We really didn't mind as Belo Horizonte's Confins airport was well designed and there were bars and cafes all over the place. The waiting room played Coldplay ad nauseaum and bizarrely this must have had a calming effect on the irate passengers. I don't understand why they stayed in the holding area for the entire time when they could have gone out like we did. Anyways, were this airport the NAIA, I wouldn't have survived the delay as the food prices are so ridiculously exhorbitant. At Confins, the price of cerveja and espresso were the same as in the city. Kagaguhan talaga ang 300ml na tubig for 130 pesoses sa NAIA! Tapos merong pang 500 pesos airport fee.
HRO Karl Willem, PA/PR Gromit and I arrived a bit ruffled at our apartment but instead of calling it a night after a long day, we did what people say we shouldn't. The Nashman took a walk at Ipanema. I was pleasantly surprised that the entire stretch of beach was actually floodlit. It was probably safer at night than Roxas Boulevard.
Before coming to Rio, Julia put me in touch with a friend of hers who she said would give me the lowdown on Rio. We met up at midnight and drove to Lapa (the old colonial district) to a club called Rio Scenarium.
There was a long queue that stretched two blocks when we got there. "Don't worry" sabi nya and chatted briefly to one of the big burly bouncers, the man who held "The list". We immediately got in. I suddenly felt special. Siemperds nagtinginan ang mga taong mahigit isang oras nang nakapila-balde sa kalye as the bouncer opened the velvet cordon for me. Sino sya? murmurs all over da place. Pero I'm sure na-realise rin nila na ang isang exotic at endangered unggoy na tulad ko ay dapat laging VIP
I can't describe how amazing this place is. No wonder it's in the top 10 places to make rampa in the world. (According to The Guardian. Kahet i-google nyo pa.) Grabe, ang gaganda ng mga peoplets! The place is an antique shop during the day spread over three floors. I was making kembot all over the place with the sexylicious Cariocas. Sa kapal ng mukha ko naki-jam rin ako sa stage with the band.(Iba talaga pag-torista ka, nawawala hiya mo. Or, dati lang talaga ako walang hiya.)
I can forget about doing other things in Rio. This place was just impressive. Christ the Redeemer Statue? Niemeyer masterpiece? Corcovado? Surfing? I don't need to see them, I can just stay in Lapa for the entire week.Maybe it's because it's my first time there but I think the place is really nice. More importantly, the people were so nice you can dance with just about anyone. Walang ala-Borgy Manotoc-anong tinitingin-tingin mo sa syota ko na gulo dito.
Yung mga smug at yabang noong high school dahil nakakapasok kayo sa Spirits Disco (pwe, Top 10 Clubs according to Songhits magazine) at ako hende dahil 'di ko ma-afford, shet, mamatay kayo sa inggit. Na-draft na talents ko sa NBA habang barangay leagues pa rin kayo. Magsolicit nalang kayo para sa uniporme nyo.
Nung umuwi na kami, natanong ko itong kaibigan ni Julia "Tita, sa mundong ito, ano ka at sinong ginagawa mo?" Nawindang naman ako nung sabihin nyang sila ang may-ari ng isang sikat na hotel chain sa Brazil. Tangna, ka-level nya pala si Paris Hilton. Unlike Paris, mabait sya na bata, only 24 yet runs the financial side of the family business. As we drove around Copacabana ang mga hirit eh "This is one of our hotels and further down is another one...And this is the third one..." Naimbitahan tuloy ako to stay sa isa nilang hotel. Anyways, I said to Julia's friend "We're BFFs na ha. Let's get a heart locket and put pictures of each other and wear them on our neck". Kumbaga, kung sya is Paris, ako naman si Nicole Richie. Ang aking social mountaineering skills lampas Everest na ang naabot. (Julia, I love you so much for making pakilala to me your kaibigan. Bati na ulit tayo.)
Ang estufid ko lang at di ko nadala camera ko. Sira porma naman kasing dalhin dahil saan ko ibubulsa yun with my skin-tight hapit hanggang buto outfit. Sinadya ko talaga dahil gusto kong malayo palang bumabakat na ang aking ipinagmamaliit na mga bukol. Seriously, walang halong exaggeration, sa mga nakilala at na-tsansingan ang aking mala-modelong katawan sa gabing ito, walang binatbat ang fez ni Gisele Bundchen. One time akala ko nga may namamalo sa akin ng unan, paglingon ko mga dyogalengs pala. Para ulit akong baby. Buti nalang hindi ako nag-Promil, I knew exactly what to do when offered the real thing......Sige nga, yung nakaka-irita na bata sa Promil na "The sun is the centre op da solar system" na commercial, asan na sya ngayon? Asaaaan? Alam man nya lahat ng moons ng Saturn at all da punyetang stars in the heavens, nakarating na ba sya sa langit? Ha? Ha?
The girl from Copacabana. Medyo masa ang beach na ito. Well, what do you expect from a beach na named after a Barry Manilow song. Tita halika muna dito I need to rub protective oils sa katawan mo.
The girl from Ipanema. Mas posh ang Ipanema beach. Syempre, mas ok naman ang bossa nova ni Jobim kaysa kay Manilow....
Heto naman ang mga surf babes sa Arpoador break kung saan ako nakatira at the moment...
Heto ang The Nashman, mga pagkukunwaring surfer sya. (Actually, pa-posing lang yan. Short boards kse dito at hindi yun ang aking expertise. Nagbody-board rin ako. Ganda ng alon.) Maginaw ang tubig dahil winter na pala dine.