Contests and Bomba

This weekend saw the arrival of the annual corona surf contest in Rincon, infamous for its perpetual lack of waves and copious amounts of drinking (photo to above is of Rincon, a few weeks before the contest). It is a rather festive affair, offering $2 coronas not only at the contest but also in all the bars around town. It draws a healthy crowd, with people traveling across the island to attend, many pitching tents at the beach. The contest is renowned for its run of bad lack in the waves department, and sure enough as the contest was setting up the waves decided $2 coronas weren't their thing and made a hasty dash for the exit. I enjoyed the first day of the competition, residing for the afternoon in a hammock hanging from a tree, $2 corona in hand. After a day of sunshine and light (though non the less constant) alcohol consumption I rallied the housemates to hit up the Rincon night life. It was packed! Beer tents were set up outside bars and people lined the streets. Day break saw me waking up in the sand at Maria's beach a little worse for wear. A nice morning swim was followed by a bacon and egg sandwich, then after a short rest it was time to return to the contest grounds to start all over again for day two!

That evening I attended a birthday party which turned out to be thoroughly more enjoyable than any night out on the town in Rincon. It was the birthday of Vivian, a lady whos 8 month old son my housemate babysits. This party was my first introduction to traditional Puerto Rican culture and music. Coming from Australia I associate only two things with Puerto Rican culture, salsa and reggaton. While both of these are interesting there are some other amazing styles of traditional music. About four guitars were brought along (including mine) and the men sat around and began to play a style of music called Trova. It has a lovely up beat, latin feel and the "Travador" sings along. He improvises lyrics to the music in a distinctive singing style. After a few drinks things are getting quite festive, and I'm sure his lyrics are getting a bit cheeky because there are shrieks of astonishment and fits of giggles going on around the room. Next the men flip the guitars over to form make shift drums. Vivian, the birthday girl, gets up to dance. She was born in South America and she is beautiful. She's curvy with dark wavy hair and an infectious spirit and enthusiasm. She begins to dance a style called Bomba. The first drummer sets down a beat and she leads the second drummer with the moves of her body. She taps her feet, the drummer simultaneously matches the rhythm on the back of his guitar. Her hips move with a "whump whump" side to side, the drummer matching with a "thump thump". And in a flurry of feet and hips and hair she's off, dancing around the room, leading the drummers in a frenzy of rhythmic percussion. Everyone is cheering and it's so much fun to watch. I am told in this style of dance the woman normally wears a special long skirt made with several layers. I can imagine it would be beautiful. I get a kick out of seeing my guitar being played by such great musicians, and I wonder how many different styles of music and how many hands of musicians it will see before it returns home with me. This weekend I learned yet again that a night with the locals unquestionably and undeniably far surpasses any night on the town drinking!