The name of the bar was 'Goldlips', recently changed from Goldfinger which should have been our first clue. We had already seen most of what was to offer in the entertainment department here in Puerto La Cruz, namely casinos passed off as bingo halls, so it should have come as no surprise that the term 'American bar' would also refer to something other than the obvious. But I am jumping ahead...
At 11:25 am this morning Carlos Coste made a second attempt for the world freediving record in Variable Weight descending once again to the incredible depth of 135 meters by sled and returning to the surface under his own power. The total dive time was an extremely tense 4:36 as Carlos took his time during the ascent leaving no question of his incredible abilities.
Unlike the previous attempt video documentation on the sled, bottom plate and surface were all in order however a malfunction with the back up surface camera left no room for error. That makes three times we have experienced problems with the video documention. It makes you wonder.
With Carlos' record dive successful (pending final ratification and doping test results) we could all finally relax a little. Stig Severinsen's third and final attempt at Constant No Fins will be this Friday so, with day and half to recover, the gang headed out to the Bingo for a few drinks and a little roulette action.
The beer was free in the VIP section where Carlos promptly lost his minimum start of 20,000 Bolivares. Meanwhile Luiz Delgado, our primary safety diver and class clown raked in the chips for over an hour before giving it all back. As the boys played with marbles Danish cinematographer Jesper and I critiqued the shameless lounge music while tossing the complimentary ice cubes thoughtfully included in our beers.
With that done it was time to change venues. The American bar beckoned. Flanked by Luiz and scuba safety Guacharo, Jesper and I made our way to Goldlips, a seedy looking joint in the tenderlion of Puerta La Cruz. Though it was in Spanish the MC's voice through the hazy neon interior was unmistakeable, American bar means strip club.
Now if the girls were really exciting that might have changed things a little but the reality is that in Venezuela the women walking down the street are so beautiful that there really is no need for place like this. Mind you the pole work was impressive.
Posted by pike at October 28, 2004 04:17 PM