VIP in Recife

So, after another 16 hours on the bus (which, by the way, did end up smelling like poop), we finally made it to Recife!!!! Did we get there at 8am like the bus people said we would? No, of course not. Do I know what time we actually did get there? No, of course not.... every clock in the terminal was different, and they ranged from 10am-1pm. I am guessing we were closer to ten due to the position of the sun, but there is no way to prove that.

So, I got out my little Brasilian Oi phone card and attempted to call Francisco.... about 78 times.... because I didn't think it was working.... No one ever said using a Brasilian pay phone was easy. Little did I know, that apparently it was working, and he was just in a meeting and I made his phone go off for like an hour.... hahahaha sorry about that one Chicão..... anyways, he called me back on the payphone (that is right, I answered the phone in the terminal and just said, "Hello?" like I was at home. I got a few weird looks on that one....) and arranged for Paula to come pick us up! I love her!!!!!! She is so awesome!!!!

Paula took us to a really cool place for lunch and right off the bat we ordered up some Caipirinhas. What more could we ask for? We ate some delicious food and had a wonderful lunch getting to know the newest addition to the South American branch of the family. It was great. So, then she took us to Olinda, where there are signs everywhere that say "beware of shark attacks".... I am now missing a leg, but it was just my left one, so no problem. We had a few Skols there on the beach while Paula ran across the street and to do some quick cachaça business deal, and then she came back and we ate the freshest crab ever. I mean it was literally crawling in my hand one second and the next it was on my plate..... pobrecito. It got revenge on me when it clawed my thumb though, and now I have a huge war wound. Crab ghosts are the worst kind of ghosts. Anyways, after the carageijo (sp??) we went up to this square and tried some tapioca, a strange little beady substance that they fry and then it kind of turns into a crepe type thing and there was queijo and coco in it. Delicious.

Then, Francisco finally got out of work and met us up in the square! Reunion! We had some more Skol, chatted about memories past, and then headed back to Paulas to get ready for the evening. I am pretty sure we googled the lyrics to Total Eclipse of the Heart so that Francisco could refresh his memory for the upcoming drunk dials. After taking a much needed shower, we went on our way. We stopped by Franciscos house and I got to see Iaci (sorry I know I am spelling that wrong!!) She is such an amiguinha!! She poured us a shot of cachaça and then we went out for a night on the town. Now, we arrived at this club.... red rope surrounding the door.. and we got straight in. No waiting in line for us because Paula got our name on "the list." We then proceed to the super-airconditioned dance floor, only to notice that all the tables are reserved. No problem. Paula manages to get us prime real estate somehow, so we were seated right away. Then, we tried some "snakes" :) aka snacks, and had some cervejas. The pre-party music was awesome, 1980s USA all the way. Then.... the band came on. They are from Recife, and loved by all. So cool. We put our dancing shoes on and rocked the night away. We had an absolute blast and stayed out quite late, even though they both had to work this morning!! Such good directors of fun!!!!

So, this morning, we woke up at Paula's and had a leisurely morning. She came to scoop us up around noon and took us to the beach. We sat there under and umbrella, and every time someone walked by selling all sorts of strange food, we would buy it. I ate whole shrimp (ripped their heads off and threw them at Ashley), whole fish with some delicious side dishes, a strange soupy concoction of seafood, beans, cuero, olives, and corn (really good actually!!), some nuts, some BBQed cheese on a stick, some coco, and who really knows what else. It was really cool trying so many new foods from the comfort of my own beach chair. Then, we headed back here to our new penthouse suite (yes, she also lives in one- amazing view of the city, and yes there was a gorgeous sunset). Paula had to go to work for a bit, so I watched Ice Age 3 with her sister while Ashley loaded up 9billion pics on faaaaacebook.

Side note- she has a really awesome camera, and mine is held together by tape and the battery only works for about 30 seconds before dying, so I am relying on her for pics. I will get the web address for them and put them on my blog to share. For now, they are on facebook.

Anyways, I love cartoons, and now we are getting ready for the night. I am not sure what is on the agenda, but Francisco and Paula should be getting home from work soon. I am so stoked for tomorrow- there is a huge outdoor music festival with like 10 of the most awesome Brasilian bands ever and of course Paula is getting us in VIP style once again. Why would you have it any other way? It will be awesome.