Noticing my hands start to
shake, contemplating taking up smoking, learning to be silent
Noticing my hands start to shake
My final day in Miami and the final day of the first
leg of my travels. Tim had the day off so he offered to act as tour guide again
for the day. After breakfast and some strong coffee we got into the car and
headed downtown. I asked Tim if we had enough gas to get wherever he was
planning on taking me. He said that we would be fine. We spent most of the day
down on the beach at Key Biscyane, a gorgeous little spot off the Miami coast. Having
parked the car and stopped for a freshly squeezed orange juice we walked along
the pale sandy beach. The beach was fairly quiet and even Tim took in the view
in relative silence for a while. The water was nice and cool as we walked along
the edge of the surf to find a spot down near the lighthouse at the end of the
beach where we could sit for a while.
As evening
approached we headed back to Tim’s so I could shower and change. We loaded my
case into the car once again and went for a spot of dinner before I was due at
the airport. Tim had some vouchers for Truluck’s, the other restaurant he
worked at, so we went there. The food was amazing. I opted for sea bass with
crab-fried rice (with a gin and tonic on the side). Tim went for a steak with
mushrooms and a martini. He wouldn’t let me give him any money for the dinner.
I thanked him for dinner, for putting me up and showing me around Miami. It was
time for me to get to the airport.
Contemplating taking up smoking
Having said goodbye in the car, Tim telling me he was
going to miss having someone to talk to, I walked into the terminal building. I
had tried to check in online that morning but it hadn’t let me. I went up to
the self-service machine but wasn’t able to check in using that either. I
wondered if it was because I had booked a long time ago using my miles. I had
booked the ticket back in February using some of the miles racked up from an
awful project in Rome I had been stuck on at the end of 2010. The thousands of
miles from the flights and hotel booking had been the only good thing about the
project. The 8-hour flight to Rio had cost me the grand total of £1.80 in
taxes. I made my way to the American Airlines desk to check in, explaining to
the woman that I had not been able to check myself in.
She took my passport, tapped a few things into her
computer and then told me that the reason I hadn’t been able to check in was because
I had only booked a one-way ticket. I explained that I wasn’t going to be
returning to Miami from Rio as I would be travelling around South America for a
little while.
AA: I need to be able to put in the details of
your flight out of Rio into the system to check you in
Me: I
haven’t booked it yet. I am still organising my plans
AA: Then I
won’t be able to check you in
Me: The entry requirements for Rio are that I
can stay for up to 90 days without a visa provided I can show I have sufficient
funds to look after myself. It didn’t say anything about having to provide
details of your outbound flight
AA: I can’t check you in unless you provide
proof of your intention to leave Brazil within 90 days
Me: I have a flight from Mexico City to Dallas
booked for mid-October. Will that do?
AA: No
Me: I have my website that shows my plans to
travel around South America. Will that do?
AA: No
Me: I even have business cards for my travel
plans
AA: [blank look]
Me: How will the Brazilians know if I have a
flight to leave Brazil?
AA: They won’t sir but I can’t check you in
unless I can put in details of your departure from Rio
Me: So you could just make up my departure
details and put those in?
AA: No because if you get deported I will get
fired
Learning to
be silent
Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere and
that she wasn’t going to take my word that I would be leaving Brazil well
within my 90 days I was left with no choice but to find myself a wifi hotspot
and book a flight. I looked at the prices for flights to a couple of places and
booked a flight to Buenos Aires for the following week. I made my way back to
the check in desks. The woman who I had had the conversation with previously
was busy checking in another passenger so I went to a different woman. She
asked me for my visa for Brazil. I explained I didn’t need one. She then asked
to see the print-out for my onward travel from Brazil. I told her that I had
only just booked it and could show her the email. She explained that she would
check me in but that the Brazilians might not accept the email and that I could
be deported from Brazil upon arrival. I said that I would take the risk, just
wanting to get checked in for my flight.
Having finally checked in I cleared security and made
my way to the gate to wait for the flight. I called Bob and chatted to him for
a while. He was contemplating a trip to South America so I told him I would
keep him posted on my travel plans in case there was a chance that they would
coincide. He told me to be safe in Rio. I tried calling Robby too but got his
answerphone so I left a message. I was aware I was rambling on like an idiot so
I said goodbye and told him I hoped to see him when I got back to the States in
October to do the west coast. I turned my phone off as I boarded the plane,
taking a couple of deep breaths and telling myself that I would be fine.
“Noticing my hands start to shake, contemplating taking up smoking, learning to be silent”
Lyrics from Learning to be Silent from the musical Footloose the Musical
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