Icky sicky memories of a Brazilian getaway

I really don't know how, but after every single time that I travel, I get sick. It is without fail that every single time I somehow, someway catch some sort of an illness. And so, as I ever so conveniently get myself situated in bed, I figured I might as well tell you the story of how I ended up here.

To start off, I just want to thank my buddy Mohamed for pushing me to write on this trip. He asked me to keep my notes app close by and jot down little moments as they happen. Thanks for that, I really have a whole lot of content now to write about.

I often get anxiety about the airport part before I leave for a flight. I'm not sure why and I guess I just expect the worst and not in the "my plane will crash" way, but rather that I'll miss my flight or someone will say that a delay will affect my connecting flight. I'm also notorious for fitting my entire life into a carryon only and honestly, if you see the size of that thing, you will likely question my sanity. I have no idea how I make a whole week fit into that tiny of space but I somehow have always made it work. I guess I'm just great at packing. That also plays into an airport fear of mine because I refuse to check a bag because I'm scared that my luggage will be lost. However, my luck often tends to run out when I also refuse to pay for any sort of an upgrade and I end up being the last group to board and the space in the overhead bins runs out and I am forced to check my bag. You win some and you lose some and I especially hate to lose.

So let's take it back to October 7, around 6pm when a lovely American Airlines employee made a pre-boarding announcement that if your boarding pass says you are in groups 6 to 9, to please check your carryon as there will not be any place for you to store said bags anywhere on that plane. I looked down at my boarding pass with a defeated face because I literally was listed as group 9. I put my pretty kiss-ass face on and made my way to him. A few exchanges were made (I will not spill my secrets) and before I was able to wipe the stupid fake smile off my face, he upgraded me to group 4.

From then on, the pressure was on. My first flight got into Miami late. I had 30 minutes to get off the plane, find my gate and run to it. I spent the flight to Miami stressing with an alcoholic beverage in hand. I figured that if I had to run to catch a flight, I may as well do it under the influence. Not really sure where that logic came from, but it worked. I guess it wasn't much of logic, as much as it was the fact that I saw on the inflight service menu that they were "selling" Truly seltzers and my mouth watered instantly at the sight. I was absolutely dead set on buying one, until I found out they were complimentary.... so I got two instead.

I made it on the second flight with minutes to spare and the dire need to re-apply deodorant. I was sweating. As the crew began making their introductions, they made a joke about the co-pilot missing and our need to wait for him for the next hour. Except it wasn't a joke and I had just ran halfway across that airport for literally nothing. I was livid.

When the plane eventually took off, I took my anger out on the snacks and bevvies. I drank enough Truly's to eventually put myself in a very deep sleep. I woke up around breakfast being served and decided I craved chaos. I put a horror movie on. My logic was that since I'm scared to watch them by myself cause I live alone and spook easily, it is a lot easier to watch them on a plane full of people. My logic made total sense and I actually didn't get too scared.

It was 9am when I landed in Rio and immediately I was hot. I didn't really know what to expect. It was my first time in South America. I almost got scammed in the airport by a legitimate in-house taxi company. I also didn't expect that. But, I was smarter than to accept the taxi service without first doing some research. I got an uber for a quarter of the price although frankly, the uber driver also freaked me out a bit. The guy showed up in a car without a trunk and gave me a weird look when he saw that I had a suitcase. Sir, you literally picked me up from an airport....did you really think I wouldn't have any baggage? After shoving my luggage in the backseat next to me, we were on our way to the beautiful Ipanema beach.

I was met with kind smiles from the staff at the hostel despite them not letting me check into my room until 3pm. I really needed a shower which I had to compromise on with a little "freshening up" in their public washroom. I was not happy about that. Nonetheless, the day was young and we had a full itinerary to take on. Justine met me in the lobby and we made our way to the beach in search for some food. It was an early Sunday morning and food was impossible to be found for some reason. I settled for an overpriced picanha sandwich (cause apparently that's famous in Brazil), some fries and of course, a caipirinha because what better thing can you do at 10am on your first day in Rio than get drunk?

Before I had a chance to even take in the fact that I was actually in the world-famous Rio de Janeiro, we were already headed to our next adventure - Christ the Redeemer. I think that was the running feeling the entire time I was in Rio. I felt like I did not have enough time to really wrap my head around the fact that I was there, that was my life, and I really was witnessing one of the coolest cities in the world. I guess that's the thing about travel in general when you have a return date - you have to fit in as much as possible in that limited time frame. That takes away from the authenticity of the experience a little bit. I'm not complaining though because I know I am very privileged to have the ability to travel in the first place.

That first night was really cool. I was so ready to have the first night out in the city and despite it being a Sunday, we really were dead set on going out and making the most out of it. I put on a hot outfit and made my way to the bar. A few drinks in, I was drunk texting a cute guy and wishing he was with me in that moment. A few drinks later, I fell asleep in the back of an uber LOL. It felt good though, I needed to just detach from the professional life I was living at home and I just wanted to indulge.

The following two days in Rio went by so quickly, I literally could forget they even happened if I didn't have the pictures and videos to prove it. From swinging in the air on the gondola going up to Sugarloaf Mountain to acai bowls, street parties, Brazilian steak houses and everything in between, I truly cannot wrap my head around all of the amazing things we were able to fit into just a few days. I got to swim in the ocean, watch the surfers take on the waves, feel the hot sand on my feet. What a beautiful life it really is.

Three days later, we were already on yet another flight - this time to Sao Paulo for the beginning of the four day rager at Tomorrowland. We were so stinking excited, I literally remember when Justine and I got to our room and saw all of our gifts, we screamed out loud while jumping around the room. It really was a bucket list item coming true. Those four days were so insane from so many different points of view. So much happened that I'm still trying to wrap my head around even two weeks later. There were laughs, there were cries, there were wet shoes and muddy socks. There were midnight snacks turned into buffets and running into people you know somehow, someway, despite the tens of thousands in the crowd. There were gifts laid on our beds every night, ridiculous traffic, sing-alongs on the bus. Morning swims, waterparks, deep sleeps in crisp white sheets.

I got deathly ill by the time that we had to leave. The last day of our trip was spent strolling the streets of Sao Paulo and coming to terms that we would sleep in a dorm with 4 guys that smelled like dirty socks. Come 3am on the morning of my flight back home, I was battling a serious fever and had a 15 hours travel day ahead of me. I would personally like to thank the patient pharmacy lady and google translate because I would have likely died without the serious medication I needed.

I spent a week recovering and likely got a cute guy sick. I might hear his complaints in the days to come but I did it for the plot. I can now say I have been to Brazil and to the second-largest music festival in the world. The sniffles, the fever and everything in between was totally worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Maybe not quite a heartbeat because I am still pretty tired and two weeks have passed but, I'm sure I'll be ready for my next adventure in the next 3 weeks when I head out to the Dominican Republic.

With a smiling heart and a congested nose, I really am so grateful for this beautiful life I am so fortunate to live.

As always, thanks for coming to my Cez talk xo