Miss Universe blog post on 'fun' at Gitmo vanishes

Miss Universe's blog posting about having fun at Guantanamo Bay has vanished from the pageant's Web site as embarrassed officials try to quash what they call a misunderstanding.

A flurry of critical commentary and news stories over the Venezuelan beauty queen's lighthearted post underscores that the military prison at Guantanamo remains a damaging symbol for the United States.

Dayana Mendoza's now-deleted late-March posting sounded like a note home from a spring breaker.

"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!" Mendoza wrote.

"The water in Guantanamo Bay is soooo beautiful!" she wrote at another point.

Those descriptions did not refer to the detention center for alleged terrorists, which occupies a sliver of the 45-square-mile (116-square-kilometer) base.

In a brief mention of the detainee camp, Mendoza said her group "saw the jails, where they shower, how they recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books." She described the prison only as "very interesting."

In place of her posting Wednesday was a statement from Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, who said Mendoza and Miss USA Crystle Stewart had gone to Guantanamo on a USO tour to boost the morale of U.S. troops.

Shugart said Mendoza, in her post about having a fun trip, was referring to "the hospitality she received while meeting the members of the U.S. military and their families."

Still, the affair angered some Venezuelans, who said Mendoza had harmed their country's image by speaking positively about Guantanamo, where 240 men remain locked up by the U.S.

The beauty queens weren't the first celebrities to go to the isolated U.S. Naval base in southeast Cuba. Country rocker Charlie Daniels was there in 2002, singing "The devil went down to Gitmo, he was looking for some Taliban" in front of cheering soldiers.

The Victoria's Secret models visited in December 2007, and participated in a Christmas parade. Portland rockers Everclear were there in 2008 and Art Alexakis, the band's leader, said "we had a great time."

Mendoza was crowned Miss Universe last year at a pageant in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

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Miss Universe Describes Gitmo Tour as 'Fun' and 'Relaxing'

Reigning Miss Univers 2008, Venezuela's Dayana Mendoza shocked the  world when she described her recent visit at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as "lot of fun, beautiful, relaxing and calm".

I found out Dayana's blog written in the pages of the official website of Miss Universe. She wrote this on 20th of March before she embarked for the trip to Cuba and right after the Miami Fashion Week. Let's read this:

Miami Fashion Week & Guantanamo Bay

This week I did some paper work at the office, and on Wednesday I went to a Latin club, were Jorge Villamizar (the Bacilos's singer) was playing, so I got to meet all the guys from the band, and we took some great pictures! They were very nice. I had a great time it was fun to listen to Latin music for a while. The next day we were flying to Miami for Fashion Week, and so I did interviews for CNN en Espanol, and for some South American networks. I was soooo happy first of all because I saw my friends from Miami, and second of all cause I spoke Spanish the whole time :)!!!!. Patricia Manterola was also there, it was such an honor to meet her and see how humble and nice see is. We all walked on the runway for Nicolas Felizola, a great Venezuelan designer. I was wearing a Wedding dress! (I still hope to get married one day hahaha) It was gorgeous!!! Nicolas was amazing to us. We had fun doing it, thanks Nicolas :) !!!! On Friday, we left for Jacksonville for one night because the next day we were going to Guantanamo, Cuba!!!! Wow, my job is amazing!!!! I love it, I let you guys know next week how Guantanamo was .... Muah!

Posted by Dayana

"It was a loooot of fun!" Dayana said according to Reuters.

Mendoza wrote of her time at the camp, a prison surrounded by barbed-wire fence and minefields. She wrote that she went to a bar on the naval base and visited the "unbelievable" beach.

"We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the(y) recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting," Mendoza wrote of Gitmo. "I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."

Along with Dayana is Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart.  

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