‘It will be easy’, ‘it’s really straight forward’… Just 2 of the quotes I have taken from the shipping companies emails. We started making enquiries into shipping Peggy from Santos to Houston some 4 months before we planned to actually put her on the ship. Super duper organized for us!

Jumping forward to day 1 of ‘shipping Peggy’ we headed down to Santos port. We had very clear instructions that the ‘Brazilia’ (storage and customs clearance area) was just across from the Ferry ship. No address, no number, no real idea. But being used to this kind of thing we got on with it. After driving round one of South Americas biggest ports for 30 minutes we pulled over and asked in hand signals if the poor bystander knew where ‘Brazilia’ was. After we got past him trying to tell us we were in Brazil the penny dropped. He indicated that it was 6 miles away and included taking a ferry. Of course it was and of course it did. Amazingly he kindly offered in hand signals if he could call our shipping company ‘NYK’ to check. He was right.

Totally lost and 6 miles away with only a ‘this way’ hand signal to direct us we waved out of the window to a port security vehicle to ask for clearer directions. Well that was it! We were ‘Fantastico’d’ by the security vehicle driver. Out of the van, life stories (in hand signals) pictures and signatures and 25 minutes later we were done. We finally managed to ask about our original conundrum. Again very kindly in the Brazilian way they offered to escort us with flashing lights ON. They explained 2people1life are VIP’s in Brazil!

They took us to the Ferry and said it was just over there. On the other side of the river and a quick ‘Fantastico’ on the ferry we arrived in a busy little town. Despite asking half a dozen people, no-one knew about the ’Brazilia’. We got to a MacDonalds and emailed our contact at NYK. At the same time we received an email from Cintya. Cintya is a shipping agent and had heard from Carol (Vini’s PA) that we were trying to ship Peggy. In the email Cintya explained that Brazil customs was on strike and it was going to be nearly impossible to ship Peggy from Brazil! We sat dumb struck. I replied that this could not be possible as NYK was asking for our van to be dropped into storage. Cintya explained that once in storage the vehicle could not be taken out until shipped. The shipping company charged $300US for every 10 days a vehicle is in storage and there was a strike that had no end date. The penny dropped! Cintya said the best option was to drive back to Montevideo…in Uruguay!!!!!!!!…and start the process there. Approximately 1500k back the way we came!

In my defiant, stubborn and optimistic way I said that I was going to head to the customs office and play the dumb English man and see if some kind hearted Brazilian customs officer would help me. I based this decision on the kindness of virtually everyone we had met in Brazil and my unbelievable good luck. Lisa protested slightly until I explained my theory. Back on the ferry and half a dozen more stops to get hand signal instructions we made it to the customs office. Lisa had to sit in the van as we were illegally parked. 1 power espresso and a change of clothes later and I was waiting in the customs office, 2 hours later and 3 changes of office and I was finally in front of the most miserable man I had ever seen in my life. He looked like he had never smiled once in his existence…EVER. Not good.

He quickly glanced over my paperwork and threw it on the table. He then said NO and shook his head with a disgusted look like I had just asked him to sell me his only daughter! I moved the paper round on the table a bit, pulled my saddest face, put my hands together and begged. To be once again told NO. I tried one last time with no further result. I feared at this point he was going to start shouting. I resided myself to failure (trying another office) stood up and thanked him for his time. Just as I was about to step out the door a lady walked in, blushed and squeaked ‘Fantastico’. I smiled back as best as I could after the recent events. She grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the office. Showing me off to all her colleagues like a prize turkey. I glanced over at ‘Mr Misery’ to see if this was having any effect on his smacked bottom face. There was a very slight glimmer or interest in his eye and his mouth twitched. It was a signal like a fire cracker going off on the dark side of the moon at 12 noon on the summer solstice but I saw it! The lady asked me why I was there. Smiling on the inside I quietly thanked my disgustingly perverse good luck. Pulling my sad face I explained what was going on (again try not to forget all this is in hand signals). I leaned my right shoulder towards Mr Misery and widened my eyes in a ‘you know, him over there’. She got it in a blink (god bless you super observant women!), she took the papers off me and put them back on his desk. I heard some very fast Portuguese and the word Fantastico repeated. Rolling his eyes and leaning back like an arrogant scolded school boy he agreed that if I presented the right paperwork he would help. Oh and he wanted a picture of me and Lisa with him for his time. Booooooooom!

We booked into a brothel (which is a whole other story) and emailed Cintya to tell her about our hopeful progress. Cintya arranged to meet us the following morning.

The next day we went with Cintya back to the customs office to confirm that this was possible. Despite the morbid satisfaction Mr Misery took from making the situation as uncomfortable as possible he agreed. Cintya had to pretend that she was just a friend as with Customs been on strike I could not officially get help from another professional. Cintya was used to this sort of BS and played it out beautifully. She asked all the questions that would be expected of someone who had never shipped a vehicle before.

It worked a treat, but sadly with all the paperwork we needed to obtain we would not be making the ship we had hoped. It was going to put us back around 10 days. Cintya kindly offered for us to stay with her and her family! It seems all Brazilians are super friendly Brazilians! We followed Cintya back to her house and she set us up on the Sofa with a cup of tea. We quickly got acquainted with her 2 daughters whilst Cintya made us some home cooked stew. After showering and a glass or 2 of wine we felt renewed! It is such a heart warming feeling to be openly invited into a stranger’s house and made to feel like long lost friends.

The next day we took advantage of this unexpected delay by treating ourselves to an apartment rental on the beach 100 miles north. We had hoped to visit this area of Brazil but due to financial and time restrains we did not expect it to happen this time around. After a slight drama of an emergency stop whilst Lisa was at the back of the van with a 10 kilogram gas tank in her hands! She is convinced I was trying to kill her! It basically involved Lisa flying in midair down the van, me stopping her with flung out arm and a lot of screaming… nothing really. We got to the apartment parked up Peggy, got a big food shop done and even hung up our clothes up in our holiday rental. The next 5 days we relaxed, strolled down the beaches and caught up on our inbox/blogging.

The time was over in a blink and we headed back to Cintya’s to put the van into ‘Brazilia’! It involved more begging, lots of driving around and even a last minute sprint to the copy shop. If I am honest it was more stressful than the first part of this blog and we don’t want you to never read this blog again so will stop there! In a nut shell….we got Peggy onto a ship to Houston! Yaaaaay!