So here I am, back to Brazil one year after last trip.  This time I flew TAP and had a short connection in Lisbon, just 75 minutes.  Of course the flight from Italy took off 45 minutes late and things went wrong.  When we landed I had already given up any hope to make it but, surprise, while descending the staircase to get out of the plane I noticed there was a little man waiting with a “Rio de Janeiro transfer” banner in his hands.

He took me and a few more people on a small bus and drove us through the runways straight to a desert, apparently not yet in use terminal.  There, a lone lady official stumbled at my boarding pass: “Sir, you have to go to terminal one, you can’t cross the border here”. Thanks God, the little man convinced the lady that we badly needed a shortcut.  I felt like I was in a sort of “mission impossible” action movie and I was the President or something.  The man eventually took us again on a bus and drove straight to the plane where they where ready to close the doors.  Pheeew!

Despite the adventurous connection I have to say TAP is not bad.  Their planes are modern and well equipped and the onboard service is OK.  And they did the impossible to make me catch the plane to Rio.  Unfortunately my luggage didn’t make it.  I have a very strange stastistic: each and every connection flight in my life, the luggage didn’t arrive at destination, except when flying through Paris.  London, Milan, Bruxelles, Amsterdam, Lisbon: all failed.  Such an high failure rate is remarkable and says it all about the status of the air trasportation system.  Anyhow, now I’m in Rio de Janeiro and therefore – luggage or not – I’m going to relax.

Boa viagem!

Last time I’ve been in Rio de Janeiro I spent my best night at Rio Scenarium, a sort of samba dance floor with real Brazilian live music and a stunning choreography right in the center of Lapa, the historic center of ancient Rio. During daylight, this place is a huge antiquarian’s shop three floors high, with all sorts of things hanging from the walls and from the roof. At night, two thousand people easily fit in to have fun, dance, drink caipirinha and meet people.  Last year this was declared as one of the top 10 bars worldwide by The Guardian.

The setting is so surreal that I first I was speechless, like I were in a different time-space.  Colors everywhere, strange things surrounding joyful people, wonderful traditional music, party atmosphere.  Definitely a must if you happen to travel to Rio.