Two sundays at Sapucaí

Let's see. Before the computer went out, I think I hadn't yet reported on the sunday before last night's sapucai outing.
The last thing I wrote about is Bruno, and that all came about because I was thinking about how he's always so incredible to his friends and, once again, arranged something I never could have done on my own.
Last sunday he took Sue, John and I to see Mangueira and Viradouro's technical rehearsal on sapucai. I'm a little jaded, and was viewing the whole outing with a bit of trepidation because those two schools have many many rabid fans. I knew it was going to be over the top crowded and difficult, but wanted to go anyway and of course Sue and John wanted to go. What I didn't realize is that the friend Bruno had introduced me to the night before at Mocidade, Delson, was very good friends with the head of security of the Sambódromo. We got to Sapucai and Bruno said we had to wait for a friend who wasn't answering his cell, and I could see the wheels turning in Bruno's head, thinking of an alternate plan....but as things so often happen in Rio, Delson was found at the last minute. I realized that Delson was going to get us into the little section that is 'closed off' to the public (right next to the pista at eye level). There were a few other 'people who know people' there, but we largely had a huge space to ourselves with guys coming by with beer for sale too! A couple of years ago you could just sneak into that area.

Note: These technical rehearsals used to be a lot different; they weren't as crowded, and I was always able to follow the samba schools right ON the pista (floor of the sambodromo, right behind them! I do remember once, though, when I was parading with Mocidade, that some drunk guys right behind me kept stepping on my heels and almost tripped me a few times. They started having to use crowd control methods the more and more popular and well-known the rehearsals became. There's a spot along the edge on the other side of the pista where you can watch from behind a fence that you enter from the food/pagode court, but you kind of have to stay in one spot....and you are packed in like sardines. They had to take a little girl away on a stretcher yesterday because she'd fainted.

Back to the story; don't think that it was easy getting across the pista to get to our little spot of heaven. We had to wait with a hot, impatient crowd of mangueira and viradouro fans in order to get to the first gate. They wanted in! Now! The security guys would let a few people in at a time, but if you wanted to be one of those few people, you had to be willing to take your life into your hands. Indeed, when it was finally our turn, I hoped for the best and went for it. My feet were off the ground, the air was squished right out of me temporarily, and my thumb was caught on the fence somehow behind some guy. Good thing my arms can hyper extend! (the only time I've been grateful for that). At the end of that push, I looked around and was the only one of our group who got through! I waited for the next push and Bruno, his fiancee Michelle, Delson, his wife and little girl got through. Then, Uh Oh....Sue and John. It took some convincing from Delson to let them through to join us. whew! But it was so worth it! Sue said she felt like a rock star as we were swept past the unwashed masses and across the pista to our spot. What a great night! We got to follow the bateria to the 2nd recuo and dance and observe.....
Delson also got us into the spot last night for grande rio and vila isabel. We didn't get to follow the bateria to the recuo this time, but it was still awesome.
I'd been starting to feel really sick and feverish and had to sit down during the break in between grand rio and vila isabel, but when Vila Isabel started, all of a sudden I was well. Bruno loves Vila Isabel and says they cured me. (I felt sick as soon as they were done and am still sick today though!)