Ever been on an airplane for a really long time?

I just got off a flight that qualified.

Raleigh to Miami, then Miami to the middle of the Amazon jungle — Manaus. Hot, steamy, and after an all night flight, generally sticky enough to be glued to my seat like I was velcro. Then to the mouth of the Amazon River — Belém. Repeat description of Manaus, just more tired. Finally, arrival at my destination — Fortaleza. Nice.

What’s so funny about being up all night AND bouncing all over Brasil is the whoosy-headed feeling you get. You hear things oddly, like a half mile away and in a can; your eyes see spots because they are tired and the light is so bright (I’m on the equator, remember?); your body feels like you’ve been walking around with a full chest-of-drawers strapped to your shoulders while pumping your feet up 3 shoe sizes (due the the pressurized cabins, taking your shoes off, and your feet swelling).

Folks on drugs with an altered state of mind have nothing on me!

To top that off, try typing on a keyboard that types differently due to the accent characters after having been up for almost 36 hours!

But, one look at the ocean, sitting in the shade of a palm tree, sipping on an ice cold coconut, all I can say is . . . ain’t paradise grand, alterated state of mind, tired body and swollen feet included!