Uh, what were CHAPERONED teens doing in Carlos n Charlie's bar?

[jswordy]

I can't figure this out in regard to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway on Aruba. WHERE WERE THE CHAPERONES? They took the 18-year-olds to a BAR? A bar that advertises the following:

http://www.carlosncharliesaruba.com/

And then, they were unaware of the girl's disappearnace until it was time for the group to get on a plane back home? Hmmmm....times sure have changed since I went on chaperoned high school trips. I detect a lawsuit coming.

In other news on this tragedy....

The bar weighs in on Natalie's disappearance on Aruba

<snip>

To re-cap events over the past week - A group of 40 Americans came to our restaurant on Sunday evening, the 29th of May. The group entered the restaurant around 11: 30 pm. As always, all individuals were identified as being at least 18 – years of age before entering our restaurant. Being a Sunday evening, the restaurant was quiet with a small crowd of around 15 patrons. The entire group of 40 Americans stayed for about an hour and a half – leaving the restaurant at 1 am - our closing time. It was not until 48 hours later that we were told that the group that had visited our restaurant was a high school group from Birmingham, Alabama – and one of the students (Natalee Holloway) had been missing since early Monday morning. Since finding out about the disappearance of Miss Holloway, we have diligently worked with Aruba officials and the local police department in hopes of helping to further the ongoing investigation. We immediately posted multiple “missing person” sign with a photo and description of Miss Holloway. We have made our employees available on an ongoing basis to meet with those officials in hopes of helping the investigative team. Out of our concern for the safety and security of Miss Holloway, we contacted a spokesperson for the Holloway family to let them know that we were adding an additional $5,000 to the existing $50,000 reward monies for any information leading to the disappearance of their daughter. Out of respect for Natalee and her family, we cancelled all scheduled events this past week as well as any scheduled festivities and parties for the upcoming weeks.

<snip>

Find the whole blog letter here:
http://carlosncharliesaruba.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26&sid=accc780dc271e686daf8adc87163dccc

Natalee isn't the first girl to go missing....

Another family said they know exactly what the parents of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teenager who has been missing in Aruba since last week, are going through. They've been dealing with the same nightmare for seven years.

The Bradleys, of Virginia, went on a cruise in 1998 and Aruba was one of the stops. That's where their daughter disappeared.

Iva Bradley said her 23-year-old daughter, Amy, befriended three men who worked on the cruise ship and they wanted to take her to a bar in Aruba.

"They said they wanted to take her to a bar on Aruba that was called Carlos and Charlie's," said Bradley. "She made a face and said 'I wouldn't get off the ship with any of those guys anyway. That's creepy.'"

Amy Bradley was last seen in her cabin at 5:15 a.m. By 6 a.m., she was nowhere to be found.

"Imagine if you have a child. You brought that child into the world and every waking moment is geared toward your children," said Iva Bradley. "You go on a trip and come home without one of them and you get no help. It's a pretty devastating 24/ 7 situation."

Bradley's case remains open with the FBI. WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Ala., spoke with her case manager in Barbados but there wasn't much she could say. However, she did confirm reports of a sighting by a Naval officer one year after the woman disappeared.

The officer told the FBI he went to a brothel in Curac'l on Canal. He said an American girl leaned in and said: "My name is Amy Bradley. I need your help."

Unfortunately he didn't report the sighting for sometime and by then the brothel had burned to the ground. The FBI has released sketches of suspects in her case.

<snip>

It's the second story here:
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4578420/detail.html

[RebelOne]

1. I don't understand. What's so bad about what they are advertising?

In the statement they said, "All individuals were identified as being at least 18 – years of age before entering our restaurant." So I assume the legal drinking age is 18 there.

[jswordy]

3. Yep, I guess that is the disconnect I have..."I don't understand"

Seems the chaperones "don't understand" what it means to be in charge of a chaperoned event, either.

I have a friend who has chaperoned several trips, one of which was a group of high school 18 year olds to Bermuda last year. They did NOT go out bar hopping. Nor was he clueless about where members of the group he was in charge of were at any one time. Nor did he allow single members to go off on their own, or get into cars with strange men.

The world sure has changed. Parental responsibility is in too many cases a thing of the past, that is a given. But when someone is given the responsibility as a chaperone "to supervise their behavior," as it says in the dictionary, I would think taking them to a bar where "we make you drink as you have lunch or dinner" might cross some kind of line, hmmm?

When I went on chaperoned trips as an 18 year old (and it was legal to drink at 18 in my state at that time), NO alcohol was allowed and we were closely supervised. Head counts were regularly conducted, so there was no "Gee, we found out she was gone when it was time to get on the plane and she didn't show up."

Guess they DID understand what chaperones are supposed to do, back then. No one got hurt or went missing on any of those trips.

[ernstbass]

2. Age 18 is the drinking age in most of the Carribbean

I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I have been to a Carlos and Charlies on another island and it was pretty wild - kinda like Senor Frogs. I wonder if someone put GHB in her drink. And it is perplexing that no one said she was missing until the last minute - of course, 18 yr olds are considered to be legal adults so maybe the chaperones cut them some slack. I remember that Bradley case - very upsetting.

[LynneSin]

4. Man, Carlos & Charlies - brings back wonderful memories of Acapulco

:bounce:

I had such a crush on the waiter and we sucked face by the bathroom.

Of course, I was 32 when I was in Acupulco.