Bring a towel. My hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy... minus the galaxy and including Brazil.

Bring a towel.  I really cannot stress this enough.  Now on to the other stuff you'll need...

Required travel documents -

Passport with 6 months to expiry past the dates of travel.

Tourist visa - This can be acquired online and is good for two 90-day visits over the following 2 years.  Watch for scams charging a lot for the same process.  It cost me $40 with a $4 processing fee.  You will need to submit a separate photo - tie your hair back; they want to see your ears, no glasses on; they want to see your eyes.  Do not smile; they do not want to see your teeth.  Be sure you have access to a good quality scanner.  Despite the multitude of stressful posts about rejections, it took me 2 days to receive a passport to print.  The airline will not let you on the airplane without it.

Medical needs - Give yourself at least a month ahead of travel to consider immunizations.  Check recommendations on the CDC's website for visiting Brazil.  If you have prescribed medications, be sure to have printed documentation.  Foreign countries are often "not cool" about them and it goes a long way to show proof of a doctor's involvement.  Then make yourself an over-the-counter kit to heal any possible ails.  Think bandaids, bug spray, suntan lotion, sunburn cream, anti-diarrhea, anti-gas, anti-heartburn, anti-nausea.  Anti-everything.  Stomach troubles are common especially if you drink the water.  Do not drink the water.

Flight - It is difficult to find a flight that doesn't bounce you around at least a little.  My flight skipped around the US a little for good measure before heading south: 

Denver to LAX to Panama City to Rio Janeiro

LA airport - Be sure to ask about gate changes and locations.  I did not want to be a princess about it and ended up with a stressful 40-minute minute fast walk across LAX trying to catch my flight to Panama.  Arrived drenched in sweat and hungry.  PS you are always hungry when you just can't spare a moment looking for food.  Bring protein bars, fruit breakfast bars, and nuts.

LAX to Panama City - English is fading.  Spanish and Portuguese duked it out on the plane.  The flight attendants served beer, wine, and rum in fruit juices so I was less concerned about the language barriers.  Food was delicious.

Panama City to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Let the overnight segment begin.  Why can't airplane seats recline just a little more than half an inch?!!  For whatever reason, the powers in charge allow for a possible 4 hours of nap time in the  6.5 hour flight.  Lights are left on and food is served.  I can't complain about a full stomach but after a full day of travel, I really just want to sleep.  English has completely disappeared.  In-flight announcements do not even bother past the cheerful Portuguese bounce.  I assume all is well and settle into blissful ignorance.

Toilets seems nice but toilet paper is thrown in the garbage bin next to the toilet.  The smell and sight takes away somewhat from the decor.

Notes: Bring books.  They help with passing the time cheerfully when you are stuck in an infuriating situation that cannot be helped.  I recommend The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series and there is a movie in case you are not a total book nerd.

Iracambi is located closest to the Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG) but is a taxi, bus, bus, and taxi ride away yet.  Depending on timing and user error, the average travel time left is 10 hours.

I recommend taking a break at this point and saving the remaining long day of travel for later.  Get a hotel and sleep as long as possible.  I, however, did not take this advice.

I prefer to use an ATM (let your bank and credit cards companies know you are traveling or this suggestion will not work) to change my money.  Withdraw from your bank and they handle the transaction.  Put your card in and Brazilian Reals (pronounced "hey-ice") pop out.  Can't get easier than that!

Taxi from the Rio de Janeiro airport to main bus terminal went well.  I navigated buying a ticket, buying a chocolate milkshake, and boarding the proper bus bound for Muriae mainly through pointing and "obrigada's" (thank you, said by a woman).  I even exited at the proper stop.

All sounds to be in order?  Except, once I exited in Muriae, the driver took off with my suitcase stowed safely away under the bus.  With Muriae only roughly half the bus line's path for the day...except for swearing under my breath, I really don't know what else to say.  The cacophony of Portuguese from other wounded passengers made me feel a part of the gang but was largely (who am I kidding?... completely) misunderstood by me.  I tried some ASL and San Francisco's Pier 39 worthy mime-work for awhile until I broke down and opened a mobile data connection to access my Google Translate app.  GET THIS APP!

Between a towel and the Google Translate app, you are going to make it in Brazil.

In the end, I was given another ticket for the last bus out of Muriae at 6pm (Yes, that is early for buses to stop running.  I hear you.) and told my suitcase was being brought in time for me to continue my journey.  A man with adult braces, a broad smile, and a proud look on his face handed me this irrefutable proof -

I imagined him typing that into an online translator and printing it out for me and tried not to cry.  Then I settled in and wondering what "Portuguese time" meant here.

It meant 4 minutes before your bus leaves.  That's what Portuguese time means.  FYI.

Last bus of the day and begging for an alert on the proper stop for Rosario da Limeira produced a pile of bags and a forlorn American girl hoping to find a taxi to drive the very last stretch.  I highly recommend a confident stroll across the plaza in little Limeira followed by a crazed "Taxi?  Fala Ingles?  Where can I find a ... taxi?!"  Then cross your fingers and hope the night has not been as drink filled as it could be.  The half hour taxi ride from Limeira is not the time to snooze.  It is a tiny dirt road winding through the hills and cut through the forest.  It is beautiful and remote.

From the cabins of Iracambi Centro emerge friendly faces who understand the complex mix of physical symptoms and range of emotions you have experienced and repressed for the last 40 hours all too well.  Food, shower, and bed await.  You'll be glad you brought a towel.