Jail Break!
Updated : Apr 14, 2009
By all accounts spending one day in US prison camp Guantanamo is horrendous and can be detrimental to you helath, but for Miss Universe a day out at the infamous soon to be closed detention centre was simply "a lot of fun!"
Venezuelan beauty queen Dayana Mendoza, who visited the centre and wrote about it on a recent entry of her Miss Universe blog, went so far as to label the place, in which prisoners most in need of the cheer Very Happy Pig aims to spread live, as "calm and beautiful".
Indeed she brought new meaning to the word jail break. The beauty queen seemed to be enjoying a nice holiday break at the maxuim security detention centre.
Her blog entry has since been removed, while a statement has been uploaded explaining the motives of her trip.
Former detainees and human rights groups have alleged that torture - including "waterboarding" (simulated drowning) - took place at the camp used to hold captives deemed "enemy combatants" in former President George W Bush's "war on terror".
President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of the camp, which now holds around 240 inmates, by early next year.
Ms Mendoza visited the camp along with Miss USA, Crystal Stewart, for several days and recounted her experiences in her blog.
It was an "incredible experience" she said.
"We hung out with the guys from the East Coast and they showed us the boat inside and out, how they work and what they do, we took a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun!
"We also met the Military dogs, and they did a very nice demonstration of their skills. All the guys from the Army were amazing with us.
"We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how they recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting.
She goes on to extol the virtues of the water around the bay - "soooo beautiful!" - and ends her entry: "I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."
Her comments attracted plentiful news coverage and some ridicule from bloggers, one of whom exclaimed: "My God! Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity. This is horrendous.
Very Happy Pig has heard of jail breaks but it sounds like this Miss Universe wants to break in rather than out.
