Building a bonkers trip around a Big Gay Wedding in Rio

[Volando]

[images - upsplash]

“Why fly direct when you can go the fun way?” or words to that effect are often written, read and debated on these forums. So of course when +1 and I received an invitation last year to attend a friend’s wedding in Rio in September 2026, I got straight down to the serious business of scheming how to get there …

… in business
… with whatever bargains my avgeekery could find
… avoiding the ugly mess that is the USA in 2026
… ideally on oneworld carriers

In tandem, +1 and I were both extricating ourselves from 9-5 jobs around the time the invitation came, so we have the luxury of time, if not necessarily a commensurate level of fiscal freedom- which is the tradeoff of not working for the man any more I suppose.

So strap in for a taste of what's to come...starting 5 days from now..

 

[Flyfrequently]

On board @Volando

 

[Volando]

2. Planning and Booking

(Short version: Ottawa + Montreal for a few days each. A week in Rio. A couple of days at Inhotim Institute near Belo Horizonte. Iguazu Falls. Fly home the looooong way via Toronto. The whole trip bookend with Jakarta stopovers).

+1 spent some time living in Ottawa and Montreal back in the early 2010s and for a while has been keen on going back for a bit of an extended trip to see old friends and visit stomping grounds, so my flight finding mission needed to include Canada as well as getting us to Rio for the wedding and 2 weeks of Brazil highlights. +1 would spend 3 weeks solo in Canada and I’ll join him in Ottawa for a few days, followed by a couple more days in Montreal.

I tried various multi-city and RTW fares, but generally hit roadblocks or got priced out by travelling between Canada and Brazil without a US transit.

I then remembered the presentation at the first AFF masterclass which revealed ways of using generous stopover rules on many connecting long haul flights to build a creative itinerary that kind of takes advantage of hidden city pricing, but does so in a totally legitimate way, simply by knowing what the published fare rules explicitly, and often generously, allow.

Sadly I couldn’t get all the ducks to line up on a CX/QF itinerary that would have started from NAN (where we had plans to go anyway) to get to Canada, partly due to some complexities around the Canadian cities we wanted to fly in and out of and because the final SYD-NAN leg would have had to be flown around xmas which meant high prices.

So I moved on to another well known trick of searching for fares originating in SE Asia. PR had some very competitive fares from MNL - but they’re not oneworld (yet) and there were some less than ideal stopovers (as much as I like Manila). KUL was pricey. BKK so so, but options to get from SYD-BKK on points are scarce.

And so to Jakarta. Once I’d confirmed quite plentiful QFF Classic Reward availability for SYD-CGK-SYD on suitable dates I booked Cathay business class from CGK-HKG-YVR // YYZ-HKG-CGK for +1 who was going a few weeks ahead of me and CGK-HKG-YYZ-HKG-CGK for me. His business class fare started with a 5 and mine just tipped over $6k. Not cheap by any means but roughly half the price of simply booking SYD-HKG-YVR/YYZ on Cathay.

Next was deciding how to get from Canada to Brazil. We’d be flying out of Montreal which limited options a bit compared to Toronto. I first looked at both LifeMiles and Aeroplan availability. There were some Avianca flights if we were slightly flexible with dates around the wedding, but I didn’t relish paying business class miles for their Eurobusiness product on close to 12 hours of flying. There was a plethora of UA availability….but US transits are too much hassle, even during normal times. Aeroplan was showing redeemable seats on Air Canada but dynamic pricing meant that they were no cheaper than cash fares, even with their oft discounted miles purchase offers.

Eventually I settled on paying around $3k cash to fly business class on on COPA via Panama City. Narrow bodies all the way, but the YUL-PTY leg would be on a seat similar to QF or VA 737 business and the slightly longer PTY-GIG leg offers lie flat seats. So all up, we’re looking at a whisker over AUD9k (plus QF points) to fly the following international flights, all in Business Class:

SYD-CGK (QF41 - A330-200)
CGK-HKG (CX776 - A330-300)
HKG-YYZ (CX820 - A350-1000)
YYZ-YOW (AC448 - 737-8)
YUL-PTY (CM448 - 737-800)
PTY-GIG (CM873 - 737-9)
GIG-PTY (CM215 - 737-9)
PTY-YYZ (CM470 - 737-800)
YYZ-HKG (CX829 - A350-900)
HKG-CGK (CX777 - A330-300)
CGK-SYD (QF42 - A330-200)

Separately I booked the following domestic flights In Brazil. All in Y, all booked through OTAs due to issues getting Azul and Gol websites to cooperate with an Australian credit card.

SDU-CNF (AD4117 - E95)
CNF-VCP (AD4328 - E95)
VCP-IGU (AD2955 - A320)
IGU-GIG (G31861 - 737-800)

I’m anticipating some issues with checked luggage on the CNF-VCP-IGU Azul flights. The booking.com/GotoGate itinerary says luggage is included whereas MMB on the Azul website and app suggest we’ll be charged (again). We’ll see!

Planning how to spend a fortnight in a country the size of Brazil was hard. After flicking through lonely planet and reading some travel blogs, I ended up having a conversation with Claude. What emerged after a few tweaks and iterations was 6 days in and around Rio de Janeiro, fly to Belo Horizonte and spend two days rambling around the 1900 acre open air contemporary art gallery at Inhotim, then spend 3 days at Iguazu Falls before another night near Rio Airport and our flight back to Toronto.

From there, we basically retrace our steps, this time travelling together YYZ-HKG-CGK. 3 nights in Jakarta at the spectacular looking Keraton Hotel and the final overnight QF flight back to Syd. All up I'm away for a month and +1 closer to two months.

 

[Volando]

And so it begins…

 

[Volando]

Flight 1 SYD-CGK

I arrived at T1 check in around 11:30 for the 14:10 departure of QF42. There was no wait whatsoever at checkin, security and eGates so I think I made it from uber to F Lounge in record time of 5 minutes (or less).

It wasn’t too busy when I arrived and I was shown to a window-side table immediately.

I exercised a modicum of restraint and stuck to four courses for lunch: S&P squid, lamb bao, minute steak, sticky date pudding. The bao and pudding were highlights. The champagne I received was a bit flat. The Grenache I followed it up with - not the one on the wine list when the bottle was presented - would have been fine in a J lounge. I feel that F Lounge wines were much better a decade ago.



Boarding was called around 13:30. There was a short wait when I got to the gate as they had just started boarding special assistance pax. There was zero signage to indicate where different groups should start to queue. One ground staff was directing group 3 (specifically) to wait off to the side of the seating area in a separate queue, a bit like how VA divide lines at SYD T2. Anyway, group 1 was called and priority enforced and I found my way to my seat on board VH-EBN.

This flight was solid but with no particular service highlights. I’ve met more personable QF crews and I’ve met much colder ones.


Better than the lounge offering!


Sadly a far cry from SQ or MH satay. The sauce was sweet and tasted like it came from a supermarket jar


Veggie and tofu Thai curry. This one was a winner with a decent kick of spice


Lake Eyre looking wet!

Pre-landing prawn dumplings. Another win!


The seven hour flight passed pretty quickly and comfortably. It was roughly a 20 minute walk from our arrival gate to immigration where there was a giant bank of vacant e gates. Luggage didn’t take too much longer, customs was hassle free and then another longish walk to get to the meeting point for my free shuttle to the Airport Sheraton.

I’ve transited in CGK before but never actually been land side. I’d mentally prepared for a fair bit of chaos and taxi touts and all the usual trappings. Instead the terminal forecourt was a sea of calm and spotlessly polished stone pavers.

A quick WhatsApp exchange confirmed the shuttle bus was on approach for the short but circuitous drive to the hotel.

 

[Volando]

4: Sheraton Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport

This is a large resort style hotel located 5-10 minutes from the airport beside a small lake/reservoir. There's absolutely nothing to speak of within walking distance. There's more convenient transit accommodation at the airport itself, and cheaper 4 star hotels 15-20 minutes away. However I chose the Sheraton because I had a two night stay, including a day and a half in transit. The resort setting and large pool looked very appealing for an intentionally lazy first full day of the holiday. Free minibus transfers to the airport and back sealed the deal.



First impressions of my room exceeded expectations. It's an old property that's been renovated in the last 5 years or so. There were a few minor maintenance issues with the room, which were quickly resolved after mentioning them via the hotel’s chat service.



I booked a "runway view" room. By runway they actually mean taxi way, which in some ways is better for plane spotting because large jets are lumbering by at close proximity. I never seemed to be sitting by the dirty and awkwardly angled windows at just the right time to photograph many of the wide bodies that passed by, amidst a continual stream of Indonesian 737s and A320s. One thing that surprised me is that I didn't see a single turbo prop. I would have expected more of them for the many relatively short domestic hops.



The hotel has one main restaurant and a cafe/grab and go counter. I tried both and they were very good. The breakfast buffet was as elaborate and generous as one would expect at a SE Asian resort hotel. This bebek goreng (deep fried duck) probably sent my cholesterol off the charts...and was worth every bit of artery blockage!



I'd happily recommend this hotel as a stopover option in Jakarta for anyone else that just needs a comfortable place to stay for a night or two. Its comfortable, rooms are modern and every single staff member I interacted with was friendly and welcoming.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Sheraton Jakarta looks great!

 

[SYD]

Sheraton Jakarta looks great!

Driven past it several times! We just did the Anara a few weeks ago. Very good for an o/n connection next day.

 

[Volando]

5: CGK-HKG

This is the biggest travel day of the trip - roughly 36 hours from leaving Jakarta Sheraton to arrival in Ottawa.

I'd pre-booked the 12 noon shuttle from the Sheraton to CGK T3 to arrive around two hours before my 14:20 departure to Hong Kong. There was just one other passenger in the mini bus and we reached the very grand departure concourse of T3 in around 5 minutes. The outside of the terminal brought back flashbacks of Muscat Airport from last year. (You can read my Oman TR here...including scuba diving with a curious turtle in the Strait of Hormuz in April 2025. How the world has changed!)

Jakarta Terminal 3 continued to impress on the inside. The scale is truly impressive. I've transited through Jakarta once before through T1 which I remember for its unique design, and rundown inefficiency. I wasn't at all ready for T3. Chalk. And. Cheese!


Checkin was quick. I explored landsite for a little bit then made my way through security and immigration. If there was a business class priority entrance, I missed it. But the longish queue prior to security moved pretty quickly and there was no wait for an immigration eGate after security.

I was granted access to the Priority Pass Sapphire Lounge-within-lounge as a OW Emerald flying CX business class. I'm not 100% sure but I think the access to the "better" section of the PP lounge might have been a status perk as the business cabin on my flight was full, but this part of the lounge was practically deserted. On arrival at the lounge reception, an agent stepped out from behind the counter, swiped me into the Sapphire Lounge, followed me to a seat and presented me with an a la carte menu. The space is quite refined with a central tended bar, very small buffet with savoury hors d'oeuvres and small cakes. There's a seated restaurant area in a separate section at the back of the lounge.


From the menu I chose the chicken satay and a glass of chardonnay. The former was excellent and the latter unmemorable.


I left the lounge around the advertised boarding time for my flight to Hong Kong and group 1 was soon invited to board. I was greeted at the door by the Inflight Service Manager and pointed to my seat in the rear row of the A330-300 business cabin. The usual pre-flight rituals of champagne, hot towels and meal orders played out, all delivered by a personable and professional crew, led by an excellent ISM with that classic CX clipped Hong Kong-British accent and friendly-but-don't-mess-with-me auntie vibe.

My seat was showing its age a bit on this 15 year old aircraft (B-LAK). Jakarta gets a bit of an assortment of regional J products. This flight was operated with the original CX reverse herringbone. I remember being blown away by this seat the first time I sat in it on a similar CX A330 between HKG and Sydney, many years ago. It was the first time I'd flown on an all-aisle access J configuration. It's still a solid seat, but of course considered dated nowadays.




I chose the Indonesian option for lunch; a choice that the Indonesian f/a serving my aisle commended. It was an excellent meal. I washed it down with a very respectable Alsace Pinot Gris. A much richer style than the kind of one-dimensional Pinot Gris that has become ubiquitous in Australia as the new Sav Blanc for ladies who lunch.



This flight passed by very pleasantly. I started watching the box set of s2 of Nine Perfect Strangers. I'm not really a TV or movie person, so long haul flights are an opportunity to see what's out there. This show, with Nicole Kidman in the leading role is pretty epic and binge-worthy.

We landed in Hong Kong on time. The 4.5 hour flight passed very comfortably. The crew was superb, catering excellent, the cabin was peaceful and thankfully not plunged into darkness after the meal service. I find that having daylight permitted on day flights makes the flight far less draining and pass more quickly than having to sit in the dark , surrounded by flickering screens.

 

[SYD]

Jakarta Terminal 3 continued to impress on the inside. The scale is truly impressive. I've transited through Jakarta once before through T1 which I remember for its unique design, and rundown inefficiency. I wasn't at all ready for T3. Chalk. And. Cheese!

It’s improved a lot just in the last couple of years but can get very busy / crowded.

I was granted access to the Priority Pass Sapphire Lounge-within-lounge as a OW Emerald flying CX business class. I'm not 100% sure but I think the access to the "better" section of the PP lounge might have been a status perk as the business cabin on my flight was full, but this part of the lounge was practically deserted.

Yes, definitely the better lounge and only for OWE on CX (not sure what other, if any airlines send some PAX there).

CX used to just use the standard PP Lounge (QF and QR only use that). It’s ok but can get super busy whereas, similarly there were maybe four other people in the Sapphire lounge a few weeks ago before the same CX flight as yours.

 

[Volando]

6: HKG Lounge Crawl

I had roughly 6 hours to spend at Hong Kong Airport - 8pm - 2am. So a lounge crawl - and a fair bit of walking to break up the long flights - ensued.

My flight from Jakarta pulled into a gate in the high 30s, meaning I was closest to the western transit check point. That spat me out adjacent to The Bridge Lounge - and of course not far from The Pier. But with a marathon of lounging and eating ahead of me and having to stay awake waaaaay past my bed time, I decided first to walk to the other end of the terminal for a coffee in the Qantas Lounge. I was expecting it to be fairly quiet at this hour as all the QF flights had departed. However the lounge was actually pretty busy, full mostly of people speaking Spanish. I initially wondered if there was an Iberia flight but that wasn't the case. Perhaps pax transiting via LHR on the BA departure?

Coffee consumed, I was just about to leave the Qantas lounge for the greener pastures of the Pier First class lounge when a trolley appeared with baskets of dumplings. It certainly wasn't yum cha o' clock, but When in Hong Kong....



On my way over to the Pier I made a detour via the Sky Bridge that connects the main terminal from a group of new satellite gates. I'd never been across it before. I wasn't able to get any decent photos seeing as it was dark outside, but it's an impressive vantage point. As a plane spotter, it feels like a missed opportunity to have not built an outdoor observation deck!

Then onwards to the Pier. This is such a beautifully understated lounge. I headed straight to the a la carte dining room and ordered the Tasting Experience. The current menu is curated by Hong Kong fine dining restaurant Mott 32.



I skipped the aperitif, opting instead for a glass of Taittinger. The crab amuse bouche was probably the highlight. The dumpling was definitely lifted by delicately balanced Sichuan heat. The beef was tender enough to pull apart with chopsticks but the tangerine glaze was a bit sweet. A decent Côtes du Rhône helped cut through what might have otherwise been a slightly cloying dish.





Finally mango sago pudding for dessert was another Hong Kong classic.


After dinner I enquired about a spa treatment (fully booked up to their 11pm closing time) and a shower (no wait). Feeling refreshed I found a quiet corner of the lounge for a cup of tea and a second dessert from the buffet. I remember having an incredible pear tart last time I visited this lounge and I can safely say their pastry chef is still using the same recipe!



Sadly the Pier closes at 12:30 am so the few remaining guests were gently ushered out and sent towards The Bridge. Before heading to the next lounge I walked the length of the terminal once more looking for somewhere to buy throat lozenges. Sadly everything was shut by this hour apart from a couple of duty free shops. I guess gin or whiskey could have soothed the tickle in my throat, but I just retreated to The Bridge instead to try to stay awake until boarding time for my 2:50 departure to Toronto!

The biggest disappointment of the transit of course is that the newly renovated Wing lounge only admits Cathay First Class and Diamond members, not other OWE travellers. Though arguably, since the demise of the cabanas, the main attraction of that lounge has been enhanced away. I'm forever grateful for the few opportunities I had over the years to have a soak in a deep bathtub in that lounge. It's up there with showering aboard an EK A380 as my most indulgently enjoyable champagne travel experiences on my beer budget. (Thanks AFF!!!!)