[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TBYPWertM9I/U2Ssw7qZBhI/AAAAAAAAb1M/TG5Q9zXGhiI/s144-c-o/IMG_0069.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage20Brazil3SaoLuisToNatal#6009117759468275218″ caption=”Flying via Rio de Janeiro – view from one of the many bridges with a taxi – Sugar Cane on the left and the Christo statue on the peak on the right…I’ll be back and closer one day with the kayak!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0069.JPG” ]

Even the flight booking online this morning was a tough job…in the middle of the credit card verifying process the laptop I was using ran out of battery and then the system at that agency was stuck fully. The lady on the hotline (thank goodness to skype…) couldn´t confirm my flight was NOT booked so that I could book another one with the same or another company…I did anyway, surely then at another company, as I was running out of time now before I got a ¨Not confirmed¨message after a few hours until I couldn´t log in again with them anyway.

The first stuck company then later suddenly offered the same flight for 500 Euros more, maybe I tried to book just a second after the price change and that gut the system not moving on. Other companies offer a great price on the search engine and on the booking process it suddenly costs double or such…and it seems to be common habit  now that you only get the information from an online travel agency if you are able to change the flight dates later *after* the booking is confirmed…it´s really not the first time I am booking a flight, but it´s always annoying. Booking at the airlines directly with flexible return date is usually way more expensive, not to talk about a ¨single way¨ticket. All so stupid these days, but maybe stull better than to run to a local travel agency in town.

I had to rush today to get my gear cleaned, sorted and organized by what will stay here for the next leg, what tp throw away and what I will take home. And I had to repair my kayak on several spots with epoxy resin, plus cleaning the rudder from sand and mud that the spring is able to pop it back out again at least when I am running over a shallow.  All jobs done now, last online work at home, now waiting to drive to the airport!