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food / travel

Rio Police Arrest American -- 400 Caipirinhas Later -- For Unpaid Bar Tab

A unpaid $7,000 tab at Copacabana's Porto Bay hotel was traced to a 53-year-old American, whose hotel bill showed 30 caipirinhas a day. Employees say the suspect was constantly surrounded by women... apparently also with drinks in hand.

397 to go! (milesgehm)
397 to go! (milesgehm)
RIO DE JANEIRO - A 53-year-old American tourist was detained in Rio International Airport last week after leaving an unpaid R$14,488 ($7,000) tab unpaid in Porto Bay hotel, alongside this city's legendary Copacabana beach. Robert Scott Utley may become a legend himself, as nearly half of his hotel bill was spent on 400 caipirinhas – a daily average of 30 glasses of the sugary lime and cachaça cocktail. Hotel employees said Utley was usually accompanied by several women.
The hotel manager got suspicious and called the police when Utley requested a cab to the airport. He had a flight ticket scheduled for the next day.
Utley spent the night at the police station and left the next day. The American consulate in Rio did not say whether the bill was paid or whether he returned to the United States. The tourist insisted his credit card had been cloned — a common problem in Brazil — and therefore could not pay the bill. He also said he took an earlier flight because of heart problems that required urgent treatment.

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Photo - milesgehm

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Society

Mendoza's "Recycled" Winery, Argentine Eco Architecture With A Splash

Architects in Mendoza, western Argentina, have used hundreds of tons of recycled building material, shipping containers and discarded decorations to create an otherwise high-tech winery.

Photo of Maalwines' winery Las Compuertas, Mendoza, Argentina

Maalwines' trash recycled winery Las Compuertas, Mendoza, Argentina

Graciela Baduel

MENDOZA — Winemaking and wine tourism installations are usually built with a tasteful nod at the landscape around them. In the case of the MAAL winery in western Argentina, its environment-friendly design includes use of 300 tons of discarded construction and decoration materials found in and around the district of Mendoza.

Local architects Mora Hughes wanted to make the project a badge of their "commitment to nature," but with all the "charm of a Mendoza winery." MAAL winery is in Las Compuertas, on the outskirts of the city of Mendoza and at the heart of a celebrated winemaking region.

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