Once in a Blue Moon...

I'm taking advantage of a rare blue moon over Miami this December 31 (which provided me with a title...) to make an equally infrequent appearance here. I just thought that it might be nice to end the year by sharing a funny story that happened to me in Sampa. At the same time, I'll introduce you to the best taxi driver in the world; should you find yourself in that metropolis one day, you'll know who to call for transportation. I was there in November for a week and, naturally, paid a visit to all my favorite shopping destinations: Ciao Mao and Havaianas for shoes, Santa Luzia for groceries. (I'm sure you're familiar with the queen of flip-flops; in case the other two names don't ring a bell, the first is synonymous with gorgeous footwear and the last one is, well, let's say it puts to shame the finest food markets around the world.)

On the way home, my sister-in-law and I were loaded with packages and in need of a taxi. She hailed one in the street and said: "oh, goodie, the driver is a woman." She was not only a woman, but a young, beautiful one, who also happened to be a much better driver than any of the guys we've used there over the years. AND a fan of classical music, which was playing, softly, in the car. We chatted with her all the way home and told her that we were really impressed by our ride and would like to take her picture. She agreed, so when we stopped in front of our building, we took some photos, said thank you very much, what a marvelous driver she was, nice to meet you, got her business cards, promised to spread the word, and got off. Then she calls us back: "you forgot to pay!" That had us roaring with laughter, I went back, gave her the fare and added a nice tip. Her parting words were something to the effect that we had such good, positive energy, and it was such a pleasure to meet such fun women.

Isn't this a lovely story to end the year with?

This is Sueli and she's at the Ponto de Táxi Avenida Dr. Arnaldo, 3864-8884. The tattoos on her arm are of her two little girls.

The last time we had a blue moon illuminating the skies on New Year's Eve was in 1990; the next will be in 2028, so I'm rooting for a cloudless night.