Part 3.... So we ate some dinner then put on our bright orange shirts and headed out to the VIP thing. You go in at street level and up to the 2nd floor. There is a balcony that looks out over the street and the trios that are passing by underneath. This would have been cool except all of these types of places are balconys made like very large scaffolding. Pipes and plywood. If you stood still you could watch the whole thing shake around you as people jumped up and down and danced to the music. I left it as quickly as possible and went down a back corridor into an actual building where they had more of a regular dance club set up. This is where I finally started to loosen up. there was just me and a few other people and slowly the rest of our group started coming down. We were all dancing and chatting and just having a good time. I was finally enjoying myself. The highlight of the evening was when Tami and Gephart danced together. They looked like professionals and did this swing dance type dance where Gephart even flipped Tami upside down (never mind the stone floor below...) It was fantastic!! We got back somewhere around 2am.

The next day we had an evening trio so some people went shopping and some went to the beach. Tami, Nancy and I did both with a third bonus, we slept in! After shopping, we had lunch at an italian restaraunt looking over the ocean. This was one of my favorite times. It was so lovely to sit and have lunch with the girls. So relaxing and just purely enjoyable. We then walked along the water a bit and went back for a nap!

The trio that night was astronomically better. It turns out that when we were between the two trucks on the first onoe, that that wasn't a good idea. As the trucks moved, the people in front of the second truck got pushed forward into the rest of the people that were stuck behind the first truck. Hence all the pushing and shoving and crowding. This time, we learned from others that it was better to be in front of the first truck adn as far forward as the men with the ropes would go. We were still part of the trio but since we were at the very front we were able to keep the pace better and there was noone to crowd into (most of the time) This was wonderful. We had room to dance to the music and talk to each other. Still had a bathroom problem but I just tried not to even drink water and that helped alot.

We had one more trio the next day which was the same as the first trio we had done. This time we got real smart about it though and had our bus pick us up about halfway through. At the point where we went down the hill to the ocean and then would have turned left, we got out. We wandered around the Centre and absorbed more of the local culture. There were small parades of locals about 15-20 people. There would be some costumed dancers at the front and a marching type band at the back. Behind would be local children and people of all ages dancing along behind them. This was my favorite part of the whole trip. The dancers were so amazing to watch and the music was so good, I wish we could have done a day of it. We wandered over to an italian restaraunt and had some pizza. We were outside and there was a band playing in the square that all the restaraunts faced onto. Well it didn't take us long to get up and start dancing!! It was fantastic!! By this time it was evening so it was a nice temperature and that beautiful ocean breeze would come up. Everyone around you (except our group) were locals just having a fantastic time. (Gen remember when we danced on the tables in Miami and how much fun that was? This was like that!) Later that night we went to dinner at a real Brazilian Grill. It was excellant!

The next day a large portion of our group left to go to Morrow. It was an island nearby and they were staying there for a few days, so there were lots of goodbyes the night before. About 8 people went to the beach and myself and 4 others went back to the Centre and the Black Market. We did some shopping and wandered around being tourists. This was the perfect way for me to end.

And you already can assume the rest with the 36 hour trek back to England (which was 0 degrees when I got here and snowed later that night......) On Saturday I went to the National Wedding Show and got a lot of ideas. I even bought a tiara! I have no idea if it will work with my dress but it was so pretty and I have such trouble resisting pretty things!!

I woke up today and smiled. It is starting to be light out when my alarm goes off and it was beautiful and sunny out. I had gone to bed at 9 last night (very tired from staying up til 3am on Sunday to watch half of the Oscars) So I woke up well rested. Now I can't wait until Thursday when Angie and Renee get here!!! What a surreal and wonderful life I am leading.... :)