Went to Isla de Ometepe a couple of days ago. They had this weird fiesta over there, in an improvised stadium they have created. I'm talking about an arena that our 10th grade Succa could have looked professionaly built near it, with about 700 people standing on it - kids, mothers and fathers talking, eating and laughing. People dressde good for the occassion and just had a good time. Another foreigner and I were more or less the only non-nicaraguans over there, so we hung around and waited for the show to start. An improvised band started to play la kukaracha, and then it hit me that a bull fight was going to take place! I hate it, and still I have contributed 3 NIS for it. Oh well. Luckily this had turned out to be a Rodeo and not a bull fight, but the bulls were sure scared to death when they were brought into the arena. The procedure goes like this: They tie a bull to this pole in one side of the arena using lasos and horses. Then a young fella climbs the bull, trying to hold on to a belt strapped to it - while the bull is let go and start running free in the arena. Whoever wants can jump into the arena at its own risk (tons of kids run around there), and a couple of people with red big pieces of fabric try to direct the bull to run in their direction and not hit this Succa we are all standing on. So, the first guy fell after about a second and a half. With the second bull, a second guy had managed to hang for about 5 seconds - but then fell face first on the ground. He stopped moving. The crowd all held its breath while 50 people came over him to try to help. After about 2 minutes he was seen walking out of the arena supported by two people. The band went on with another kid's song, and the third bull was led into the arena. The third guy did quite well... He held on for about a minute, the crowd was cheering, until the bull had finally loosed him - but he came off on his legs pretty well. The forth (and last one for me) has managed to actually master the bull. He started as the third one, but then the bull became so calm about it, it was just like riding a horse. So he hangs around, the crowd all cheering up, until he got bored and just came off it. Meanwhile kids jump around the bulls, fireworks (as in every fiesta/weekend/birthday here in Central America) are flying into the sky, and people have a good time. Sorry I didn't have my camera with me. Oh well. The day after I think I saw the same bulls drinking water from the lake.
I'm currently back in Granada, soon I'll go to a nice laguna around here, and then probably head to Costa Rica.
Bye for now,
Eitan.
