Searching for
La Pasada| La Pasada - Cartago
As a "gringo" I find it hard to find out WHEN things happen. It's just something everybody knows. It's not just me. When we had our opening teacher meetings the administration was asking the ticas when certain things were to happen. THEY all knew...we didn't. So...it's not just me. Anyway, two weeks ago I happened to notice in the newspaper in an article on a totally unrelated subject the fact that La Pasada in Cartago would be on 7 Sep at 9am. (Well the 9am part I know couldn't be right...it had to do with time). So I passed the word around school. Anybody who wanted a day in Cartago I would take them and show them around and they could see the Pasada. At first I had about 6 takers.
So the plan was to meet in front of the church in Heredia at 7am. Come 7:15 nobody had showed up yet. Alone again...naturally. It's just my karma. (WHAT did I do?!!)
It takes longer to get from Heredia than it did from Curridabat! An hour and a half later I was there. As were thousands of others. It was 8:30 and I wanted to get some pics before the pasada began. Shouldn't be any problem.
It was a nice warm, sunny day. Great weather to walk around in. Got my pics and headed back towards the church to get some pics of the virgin leaving the church. (It was 10am BWT.)
I bought a card with the image of the Black Madonna and a prayer on the back and put it in my pocket. Something to carry in my wallet and I'd put it there when I next got it out.
There was a huge crowd of people around the church, as always. I was taking some pics of the truck that was staging to take the virgin to the basilica when I began to wonder why the man to my left was pressing so hard against me. There was a space to HIS left and nobody was trying to get past. Then the light dawned! Check the man on the other side…sure enough his hand was in my pocket trying to get my wallet. Now I have a good system. There's a very small pocket on my right leg. Just big enough for the wallet, and even then I need to really work it to get it out. It's not easy. He had unbuttoned the pocket and was about to discover how hard it is to get the wallet out when I discovered him. I stepped back from the two men and almost stumbled over the boy behind me waiting for the hand off. He smiled at me, I didn't return the smile, re-buttoned by pocket and walked off. Of course…I DID have the card with the Madonna in the pocket with the wallet….hum…
From last year I knew that there would be goings on at the fire station, so I went there. Now this is a really interesting scene for me. I LOVE the eclectic way Latino Catholics approach their religion and lives. Awaiting the virgin was a decorated fire truck and a Mariachi band, including the traditional (Mexican) large black hats. Two fire trucks blocked the road and anybody who could had climbed atop to see the arrival of the virgin. As she arrived all available alarms, sirens, lights, horns, noise makers were turned. Total cacophony!
There were a couple of different things this year (apart from my contacting a pickpocket). One was the presence of the Hare Krishna. Don't recall them ever being there passing out their literature. The other was the blatant advertising in the street decorations. Don't look for it. I refused to photo any of it. But one street was just an advertisement for a bank. Further down the road an advertising for a parking garage. I would expect more of Cartago!
I returned home to a huge rain storm. Traffic was diverted because they couldn't drive down the rivers (I could have sworn it was a road just that morning!). When I got home water was flowing into the house from every door and window. (Don't worry…tile floors.)
One more Costa Rican adventure…Pura Vida! |
|
|
- (87) 
- (1) 
