This never-before-published story is the hardest to believe, but as we have a first-hand account, here it goes. A well-known South Beach personality put together a group of friends to come enjoy Carnival in Rio. This happened in the 80's, and many in the group were HIV+. Unfortunately one of the most enthusiastic travelers passed away before the trip.

For some reason our Sobe friend was put in charge of disposing of his ashes. After pouring a little here and there at favorite spots, he decided to bring the rest of the ashes to Rio. This guy used to love a party as much as anybody else, and if his last wish was coming for Carnival in Rio... so be it.

He brought in his luggage a couple of bags of beautiful golden balloons. With the help of a coffee spoon, he carefully scooped the ashes and poured them into the balloons. With the help of a straw to avoid direct contact, they were blown one by one. Once tied, they had this nice rattling sound to them...

The group with the rattling balloons made a big entrance at the Gala Gay ball. They had a mezzanine box, and once everybody was there beautiful golden balloons started falling from the sky into the dance floor. Another big hit! People started playing with the stuffed balloons, until each one eventually burst in a white shower. A glorious way to say good-bye. If there's any lesson to be learned, it's that you should think twice before pricking a rattling balloon.