There's a Bug's Leg on the Floor

Hey Everyone,

 

So Marcin and I went out again last night with some local Brazilians.  Marcin met a Brazilian guy named Paulo last year when he was in Ireland so he gave him a call to let him know he was in Brazil.  Paulo actually just returned to Brazil Sunday after spending six months in Europe.  Paulo is a really nice 25-year old guy who obviously has a little bit of money.  Marcin thinks his mother is some type of politician, perhaps a mayor or something.  Anyway, we met Paulo, his boyfriend, Leandro, and a couple of their friends (whose names I can't remember) at the metro station and first went out for a drink at a local restaurant a block away from our hotel.  I say restaurant because they have a full menu, but this place is really more like a gay bar since the vast majority of the patrons are gay and most people just go there to drink.  It's also VERY cruisy.  On the weekend, there are groups of people just standing around drinking outside of the restaurant because the few tables they have are always taken, especially the ones outside.  The crowds spill out into the street and it's impossible to pass by on the sidewalk.  We had caipirinhas and chatted a bit and decided we would go out to a club later in the evening.  Since it's Carnival, most clubs and bars that would normally be closed on Monday were open and packed. 

 

After a drink at the restaurant, we stopped at the hotel to change, then went to grab a quick bite to eat at McDonalds before heading out to the club.  We went to a place called Blue Space, located in the Barra Funda neighborhood.  Barra Funda is just north of the city center and is more of an industrial area so a lot of clubs are located there.  Luckily, Paulo has a (very nice) car so he drove.  Marcin and I rode with Paulo and Leandro, while the other two guys just took the metro.  We all met up again outside the club.  Blue Space is probably one of the largest clubs I've been to here in Brazil.  Downstairs, they had a large lounge area for chatting or cruising, plus a separate dance area playing electronic and house.  They also had a darkroom downstairs, but we didn't check it out.  Upstairs, they had another large dance floor playing Brazilian music, which I can only describe as a mixture of Reggae and Happy Fag Folk Music.  There was also a large stage set just above the dance floor and another level upstairs that overlooked the dance floor.  This room was the most popular at the beginning of the night and it was quite interesting to see the Brazilians singing and dancing to the music.  It's like every song had a dance or, more often, hand movements that everyone knew.  It was similar to the way a crowd breaks out with the Electric Slide or the Hustle in the sense that everyone seemed to know the moves and the moves were different for every song. 

 

Paulo and his friends were very cool and fun to hang out with, especially the two who didn't speak English, both of whom actually do drag regularly.  One of the guys, the most fun of the group, showed us a video clip on his cell phone of himself performing.  He's actually really good and I would have loved to see him perform live.  He was also funny because he was queeny without it being forced or exaggerated.  For instance, when we were having a bite to eat before going out, there was something on the floor near our table and he pointed out, in all gay seriousness, to the security guard that there was a bug's leg on the floor.  I'm still not quite sure if it really was a bug's leg (if it was, it would have had to have been a very big bug), but the whole scene was quite hilarious, especially the expression on security guards face.  The security guard, not quite knowing how to take such a comment or what the guy actually wanted him to do about the bug's leg, simply responded that it's hot so there are many bugs that come in from outside. 

 

At the club, we spent a lot of time upstairs with the Brazilian music, but eventually all headed down to the other dance floor where I haven't enjoyed the music so much since I was in Rosario.  I danced, with my shirt off of course, sweated till I was glistening, and had a great time.  Marcin had a couple of caipirinhas so by the end of the night he was a bit tipsy and certainly had a good time.  The best part was when we were standing near the bar and some old man came up and started grinding up against him and dancing.  I was standing just a foot away and watching and could only smile as Marcin had a "Help Me, Save Me" look on his face.  I let him endure the torture for a minute before I interrupted and politely led the guy away, but the guy was a bit pushy and didn't want to let go of Marcin... these Brazilian guys can be aggressive sometimes.  Later, we went to pay our bills and I didn't get any sort of local discount; they charged me for every beer I had, in addition to the R$17 cover.  Oh well, I guess you can't be lucky all the time.  We then all piled into Paulo's car, all six of us, and he was very nice to drive us back to our hotel.  So even though the club wasn't the cheapest of places, we really saved a lot by not having to take a taxi. 

 

I'm quite happy we went out a couple times while here so I could experience the nightlife of Sao Paulo.  It's not the most exciting city to visit in general, but the nightlife is the one thing most people talk about when they mention the city and now I can understand why.  It can be expensive, especially if you have to take taxis, but at least the Brazilians know how to party. 

 

Ciao,

Ozell