Safe and Sound....and Well Fed!

The group departed from RDU at 7:35 pm on May 16.  After an uneventful flight to Miami, followed by a two-hour layover, we were herded "cattle class" into a completely full 777 (five seats in the middle, two on each side). Although the ride was not exactly luxurious,  it was OK, and most people in the group were able to sleep on the overnight journey.

We arrived in Sao Paulo at about 9:30 am on May 17.  After  a surprisingly short trip through immigration, we met our bus driver and headed to Campinas (about a 1.5-hour drive).  While it was cloudy and cool in Sao Paulo, the sun broke through halfway through to Campinas.  Our hotel in Campinas is simple and clean.

Student Danny Martin just graduated from PSE, and he is from Brazil..in fact,  from Campinas.  His parents, still in a celebratory mood after the graduation activities last week, were brave enough to offer their home for a "welcome to Brazil" cookout for the students, complete with a traditional wood-fired Brazilian barbeque.  Chicken, chicken hearts, sausage, steak, cheese and pineapple were all roasted on a hot wood fire.  Accompanied by salad, local fruits (some grown in the back yard), and a passion fruit mousse, this meal stuffed the group to the gills.  It was a  beautiful sunny afternoon spent in the lush back yard of the Martins.  What a way to start the trip!  Many thanks to the Martins for their outstanding hospitality.

We visit the IP mill in Mogi Guiacu tomorrow.