One issue after another...

I talked to Meuamor last night after he talked to the customs people and the Continental Airlines people. After calling and talking to Continental and discovering I have to drop the cats off at a special cargo area when I leave the US, and that I also have to pick them up in a special cargo area in Sampa GRU airport, I was a tad concerned about how I would accomplish both that and customs and immigration requirements in my 3 hour layover. So, still keeping this little secret of my actual departure date, I had Meuamor call and ask where this place was and if it were at all possible to get the cats on time or if it was inevitable that I would be missing my 12 noon flight. He also was to inquire as to whether or not I would have to pay tax for all the crap I will be entering the country with, none of it being new.

So he has found that: The Department of Agriculture of Brasil is only open for inspection of incoming animals from 9am to 2pm. The Continental people will not release my cats from their cargo area until probably about 2pm. This makes it impossible for me to make my 12 noon flight, and also appears that it will make it impossible for me to have them go through the Department of Agriculture that day as well, meaning - I will be spending the night in Sampa and I also have purchased a ticket for $280 that I cannot use.

I believe I can cancel my ticket for $150 fee, however, I still have to purchase another ticket on top of that. I found that on the Varig web site I can purchase one for even cheaper that what I originally paided, but I can only buy a one way ticket from the Brasil version of the website, not the American/English version. I am worried that if I try to purchase a ticket from there I either will not qualify and will not be able to, or they will send the paper ticket by MAIL and I will not get it in time. Either way, I am a little upset at the amount of money I keep having to spend to accomplish this - the credit card is almost maxed out as it is, and a T.A. stipend does not allow me to make an significant payments.

I will have to pay a fee for both the release of the cats from the cargo place in Sampa and to have the Agriculture people look at them. Continental will take US$ or R$, while the Agriculture people will only take R$.

I will hopefully not have to pay any tax money on my old stupid crappy used things I am bringing, but I will inevidabley be searched etc. because I will have large suitcases...