We landed at São Paulo, collected our luggage, made a long trek thru to T2 to check bags back in. We used the automatic luggage label printer which took a while to work out how. We were then directed to priority boarding, where the queue moved at a snail’s pace, with just one person checking in. She then went and the queue moved even less, before, eventually, someone else turned up, by which time we had managed to get our luggage on to the conveyor. We went along to Starbucks for a drink, and a snack. DW and I went to the loo, not realising that time was going to get tight, we ordered a drink and Danish by which time it was time to head for security and passport control. We hung on to eat our danish, then walked on with our tea, but ditching it when we got to security. This didn’t take very long but the walk to passports was a bit of a trek and the queue was VERY slow moving. We got through and looked for signs to gate 311, seeing only signs from 299-245. We asked a lad in one of the duty free shops who told us it was in Terminal 3, to go back and turn right and then right and then left and keep walking. Gate 311 was a VERY long walk and time was very short, with Chris sending messages to say we needed to hurry, but we eventually made it to the desk, just as they were calling our names on the tannoy to make our way to the gate! The lady was very nice and just checked us in, told us to wait by the door with a group of nuns and a priest in a wheel chair, waiting for the special vehicle to take him and another lady to the plane. Three or four more passengers turned up after us and then a mini bus turned up to take us to the plane, via a plane going somewhere else. Having arrived at the right plane, we climbed the steps and found our seats, with a very relieved Chris smiling as we came through the door. One of the closest calls to missing the plane we’ve had, although I think that although it was close, probably not as frighteningly so as we felt.
The flight left on time and we flew over clouds and landscape, being served a drink, a small packet of crisps and a small packet of chocolate chip cookies. As we flew, the clouds stopped and we had great views, showing the straight roads, towns and villages and a large river, with lots of tributaries and dams.
As the clouds returned there was a small ‘halo’ in the clouds which followed us and as we got lower a shadow of the plane appeared inside the ring.
Coming in to land we passed over a very muddy abraided river with little water in it and the ground looks quite dry. We landed safely, seeing Crested Caracara and Southern Lapwing in the grass, walked out of the plane and through security, getting through quickly as they had a dedicated lane for Europeans, with hardly anyone in it, we then walked through a door and our luggage carousel was in front of us. In fact we could see our luggage going round as we waited for passport control. We collected our cases, put them through the x-Ray and exited through the green channel. A taxi driver came towards us with our names on, ready to take us to the hotel, but the others wanted to get some money so David and I got our bins out and stood outside scanning for birds. The first birds we saw were house Sparrows and Chopi Blackbirds, then we had a Rufous Horner and a Chalk-browed Mockingbird obligingly sat up on a lamppost. The driver told me, using google translate, that he was taking the bags to the car. The others then started coming out and we climbed into the mini-van for the drive to the hotel. On the way we did manage to see a Short-tailed Hawk and some Ruddy Ground Doves, as well as Feral Pigeons. The hotel was a Hilton Hamilton, which was very comfortable with all the facitilities. Most of the rooms were ready except for mine and Linda’s so we parked our gear in one of the other rooms and collected to go out for lunch as it was B&B only. We ended up in a very friendly café where we had a variety of meals from Pumpkin soup to a huge plate of double-decker sandwich with chips. I had a more modest meat baguette with crisps. We walked back to the hotel and David and I arranged to meet up with Chris to take a taxi to the Park Autonomico.
Following a quick sort out, we met up with Chris, asked the receptionist to organise a taxi to take us to the park and bring us back after an hour. A short ride and we were dropped off at the entrance to the park, which had various things for children, lots of seats, many in stages of disrepair and lots of trees. Our first sighting was Crested Oropendula, followed by Rufous Hornero and Blue-tufted Starthroat.
There were a lots of epiphytes on the branches and a few leaf-cutter ants. We made our way round the park, seeing our first Yellow-chevroned Parrakeets, Purple-throated Euphonia, Sayaca Tanager, a skulky White-crested Tyrannulet, White-wedged Piculet and Narrow-billed and Buff-throated Woodcreepers ending back at the entrance where our driver was waiting. After a shower and a sort out we walked round the corner for dinner at the Green Lovers, a vegetarian restaurant with some really friendly staff. I shared a pizza with David then it was back to the hotel and to crash out. Looking forward to the next few days at Kaa Iya.
No comments:
Post a Comment