin the dance around the maze of ropes at the security checkpoint.  When we reach the agents we experience the first episode of a comedy of errors that follows Chris to EVERY security checkpoint hereafter.  He just can't get through security without being stopped!
Less than two hours in the air and travel leg 1 of 4 is completed as the wheels hit Miami ground.  We have less than an hour before departing to Sao Paulo and bet on celebrity sightings as we make our way to our gate.  Overhead a sign reads "MIA is not just an airport, but a mall" - if your pocket book is prepared for shops like Coach, that is!

We board and settle in for our long flight, listening to a lullaby of chatter in our multi-cultural cabin when the pilot interrupts to inform us of a maintenance issue...Three hours later our flight is officially cancelled and we tuck in to bed at a nearby hotel - pockets full of AA vouchers.  Our luggage remains stowed in the belly of our unwell plane.
We head back to the airport the next morning (01-Apr) for our rescheduled flight, sleepy and perhaps a bit less than fresh, but eager to land on Brazilian soil.  We will spend the night in Sao Paulo and complete legs 3 and 4 of travel Tuesday (02-Apr)...that is, after we sit out a pesky thunderstorm delaying our second attempt to take off.  We're coming Santa Catarina!