Panpipes and Conga Drums

I’m sitting in a restaurant famous for promoting regional culture and music, waiting for an evening of Andean music to kick off. I’m a bit concerned: other than the staff, I’m the youngest person here by far. I might have to nip into the bathroom and grey my hair with soap and cigarette ash so as to fit in. I blame my poor Spanish: there was a cool Latin duo playing in Parque Central, and someone was giving out flyers for this venue, and I thought the talented duo and their dancers were playing here. I’m not particularly averse to Andean music, but anyone who frequents British town centres in the summer will already have had their fill of pony-tailed and ponchoed panpipe-playing Peruvians. Thankfully, Buena Vista de Corazon are playing again later tonight at another venue, just in case the Andean tunes don’t live up to the expectations of the over-60s.

It turns out that Ignacio may have been the original drummer at the club Buena Vista rather than the band, but it made no difference to those of us who were lifted by the conga player’s lively rhythms and gravelly, tobaccoed tones. Watching Ignacio last night was one of the highlights of my trip so far, and it’s made me think I should find the funds to visit Cuba while I’m so near. A tiny venue, the intimacy of the gig was thrilling, and almost the entire audience danced the whole night, including yours truly; I’m surprised more of the photos didn’t come out blurred. And it only cost 70 cents / 35 pence / NT$25 to get in. God, I love this place! Near the end of the night, I uploaded the photos to my laptop, did a bit of touching up, and presented Ignacio with a CD of the photos I took as a token of my appreciation before heading home to lay my heady head.

Antigua is much busier this week, perhaps because it’s holy week. I’m a bit shocked to be amongst so many foreigners again, but it means I’ve been able to make more friends. I met Anne and Hannah, two ladies working to improve the welfare of locals in order to in turn improve the level of animal welfare in the country. I bumped into Alexis, the Brit girl who only stayed one night at Hound Heights, and will be meeting her and Kate tonight at the Ignacio gig. And I met Christian and Sam, an English couple on a volunteering tour of Central America (I haven’t forgotten I owe you a decent mojito, Christian).

Christian and Sam are off to Cuba soon, and so is Kate. I’m really going to take a good look at my budget to see how I could fit in a Cuba trip—I can feel Havana beckoning. It would be great to head off over Sierra Maestra again and hit Trinidad or Santiago de Cuba for some real Cuban culture. Perhaps it’s time to sell my share of the pizza restaurant back in Taiwan …

I moved into the dormitory today to save a bit of cash, and I have to be up early to catch my shuttle to Monterrico at 8.00. In the meantime, I’m going to kick back and enjoy the bare-wall-and-wooden ambience of this candlelit courtyard restaurant … and the Andean music that is obviously such a hit with the elderly. Buenas noches!