This Ain't My First Rodeo.

Ok.  Maybe this isn't my FIRST rodeo, but it was my first Tico (Costa Rican) rodeo.  And this was unlike any rodeo I have seen before.

The big festivities were held in Villa Real, the town next to Tamarindo;  no tourists, everyone and everything is even more relaxed here, and it has a nice 'small town/everyone knows each other here' feeling (and they really do! They ALL know each other).

First things first.  The rodeo arena is actually at the soccer field in the middle of town.  It kind of looks like some locals grabbed some old wooden planks, some 2x4s, and banged out a fenced-in ring and a grandstand, a few days before the event (which, they totally did, just that).

The arena.

The grandstands.

Grandstand seating.

The day of the rodeo, a small (and slightly unsafe) carnival sets up, some food stands pop up, and the bulls arrive.

Food stands.

Festival area.

Bullpen, and not the baseball kind.

Salsa and meringue.

About 25% of the attendees pay $2 bucks to sit in the stands, and everyone else just sits on top of the arena fence, or stands at the fence to watch.

They only have 1 rodeo event, bull riding, which lasts several hours.   In Costa Rica, ANYONE can volunteer to RIDE the bulls and ANYONE can get INTO the ring during the bull riding, to be 'rodeo clowns' ......ANYONE.  A-N-Y-O-N-E!

All the people who voluntarily stand inside the fence during bull riding.  Interested in being a rodeo clown?  Hop on through the fence, and you're good to go.

On a related note, the Red Cross is on-site to assist with any medical concerns.  Their medical booth actually backs right up against the ring, and the wall of the medical booth has a little gated window that looks into the ring, so they know when people are headed their way.  AND, yes, several people headed their way last night.   A couple random 'volunteer clowns' got tossed around by the bulls, shirts shredded, covered in dirt, and a little bloody too.

The Red Cross booth (pictured at 12 o'clock in this photo).  The window is 'closed,' but they popped it back open when the bull got a bit farther from their medical service area.

After each volunteer rides a bull, the local (what seems like) high school band plays, and they just leave the bulls in the ring for a few additional minutes for what seems like entertainment purposes. This is all thanks to the plethora of fools just standing around in the ring, for the bulls to pummel.

Bull and rodeo arena main gate.

Random dude getting tossed around by the bull. PS I was up in the grandstand at is point, and I wasn't even using the zoom on my camera.  Everything at this rodeo is just THAT close.

Again, no zoom.  Just an angry bull.....right there! 

The band that plays before/after rides. 

When the bulls are angrily running around in the ring, they are mere inches from a couple thousand bystanders.  At several points, I could have stretched my arm through the fence and touched a couple not-so-happy bulls. INSANE.  Even more nuts, is that, if those bulls really wanted too, they could easily bust through the toothpick and twine fence holding everything up.  Scary stuff.  Scary, but fun.  An experience unlike anything I have seen before.

Along with the bull riding, 'volunteer rodeo clown' watching, food, carnival activities, and live music, there were also fireworks. At one point, some guy just walked into the middle of the arena and shot off fireworks, from inside a piece of PVC pipe that he just set down and lit on fire with his cigarette.

Several times last night, I thought to myself, 'where am I?'

However, with all of that said, it was an incredible experience, and such a slice of Tico life.  I had a great time with my friends, met some really nice locals, heard some fun live salsa/meringue music, ate some really tasty new foods (El Salvadorian), and realized once again, that there are still many more adventures to be had. Pura Vida!

Enjoying some rodeo eats!

Stay tuned, my friends.....more adventures to come.

Quick Trip Recap - Sara and Ryan in Tamarindo

Despite have issues arrive and departing, I think Sara and Ryan enjoyed their trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica.   I had afternoon classes all week, but we still planned morning and afternoon activities each day for them (and sometimes me).  We planned around my schedule, which allowed them to do some activities on their own, eat some meals without me 3rd-wheelin' it, and have a little 'we are finally vacationing without our kids' time!

I skipped class Monday afternoon when they got in (only Monday though).  We had some lunch, hit the beach, and explored the town in the evening.

Tuesday, we hiked over to another beach nearby, Playa Longosta (lobster beach-  although, I didn't see any).  There is only 1 resort down there, so it was nice and quiet.....at the beach, at least.  There were some pretty major waves in the water, but we enjoyed every bit of it, even the multiple underwater flips/tosses and turns.

Tuesday afternoon they zip-lined and loved, loved, LOVED it.

Wednesday morning, we went ATV-ing at another lovely beach nearby, Playa Flamingo.  We had a really swell guide, and he took us into the mountains, and then we got to ride along the beach.  It's another less populated beach, so you can get away with stuff  like that.  Being the dry season, the mountains were a bit.....dusty......so by the time we were done, we were covered in a thick layer of dirt.  It was kind of awesome....really awesome actually.

In all honesty, I had no interest in 4-wheeling, but Ryan wanted to do it, so we went.  Super glad I did!  Plus, another 'new thing' I got to try while on my travels.

Wednesday afternoon, Sara and Ryan surfed with my school peeps- both having some success too!

Wednesday night, we went for a big BBQ on the beach.  My best meal here yet!  We topped their last night off with some coconut pie and banana pie from Nogui's - best pie in town/in Costa Rica/in the world/EVER/I am being really dramatic about this/but it's true.

Thursday morning, before they hit the road, we hit an early morning boat ride/hike, up the river, on the hunt for crocodiles.   I even had a better time than expected, especially with Victor Huge (not the French writer, the Costa Rica boats captain/guide).   We saw Costa Rican 'swamps,' lots of animals, heard the 'clopping' sound of clams opening during low tide, and even howled at some howler monkeys. Lots of neat things to explore in CR.

Alas, Thursday at noonish, they headed back to the USA.
Adios amigos!

Ahhhh! They Made It!

Sara and Ryan (sister and hubs) finally arrived in Tamarindo, after a whole dang-a-lang mess in Houston and San Jose!  Regardless of their delays, I am super pumped that they made it.  Lots os activities and such planned for the next couple of days.

Sara and Ryan disembarking from the plane.

At the beach watching the sunset.

Me and sissy.  

P.S. only time in my 29 years, where I am more tan than she is.  

Mark the calendar!

Also, thanks to the whole Herbst and Bading clan for purchasing and brining me goodies!  Some surprise treats (Peeps and Girl Scout cookis), and other specifically requested items.  Not that shampoo, face wash, sunscreen and Cliff Bars are all that rare around here (although, I still have yet to see a Cliff Bar, actually),  these items cost about twice as much here.  You would think you were slathering on liquid gold, with what you pay for sunscreen in Tamarindo, so receiving a bottle of that is like hittin' the beach-town jackpot! Holla!

Lots of goodies.  Thanks, mi familia!

A Local Saturday

The last few weekends I have gone out of town, to explore other parts of CR, but this weekend, I stuck around.  My sister arrives this afternoon (Sunday), and I didn't want to miss her arrival, so I did some 'local' stuff with my neighbor-girls at school.

On saturday morning, we decided to take the public bus to a beach 20 minutes away, Playa Conchal.  After checking the bus schedule online half a dozen times to make sure we had the time correct, we headed out.  After an hour of waiting at the bus stop, 3 buses going by that weren't the one we needed, and each of the drivers from said buses giving us different information, we gave up and took a cab. . . .

Playa Conchal is a really unique beach.  The sand at the beach is made up of millions of tiny crushed shells (conchals!).   There are spots where the shells are big and thick, other spots where they are smaller and finer, but regardless of the particle size, all the shells are soft from the constant movement of the water, so they don't hurt your feet (my initial concern!).  It's really neato how nature works.  I think there are very few, if any, other beaches like this in the Americas.  Plus, the water is pretty clear, because there aren't as many fine sand particles churning in the water/waves.

Playa Conchal 

Playa Conchal 

The 'sand' at the beach.

The 'sand' at the beach. 

The shells are all shapes and sizes along different parts of the beach, and in the water.

While at the beach, we spotted a giant hive of some sort.  I have seen a lot of these in the trees, but never this close.  I still don't quite know what is inside, or what kind of bugs build them, but this one was the biggest one I have seen. And I made sure to get a person in the picture for scale!  

Large unidentified hive. 

Large unidentified hive.

After we hit the beach for a few hours, we walked up to the little town nearby, found a soda, and had a nice cheap lunch:  casado (my fave: fish, rice, beans, salad, and plantains) AND a drink, $5 (tax and tip included)!

The soda in Brasalito, yes that is a rooster; just hanging. . . 

At night, we decided to go out to the town next door, Villareal.   The area's rodeo is about to begin, and one of the bars in town was hosting the 'King and Queen of the Rodeo Peagant,' which this year, was abuelos- grandmas and grandpas.  It was really fun and adorable.  They paraded all the contestants into the bar , they all danced with their peagant partners, and at one point, after a full minute or two of complete silence in the bar (?), all the contestants took a shot of alcohol in unison.  I am still not sure what this was all about, but I liked it.

Contestants lining up for the grand entrance.

The lady in the brown was crowned Queen, and the guy in the blue hat (kind of blocked in the back), was the King!

Shot time!

After the pageant, there was a band, dancing and drinking. I was asked to dance twice, and I very reluctantly went,, both times. The first time was with this super drunk guy, and it easily showed  everyone in the bar, that I have no rhythm.  There are no tourists in this town, so my friends and I stuck out like sore thumbs to begin with, then add in me being the ONLY person in the room who can't dance (especially bc I am fairly certain that rhythm is part of Latino DNA), so, it was NOT pretty.   I think the second guy asked me to dance because he thought he could teach me, after seeing the disaster that was my dancing with the first guy, but I quickly proved him wrong too.  I prewarned both guys that I was really really bad, and I actually tried to not dance at all with either (the 'thanks, but no' line), but they were super persistent, and I thought, 'what the heck- who do I know here?'

My first (and really drunk) dance partner.....not looking good.

Maybe looking a little better, but still not pretty.

One of my teachers was there too (her grandma was a peagant contestant), and I told her earlier in the night that I can't dance. After my two epic fails on the dance floor, I said 'I told you.' Her eyes got really big, like she was almost frightened,  and she said 'NO! You can't.'  She then tried to teach me too, but to no avail.  However, she WAS the best partner I had that night :)

After a couple hours there, we headed home.  Sadly, after we left and went looking for a cab, I was even stopped in the street by a random guy who told me he saw me dancing in thebar, and that I was a horrible dancer. He even told me in broken English.  Sad, huh?  I am glad I provided some entertainment for the locals though.  :(     YIKES!

Leaving the bar through the pageant entrance with my 3 neighbor-girls!