Cowboys

I have been surprised at how many cowboys there are in Costa Rica. I saw a lot at the horse parade the day after Christmas and also at the bullfights.

Cheerleader

At the bullfights there was a cheerleader guy who had to be exhausted by the end of the day. He would go in the stands and lead the people in the wave. He would then do some kind of entertainment in each of the sections in the stands. Plus he went out in the ring with the bull.

Pre bullfight

We were ready for the bullfight action to start. We had our front row seats with two walls between us and the bull. We weren't crazy, we wanted to see it but we sure weren't going in the ring with the bull!

Musical chairs with horses

This was really interesting to watch, it was musical chairs with horses. There were 5 riders. The horses would race around the chairs-Coke crates. Then when the music stopped the riders had to jump off their horse and sit on a Coke crate. The one who didn't get a chair was out. It was fun and I must say I think that is the first time I've ever seen that game with horses.

Bullfighting

A definite cultural experience Kim and I had was going to the bullfight. Each Christmas season the Costa Ricans have a fair and bullfight. The fair is alot like county or state fairs in the states with food and rides.

The bullfight is kind of like running with the bulls except it is done in an enclosed stadium. People, mainly guys, wait in line to run with the bull. However there were a few women who did it. The people are in the ring and then the bull is let in the ring with them. The bull is agitated and looking for someone to chase. The bull starts chasing people. Some are fast enough to jump behind the wall to get away from the bull. Others aren't fast enough and the bull goes after the person. Some of the bulls were fast even though weighing 1000 pounds.

Some of the people in the ring stood at the wall the whole time and as soon as the bull looked at them they were over the wall and out of the ring. I must admit that some of those people I wanted to push back in the ring. I said you might as well be sitting with me in the stands.

It's interesting as I've asked a few Costa Ricans if they did the bull ring experience when they were young. One guy summed it up when he said you don't know fear until you are in the ring and you feel the hot breath of a 1000 pound bull on your neck.

Typical food

At my friend Dora's house we were able to make and enjoy tortillas with cheese and a drink called agua dulce. As we were mixing the tortilla mixture we added the cheese before we cooked it. Then we patted out the tortillas and put them in the frying pan.

The agua dulce drink is a mixture of water, milk, and a sweet powder that looks like brown sugar but has a different taste almost like a carmel taste.

It made for a good combination of typical Costa Rican food and fellowship.

Terra Mall

There is a nice mall in San Jose area with a really pretty view. Last night we were able to go to the mall and movies which was a nice treat. The Christmas decorations were still up and make a nice background for the photo.