1st day of Pasqua

If it weren't for the trash all over the place you would never know that Semana Santa had ever happened. The town is empty and quiet again. It was reported to me that between the Friday before Holy Week and Easter Sunday ~ 10 days total ~ this town played host to 65,000 visitors. Think about it: a tiny village of 2,000 residents is suddenly flooded with 65,000 hungry, thirsty revelers. They all seemed to have a good time, however. No drownings (that I've heard about), no knife fights (What? No knife fights??), not too much drunk-and-disorderly to speak of unless you count the normal behavior in the disco. And lots of security, especially the Mexican counterpart to the DEA, with snuffling dogs straining at their leashes but remarkable unfazed by the mobs on the malecón. We saw several groups of black-uniformed men and women walking up and down and on the side streets giving groups of young people the eye. I haven't heard of any busts.

This week's crowds will be thinner and there will be fewer campers. Most of these folks stay in hotels and are a bit more "sedate". The disco will stay quiet for two nights, then start again on Wednesday. There will be two dances, Friday and Saturday nights, with live music, mostly old Ranchero style, which I love. They are being sponsored by the beach-front hotels for these aforementioned "sedate" guests. They are held out on the malecón and draw people from all over the area. If the weather is nice it can be a very romantic evening, dancing out under the stars. If it is cold the whole thing will probably move into the Siete Mares restaurant that fronts on the beach. I might just possibly get the Patient to take a stroll down to watch. Dance? We'll see. (As I can remember from my childhood, "We'll see" invariably meant "no".)