Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Carnival and A Night Out

Random Sleeping Dog
I was naughty last night. I went out for dinner. I'm told the last night of carnival only comes around once a year, and decided to treat myself. I'll be working hard today to make up for it, srsly.

On the walk into town (all 6 blocks to the center) I caught a ride with some girls in a gas powered golf cart. I think they were about 8, with their dancing headdress balanced on the front seat between them. What can I say, I'm brave (or maybe stupid?).

Fresh Spinach Ravioli and a Glass Bottle of Coke. Yum
So I went back to the Italian restaurant, where they do *fresh* pasta. I was lured there by dreams of fresh spinach ravioli, and ZOMG, was it worth it. The food, oh wow... It was easily one of the best things I've *ever* put in my mouth--better than chocolate. No, really. I also ran into the *second* set of Americans I've found since getting to this island. Which makes, I think, 10 total since getting to Mexico.

Tiburon Balena on Land! (Whale Shark)
After dinner I went for a walk. I'm gonna be totally honest- I didn't make it to midnight. I was back at the hostel with ouchy feet and a (mostly) full camera by about 10:30. I heard either fireworks or an attack by heavy artillery between midnight and 12:30, so I think they wrapped up sometime around there- and probably headed off to church.

Between dinner and the end of the party, though, I wandered around, watching the different dance groups. If Carnival here is anything like elsewhere, they are competing dance schools (of some sort). I'm not so sure about the one made up of all "ladies", but in my life I've learned that men will do strange things for beer. Last night I caught three groups dancing (a group in really flashy, expensive looking costumes, one in more home-made looking costumes, and men in drag) but I know there were more, because there were also two or three groups of kids running around with costumes or parts of costumes.

Dancers Between Numbers

Dancing "Ladies"
I'm not sure how the general population manages to be up all night, then work all day. I've got even less idea how the dancers do it. They dance, from what I can tell, pretty much from early afternoon until late at night/ early morning each day. There may be different groups, but I'm pretty sure I saw some of the same people the last two nights. When they dance in front of businesses, the owners (seem to, could be wrong, not enough spanish to ask, remember) give them drinks and sometimes snacks. By drinks I mean coke, beer, and hard liquor.

At one point a case of beer was dropped in the middle of the (very ugly) ladies/men and disappeared in less than a minute. I'm kinda sad about that group, actually- I tried and tried to get a picture of one of them fixing his pantyhose or something, but the one shot I got didn't turn out. Drat that night-time photography...
Ghost Dancers in the Street
Oh well, I can try again next year.

4 comments:

  1. You know, dancers in the street are pretty awesome...

    But that ravioli? Hella more awesome. :-)

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  2. You didn't even *eat* it. ZOMG- it was like spinach and tomatoes and garlic and salt and basil and who-knows-what else had an orgy in my mouth. I may have to go home, win the lottery, come back and eat there every single night.

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  3. I'm a sucker for dogs. Love the dog pic!

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