Rio

While standing in line at Rio airport I realised there were some familiar faces in front of me. I reckoned it was probably some people I had met in Rio, but as I got closer and my glazed eyes managed to focus I realised with a shock that it was the 3 Irish boys from Laos / Bolivia. Yep, 11 months after meeting them for the first time in Vang Vieng, where we were jumping out of trees in to a crystal clear lake, we were now in Rio airport dressed sensibly and all on our respective ways home. We had 2 hours to take off and we exchanged civilised stories. We gradually realised that something was missing and started nervously looking at each other until someone broke the silence and meekly ventured "Beer?". After 51.7 weeks on the road we weren't going to say no. So 4 beers each and a couple of unbelievable stories later an air hostess (or whatever their PC name is these days) comes into the bar and tells us that the plane is waiting. We stagger on to the 747 with the lads trying to persuade the rather good looking hostess to come home to Ireland with us all. She politely declines and a few minutes later we are accelerating down the runway leaving a year of fun, frolics and life changing experiences evaporating behind us in a jet stream.