That's My Story

THE EASTER PARADE – published February 2006 – Western Outdoor News

THE EASTER PARADE

My first introduction to the spectacle was rather unique. I was in my old Dodge van coming into La Paz with a load of kayaks on a trailer. It had been a long haul down the Baja peninsula and I was dirty, grumpy, tired and really just wanting to get where I needed to be. I was growlng. Me entiendes, Pancho? I had made that crazy drive in 22 hours and reached town when it was dark. Strangely not much happening in the streets but I really wasn’t paying much attention.

Then I hit a roadblock just inside near downtown. A pinche detour? What the…? Must be doing some roadwork or there’s some potholes. Typical. Just my luck. Sigh…OK…alright. I followed the other cars through the dark back streets. I saw a break in the line and made a left by ducking out of one obscure alley onto the main drag that’s the La Paz waterfront. I made a quick right and…BOOM! What the…????

Suddenly, there’s a bunch of freakin’ clowns all over my van and climbing all over my trailers and kayaks and music and banging and people cheering and son-of-a-gun…I was in the middle of a big old posada (parade)! There was booming disco music; strobe lights; those crazy Mexican cars with the big blaring bullhorns on the roof; and pretty girls waving from the back of pick-up trucks.

There was a guy jogging in place next to me in tights and a super hero cape. Another guy was on a tricycle. One guy riding a horse looked like the drunken Kid Shaleen (Lee Marvin) from that old movie “Cat Ballou” except he was dressed in a vaquero outfit. There was a matador in pants that were way too tight and a guy playing the violin followed by a guy with a tuba. It was wild. Like a being in a bizarre frat party! One clown even climbed into the van’s passenger seat and was banging some kind of noise maker and yelling something I couldn’t understand. DUDE, THERE’S A CLOWN IN MY CAR! Scared the poo outta my dog, Jimmy, who was barking from the back like a…well, a dog!

What the heck…I had Led Zeppelin in the cassette player so I boomed up the volume (blew that clown’s make-up right off his face…that’ll teach him…or her! You can’t ever tell about clowns) and joined in the revelry.

It was great fun. I was waving and yelling too and singing at the top of my lungs to Robert Plant wailing “Dazed and Confused” with with his bandmates on my stereo. I was part of the parade and I guess everyone thought I was one of the floats! Somewhere along the way my clown-passenger bailed out and my dog re-captured the front seat, but along we went for the ride with his head stuck out the window and barking along.

I think there was still some clown on my roof…literally. But after about 15 minutes, I ducked a right turn out’ve the crowd and found myself in another back alley behind the partiers laughing my head off.

And I exhaled. Somewhere along the route, someone had tied a small Mexican flag to my antenna and put a bottle of beer in my hand and Jimmy the dog was eating part of a tortilla that came from…?

Turns out, I had accidentally turned into the annual Carnival / Mardi Gras Parade! What a hoot. I parked the car a few blocks away and made my way with Jimmy the dog back into the revelers. Hola, Senorita! Tienes ojos bonitas. (pretty eyes) Uno mas cerveza por favor and a carne asada taco for my four-legged amigo here!

There’s not many fishermen in the Baja right now, but if you ever get the chance, get to a Mardi Gras parade. You don’t have to go to Rio or even to New Orleans. In fact, Ensenada has one of the loudest and rowdiest soirees in the Baja and close to 700 thousand people attend. It’s February 23-28th this year culminating on Ash Wednesday to start the Easter Season. Nothing like a good parade to make you forget the long dusty road and an icy cerveza to chase away the taste. Viva Mexico! Man, clowns can be scary…

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

Jonathan