Kninja Knitter

My first day, as you would expect, was a travel day. It took about 26 hours, from the time I got to the airport until I reached my hotel. The morning after, I’m still somewhat tired and quite sore! I definitely got my exercise in yesterday, and my Oura app congratulated me for that achievement.

Travel Tales

Fortunately, every leg of my journey started on time and ended ahead of schedule. That’s good because my layovers provided some… interesting distractions.

I flew from Columbus (OH) to Washington, DC (Dulles Airport), and sprang for the first class upgrade since I bought my fare using miles. When I checked in for my flights on Sunday evening, I was surprised with the offer of a business-class upgrade for my second leg at a 60% discount. Yes, please! And a bonus perk with that upgrade was admission to the exclusive Polaris Club lounge at Dulles.

Yes, I take pictures of my food – deal with it, lol. Eating while on vacation is always an adventure for me as I am a picky eater. With all the exercise I’m getting on this trip, I’m counting on some yummy food to fuel me!

The overnight flight from Dulles to São Paulo was the largest chunk of my air travel. I was glad for the business-class pod, though as you can imagine, it wasn’t especially comfortable. It was much better than my original economy-plus seat though! The biggest benefit for me, as I’m one who always takes the window seat, if possible, is that I didn’t have to disturb anyone else to use the restroom! When I boarded the flight, I was treated to a glass of champagne. After that, I stuck with water until morning. I had started watching Between the Temples (with Jason Schwartzman and Carole Kane) on my first flight, so I was able to pick up where I left off and finished that movie before attempting to sleep.

According to my Oura app, I managed to get about four hours of sleep overnight. Every time the plane hit turbulence, there was a tone and an announcement to fasten seatbelts, regardless of the hour. Blech. The seat laid flat (though my backpack was an obstacle it took time to resolve), and I appreciated the firmer pillow to support my back in addition to the fluffy pillow for my head.

I woke up pretty early, more than two hours before our expected arrival. So I adjusted my pod to a partially seated position so I could knit and watch another movie (Woman of the Hour, starring and directed by Anna Kendrick). I appreciate that I could watch these movies that I missed in the theater! Coffee and breakfast was delivered as the morning progressed. And when I opened my window shade, I was not disappointed. Welcome to Brazil!

Deplaning in São Paulo proved the most stressful period for me on this southbound journey. We were told to proceed to baggage claim to retrieve our luggage to go through customs. Well, I did that, but after all the luggage was disbursed, my suitcases were not among them. A very patient and kind staffer then informed me that there were some exceptions to the rule, and luggage for passengers traveling to Buenos Aires was exempt. So I went through customs twice for no reason. Oh well. I had a lengthy layover at this airport (GRU = Guarulhos Airport), so it wasn’t a huge deal that I did all that extra leg work. But I was tired, and my carryon bags get heavy over time. I also couldn’t find my electrical plug adapter to charge my devices. Lastly, lengthy stretches in a place full of people is stressful for a solo (female) traveler. I ended up dozing at my table when I found a place to have lunch. And later I dozed some more at a quiet gate, though here I was draped over my bags to reduce the risk of theft.

At last, it was time to board my plane, and this was pretty uneventful. On the short flight (roughly two hours), I got a little sleep (45 minutes total) and ate dinner. I was glad for the meal since I knew I’d be landing late. The sun was setting as we touched down in Buenos Aires. I’ve been careful about keeping my phone in airplane mode to avoid unexpected charges. But I also made sure to connect to WiFi. My driver reached out via WhatsApp and from there I kept him informed. I had to clear customs and then collect my suitcases. The latter step was easy-peasy as airport staff was kind enough to remove baggage from the conveyor. I was able to collect both bags easily and make my way to my driver. Christian is a native Argentinian. I was not as conversational as I might otherwise have been as I was truly exhausted by this time.

The view from my room is not great, but this was more about having a bed and being fairly close to the port than a scenic location. I slept quite soundly and went for breakfast around 7:30am. Now I’m working out a redistribution of my belongings as I prepare to head to the port. A number of my packing choices when leaving home were based on things like not checking any rechargeable devices! I don’t need to worry about that for a couple weeks now, lol. I also made sure to leave room for the yarn I might be bringing home with me. I might have packed an inordinate number of t-shirts for the trip, but I can live with that. I wish I had one more pair of shorts. And I’m also very nervous about forgetting to pack my eyeglasses (in case something goes awry with my contact lenses). But life goes on and I’m pretty adaptable. The “important” thing is I have my cameras with me (my DSLR and my new Insta360) – so there should be some amazing photos to share (of the not-food variety) when I post next!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

By the way, while I was on that last flight of my journey, I added another colorway to the Desert Vista Dyeworks zigzag blanket! I need to double check, but I think the colorway name is Hamlet from one of my 2024 sock projects. I packed 3-4 options, but I’d be very surprised if I even make it through two. After all, there are more projects coming once we get on the ship! I’ll try to remember to grab a picture to share of the blanket for my next post.

Knit on. 🧶