Brazil Day 1
09/18/2010
Brazil Trip Journal
We landed in Sao Paulo around 6:30 in the morning. Excited to be here! We were following everyone off the airplane, down a very long walkway to show our passport. When we got in the line it seemed to be moving along at a quick pace but the people in front of us who flew on the same flight said that this line is for Brazilian residents and that we had to go to the other line. Of course the other line was long and not moving. That was the “foreigner” line. LOL! As my son and I were waiting in line I looked to the other side of the Passport agents to a huge group of people, it had to be a least 1,000 but I’d be safe in saying it was probably more. I mentioned to Jonathan to look at the baggage claim.
It took us about 20 minutes to go through the first line and while we were in line we heard some yelling and very high tempered people getting after it from the crowd at the baggage claim. After we got passed the passport check we headed to the baggage claim. We had to go to claim 19. As we headed over to 19, fighting and being run over, people started getting upset with us. Of course we didn’t understand what they were saying and certainly couldn’t figure out why they were upset with us. I mean we were not in the same line as they were; they were in line for baggage claim 15. I soon found out there was only 1 line for all the baggage claim and that we had to wait like everyone else. I kept trying to find someone who spoke English to help. A gentleman whose origin was from Africa and who was on the same flight stated that we had to stay in the line, he was very friendly, that it was only 1 line. Another couple told us that it’s always this disorganized. And that there were 5 international flights that landed at the same time. Well by the time we finally nudged, scooted, and shuffled our way to 19 there was only about 6 bags left to claim. 4 of them were ours. After this event we then had to get back in line to go through Customs. The entire process took right at an hour once we stepped foot in the baggage claim area to finally exit out through customs.
The first place I stopped was to the currency exchange. I exchanged $100 US dollars and in turn received $164, minus the tax fee or whatever fee it was, I ended up with $157 Brazilian Real's.
We then went to eat “breakfast” which consisted of 1 cheese roll (Oh this is heaven) and 1 hot dog, with some sort of chips “fritas” and tomato soup. Jonathan and I had a double espresso (large size), added the sugar and we were once again back in the saddle.
The espresso or coffee here is some of the best I’ve ever had!
One more experience was that Bro. Alvear wanted me to call him once we arrived in Sao Paulo. I saw a lady who was wearing a shirt “I love Brooklyn” and asked if she spoke English, she did speak broken English and she was willing to help us purchase a phone card, and taught us how to use the phones here. I know this is odd since I have a phone surgically attached to my ear in the US, but here I really was lost. I couldn’t read nor understand any of the language. What little bit of Spanish I know is to no avail here.
Well our plane just arrived so we are about to board to Maceio. More to come…..
We landed in Maceio safely and were greeted by Elder Alvear, Bro. Michael Alvear and Bro. Eddini Alvear, the Pastor of the Headquarters church.
We are staying with Bro. Michael and Sis. Marcela Alvear in their downstairs bedroom and bathroom.
Sis. Alvear had lunch prepared, and then we rested for a bit before heading out to the Munici, Br.
On the church compound, live the Alvears, Bro. Michael Alvear and his family, Sis. Fatima and her son Bro. Kelvin and Bro. Michael Alvears Sister and her husband live about the carport.
Trees on the property coconut trees, cashew trees, mango, banana and papaya. In fact these grow wild all over the place. We headed to the Munici daughter work and passed fields and fields of Sugar cane. Bro. Alvear said that wolves live there as well as a special type of bug called a “kissing bug” where if it bites you, one will die within 7 years because from the bite. Somehow it enlarges your heart.
I’ve never been to such a shambles of a place where the people lived, rough streets, concrete houses built one connected to the other, peoples clothes hanging everywhere, clothes being washing in front of the homes, raw sewage flowing in the streets, the smell was horrible. The service was beautiful, it was held in the church which is a small building with one small restroom behind the platform area. About 80 people were there and others were on the outside looking in the windows. 2 received the gift of the Holy Ghost and possibly 2 others. 1 was a backslider that prayed back through!
Jonathan testified and was actually put on the spot because he wasn’t expecting it, but he did a very good job.
After we left, Elder Alvear, Jonathan and I followed the church van full of people, about 15 or so and Sis Alvear back to the main road. We all stopped at a Texaco. The 3 of us stayed and ate at a Churrascaria inside the Texaco, The food was Excellent!
Got home and stayed up posting pics on Facebook.
Brazil Trip Journal
We landed in Sao Paulo around 6:30 in the morning. Excited to be here! We were following everyone off the airplane, down a very long walkway to show our passport. When we got in the line it seemed to be moving along at a quick pace but the people in front of us who flew on the same flight said that this line is for Brazilian residents and that we had to go to the other line. Of course the other line was long and not moving. That was the “foreigner” line. LOL! As my son and I were waiting in line I looked to the other side of the Passport agents to a huge group of people, it had to be a least 1,000 but I’d be safe in saying it was probably more. I mentioned to Jonathan to look at the baggage claim.
It took us about 20 minutes to go through the first line and while we were in line we heard some yelling and very high tempered people getting after it from the crowd at the baggage claim. After we got passed the passport check we headed to the baggage claim. We had to go to claim 19. As we headed over to 19, fighting and being run over, people started getting upset with us. Of course we didn’t understand what they were saying and certainly couldn’t figure out why they were upset with us. I mean we were not in the same line as they were; they were in line for baggage claim 15. I soon found out there was only 1 line for all the baggage claim and that we had to wait like everyone else. I kept trying to find someone who spoke English to help. A gentleman whose origin was from Africa and who was on the same flight stated that we had to stay in the line, he was very friendly, that it was only 1 line. Another couple told us that it’s always this disorganized. And that there were 5 international flights that landed at the same time. Well by the time we finally nudged, scooted, and shuffled our way to 19 there was only about 6 bags left to claim. 4 of them were ours. After this event we then had to get back in line to go through Customs. The entire process took right at an hour once we stepped foot in the baggage claim area to finally exit out through customs.
The first place I stopped was to the currency exchange. I exchanged $100 US dollars and in turn received $164, minus the tax fee or whatever fee it was, I ended up with $157 Brazilian Real's.
We then went to eat “breakfast” which consisted of 1 cheese roll (Oh this is heaven) and 1 hot dog, with some sort of chips “fritas” and tomato soup. Jonathan and I had a double espresso (large size), added the sugar and we were once again back in the saddle.
The espresso or coffee here is some of the best I’ve ever had!
One more experience was that Bro. Alvear wanted me to call him once we arrived in Sao Paulo. I saw a lady who was wearing a shirt “I love Brooklyn” and asked if she spoke English, she did speak broken English and she was willing to help us purchase a phone card, and taught us how to use the phones here. I know this is odd since I have a phone surgically attached to my ear in the US, but here I really was lost. I couldn’t read nor understand any of the language. What little bit of Spanish I know is to no avail here.
Well our plane just arrived so we are about to board to Maceio. More to come…..
We landed in Maceio safely and were greeted by Elder Alvear, Bro. Michael Alvear and Bro. Eddini Alvear, the Pastor of the Headquarters church.
We are staying with Bro. Michael and Sis. Marcela Alvear in their downstairs bedroom and bathroom.
Sis. Alvear had lunch prepared, and then we rested for a bit before heading out to the Munici, Br.
On the church compound, live the Alvears, Bro. Michael Alvear and his family, Sis. Fatima and her son Bro. Kelvin and Bro. Michael Alvears Sister and her husband live about the carport.
Trees on the property coconut trees, cashew trees, mango, banana and papaya. In fact these grow wild all over the place. We headed to the Munici daughter work and passed fields and fields of Sugar cane. Bro. Alvear said that wolves live there as well as a special type of bug called a “kissing bug” where if it bites you, one will die within 7 years because from the bite. Somehow it enlarges your heart.
I’ve never been to such a shambles of a place where the people lived, rough streets, concrete houses built one connected to the other, peoples clothes hanging everywhere, clothes being washing in front of the homes, raw sewage flowing in the streets, the smell was horrible. The service was beautiful, it was held in the church which is a small building with one small restroom behind the platform area. About 80 people were there and others were on the outside looking in the windows. 2 received the gift of the Holy Ghost and possibly 2 others. 1 was a backslider that prayed back through!
Jonathan testified and was actually put on the spot because he wasn’t expecting it, but he did a very good job.
After we left, Elder Alvear, Jonathan and I followed the church van full of people, about 15 or so and Sis Alvear back to the main road. We all stopped at a Texaco. The 3 of us stayed and ate at a Churrascaria inside the Texaco, The food was Excellent!
Got home and stayed up posting pics on Facebook.
posted by Roy Ballard @ 5:59 AM
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