A New Country at Each Stop

Caixa Postal 4216,

Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil.

November 22nd, 1959

Dear Mother and dears all, 

Here we are safe and sound in Rio! It seems strange to look back and see how quickly and comfortably this great journey was completed.  Finding a new country at each stop takes some getting used to.  We were very well looked after in Miami and then duly transported to the airport at about 10 pm.  Owing to a late arrival the plane did not leave until about 1 am, and we shared the time between listening to Portuguese from the tape and walking the baby up and down this super new modern terminal.  Poor little mite - he got a wee bit overtired and fretted a little until the motion of the plane rocked him soundly asleep.  For the rest of the journey he caused us almost no trouble at all - in fact when we landed he slept right through immigration, customs and a zigzaggy taxi ride up to our mountain home.  The plane was less than a third full and so we had no difficulty in securing three seats in a row.  The carry-cot proved to be ideal for the circumstances.  We put one end on the seat and then extended the legs of the other to the floor. This was very comfortable for him and also gave us plenty of leg space.  The stewardesses saw that his bottles were kept on ice and then warmed up at the appropriate times.

After watching the lights of Miami disappear behind us, we snoozed through what was left of the night and first light found us just in sight of land near Panama.  We didn't see the canal but we enjoyed stretching our legs in the morning sunshine.  Soon after leaving, we began to climb over the foothills of the Andes to Medellin in Columbia. Since the plane belonged to a Colombian line, this was where some of the crew lived.  They accordingly went home and we changed to a new plane.  With two long jungle hops ahead, the pilot waited about half and hour until he was quite certain that one of the engines was in proper working order.  Knowing that the vast stretch of Amazonia lay ahead, we didn't feel in the least impatient!

We flew high but through the clouds we had superb views of the great green carpet of trees, broken only by meandering rivers and oxbow lakes.  Sometimes too, we could just pick out a tiny Indian village perched on the bank of the Rio Negro.  It seemed strange to think that people actually lived in this vast wilderness.  We crossed the equator wrapped in blankets, but really felt the tropical heat on the ground at Manaus.  The final 9 hour trip to Rio was made in the dark.  They say that this is done on purpose in case folk get scared by seeing nothing but jungle for nearly 2,000 miles.  

We glided down over Rio harbor- the best way through the surrounding hills - and punctured a tyre as we landed.  The only result of this was that the kitchenette was thrown into chaos and we had to wait nearly half an hour while the ground staff wondered how to get the steps out to the plane which was a mile from the normal unloading point.  Finally we were driven from the plane in a couple of Volkswagens.  Apparently 4 am is a good time to pass through customs because they didn't open our bags or charge us a cent for the tape recorder.  Now we are in a beautiful house up in the hills with a gorgeous mountain view, all set to plunge into Portuguese.

As I write to you the sun has just broken through after heavy rain and through our windows we can see so clearly the different shades and colors of the trees as they climb up the mountainside.  There are still wisps of cloud but the highest peak, between 3 and 4 thousand feet, is now clearly etched against the bright blue sky.  

The baby is settling in fine and has already started on a little mixed cereal. 

This had better be all for now, so goodbye and God bless.  Much love to you all from the family and a special kiss to Gran from Michael.  John