La Corrida de Toros

Hola compadres,

Difficult to gauge how quickly March is passing.  We're already half way through it and I only have about a month and a half left in Mérida.  Since the end of March is nearing sooner than I can fathom, I've been trying to put together plans for semana santa (holy week) or in other words, spring break.  So far among the group, I've heard plans to go to Colombia, Perú, Aruba, and Isla Margarita.  My thoughts: since I'll be getting to see those places after Venezuela, why not see a bit more of this wonderful country?  

Therefore, a few of my friends and I are looking into doing some trekking in Parque Nacional La Canaima at Mt. Roraima.  Roraima is one of many tepuis in the eastern state of Bolívar, and is the tallest of the mesa tepuis in South America.  For more information about tepuis, click here.  More specifically, here is some more information about Mt. Roraima.  These tepuis are incredible- they are said to be home to many endemic species and are often referred to as the Galapagos Islands of the mainland.  Should be an awesome adventure. 

Beyond the planning for spring break, I've been busy with school- it's become uncomfortably demanding as tests and presentations are starting to build up in all of my classes.  The school-side of things has become frustrating here in general.  Unfortunately the system isn't as organized and spectacular as I was told, however I'm not letting it effect my experience.  With a month and a half left, I have to enjoy every second here and live to the fullest everyday. 

This past weekend we tried to plan a hiking trip but were unfortunately shot down due to poor weather; rain, fog, and cold temperatures kept us going to the bar rather than the mountains.  Shucks.  Unfortunately I caught what I at first thought was a mild cold and turned out to be a self-diagnosed sinus infection.  I usually get one about once a year around this time.  I've recovered finally, but during the process it was pretty entertaining hearing the comments from my host family.  Everyday, Nilda would ask me "And why don't you go to the doctor?"  I simply told her I didn't want to pay for the bill or the medicine.  She would respond, "That's foolish, it's very cheap and some hospitals are free."  Later in the day, I received a phone call from Nilda's sister, my host aunt Isbelia who said, "My sister tells me you won't go to the doctor."  That's correct, I told her.  After explaining myself multiple times over just why I wouldn't visit the doctor, today I was finally able to answer, "I'm all better!"  Gracias a dios.  Just goes to show that news sure does spread quickly when you have a close family.  Maybe even quicker when they are a Venezuelan family that speaks Spanish at the rate they do...  

Anyways, I don't have many pictures to share for this post, but those that I do are from the Corrida de los Toros, or the bull fights.  What a brutal experience.  I was fully aware of the results of the fights before I  decided to attend, but I thought it would be interesting to check it out.  I was wrong.  First of all, it rained.  And by rained, I mean poured "perros y gatos."  I had learned a lot about the corridas from my brother-in-law Franko before witnessing them.  I won't go into detail, but here are some things I heard.  He told me the animals endure up to two days worth of torture: they are kept in a closed, tight, dark space without food or water, their vision is impaired prior to being released, they are poked, jabbed, and cut to bleed during the bull "fight" in order to be weakened, and in order for a "fight" to be finished, they are killed.  I place the term fight in quotations because it can barely be considered so.  There are up to 7 members of each matador's team.  They take the stage first to taunt the bull and rile it up.  Before the matador makes his grand entrance, the bull is stabbed in the back to cause quick bleeding so that it is weaker and therefore less dangerous when the matador arrives.

As "heroic" as they are to the crowd, they look pretty goofy with the pink capes and tights.

Numerous team members taunting the bull.  

It was comical to see them run behind the walls if a bull got too close.

The first bull took down a horse and the team member atop while being poked continuously with a lance.  

The horse and the team member were perfectly fine- each were able to simply stand up and walk away. 

POR FIN!  The matador arrives, and is greeted like a hero by the people in the stands.

You can barely see them in this picture, but there are about six 2-3 foot-long stakes with hooks on the ends hanging out of the bull's back- these are initially jabbed into the bull to increase the flow of blood and therefore continue to weaken the animal.  

All in all everyone, this wasn't a very pretty site.  I chose a very interesting day to attend.  The stands were especially full because two of the matadors (including the one pictured above) were from Spain, and the third from Venezuela.  Each matador had two bulls, so six bulls were killed that day.  It's amazing how wild people were about this- they would cheer and throw miscellaneous items out onto the field when the matador would throw his hat or flick the cape, and especially when he would successfully kill the bull.  This would come after he racked up some style points with the cape- the matador would proceed to stab the bull in the neck with a sword acquired from a team member.  The points were ranked depending on how quickly the animal died after the initial attempt.  

Sorry for the brutal explanation, but I tried to keep it as innocent as possible.  Basically, the event was difficult to watch, but the atmosphere was thrilling, and the after party in the street, even with the pouring rain, was a blast.  We danced salsa in the street, ate ridiculously over-sized and over-stuffed hot dogs, drank plenty of beer and sangria, and hung out with the locals.  Venezuelan "rumbas" are some of the best.  

Hope you all are doing well.  I'm hearing the good news of warmer weather in Minnesota, so keep being optimistic everyone- Spring is just around the corner.  Enjoy your spring break everyone, and thanks for reading! 

Ciao,

Travis


PS/ Japan, amidst all of the horror it is currently enduring, is in my thoughts and prayers during the recovery and hopeful avoidance of any nuclear issues.  Also, Lybia amidst its chaos and outbreaking civil war is in my thoughts and prayers as well.