Bound for Brazil

Saludos desde Miami International Airport! I am leaving the country shortly, heading for Sao Paulo, Brazil. I've had a long layover here in Miami. Being back here reminded me why I dearly love and hate this city. Having spent two critical and incredibly formative years of my life here, I owe much to this place. But it's still homebase for a whole lot of people on the crazy train. I could never live here again. Ever.

I could eat here. A lot. There's an outpost of a decent Cuban place called La Carreta in the Miami Airport and I grabbed lunch there today. The picadillo was as greasy (and DELICIOUS) as I remembered; the black beans and rice (morros y cristianos) were awesome; and the fried plantains (platanos maduros) were incredible. I nearly cried like a little girl. Take a look:
Once again, curse the BBerry phone for a blurry photo.

But you get the jist. I love me some Cuban food. I even bought some plantain chips for the flight to Sao Paulo. Based on the line at checkin for the TAM flight, I appear to be the only Americano on the flight. Good times.

What will not be a good time is clearing TSA here at Miami. The lines are hideous. I'll have to make a break for it here shortly and go get in line. So, Brazil, where it's 82 degrees, here I come!