Happy 2009!!!!!

Happy 2009!!!!
Prospero Ano Nuevo a todos!!!!
I hope everyone enjoyed the welcoming of the New Year...2009 who can believe it! Time flies!!!!
As for New Years here in Mompiche, it was definitely a BLAST. We started the night out by grilling a huge Mahi Mahi fish, platanos, salad-a feast!!! Spent it with a group of people here. It was delicious. After that we headed to the center of Mompiche, such a happening because the center here is so HUGE hahaha. The streets were full of people and vibrating with music. One of the traditions here is to make a life-sized doll of somebody (usually somebody you don{t like) and on New Years night they set fire to the dolls in the street. Whta a funky cool tradition huh? Not to mention, a popular doll being George Bush, always fun to see him burned : ) Another tradition is to do the large meal with the family and/or friends, so many people were eating until close to 12am. We walked around on the beach and there were two huge bonfires. After dancing a little there and midnight was fastly approaching, we decided why not get in the water?!?

So to bring in the New Years, a big group of us jumped into the ocean at 11:45 and surfed in the dark and welcomed in the New Year! Fireworks being set off, bonfires, music.... welcome to 2009!!!After we hoped out of the water and went and celebrated a little back at the house before leaving with everybody in town to dance.

We danced salsa at one of the bars with a bonfire and then headed to the one discotec here in mompiche, It was FULL of people and felt like an OVEN!!!! I sweated every part of that huge meal I ate dancing salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggeaton, techno remixs and whatever they put on. We danced until 5 am (that is late for this little town...) and after that made my way to a hammock overlooking town and crashed there until the next morning.
All in all....a BLAST.
Happy 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. I´ve learned to surf (kinda) I can now return to San Diego not as a disgrace...