OK - so this one is going to be a grand adventure, but I think it will be GREAT fun for all involved.

A few years back I was in Austin visiting a friend and heard about the HUGE Carnaval/Samba Party they had, but wasn't able to go. On that trip, however, I DID go to the Brazilian Restaurante called "São Paulo's" and the food was spectacular.

For this trip we will meet up here in Dallas on Saturday January 31 and carpool down to Austin - check in to our lodging, have dinner at São Paulo's and then head to the Festa de Carnaval.

After the party we will stay in some kind of group lodging (I'm still working on the arrangements, and will update here when I know prices and details.) The type of lodging and cost will depend somewhat on the number of people traveling, so please RSVP as soon as possible so I can get an estimate of what to reserve. If you don't feel like you can commit without knowing how much the lodging will cost, then just email me and let me know you're interested, and what your price range would be.

I don't mind being one of the designated drivers after the party, since I don't drink. We will go somewhere for breakfast Sunday morning whenever everyone makes it out of bed, and then drive back to Dallas. We will split the cost of gas among everyone at the end of the trip, so please plan to have cash for that [it will most likely be in the range of $20-$25 per person.]

Here's the website for the restaurant: http://www.saopaulos....

And the website for the party: http://sambaparty.com... (I recommend you check out this site thoroughly so you know what you're in for.) The party will be $35.00 and you can buy your tickets online with only a $1.50 service charge. I recommend getting your party ticket as soon as you are sure you will be able to go.

I have also invited my Travel MeetUp Group members to join us, so there will be non-Portuguese speakers coming.

Also, I know many people have friends/acquaintances who live in Austin. For the sake of organization and logistics I will make a rule that you must travel with the group and stay in the group lodging. If you want to invite your friends to join us at the Carnaval that would be fine, but at the end of the night our group will leave together. I don't recommend inviting friends to eat with us at São Paulo's as the seating there is VERY limited, and it was very busy when I went there the same night a few years back, BUT if you really want them to come please let me know so I can call the restaurant and make proper reservations.

I am also setting the RSVP deadline of a week before the trip, so I will have adequate time to finalize all the arrangements.