Tarantulas and Unshas!!!!!

Today the kids were all a flutter by the gutter on the playground. I went over to see what was going on and found out it was another pesky tarantula. I calmly shouted desperately to run run for your lives!!!!!  Then I went and took this video. In all honesty it wasn't as scary as it sounds. I think it was more scared of my iPhone than I was of it though that is hard to believe.

Carnival ended a few weeks ago and the Unsha was a couple of weeks ago which signify a the end of carnival what a surprise I had this morning when I was invited to another Unsha at the same place that began Carnival for me.  I was even more surprised when I got home and found that tonight is our block's Unsha.   We probably won't go but but I am sure we will hear it tonight.

Dreamhost mango

UNSHA is Awesome!!

This weekend was the last of the Carnivales Celebrations....  I am sure there is some administrative something but the fun activities are over for this year.  Our Unsha, the Davy Unsha, was a blast!  We ended up walking up the river to get to the Unsha which was at a really nice hotel and restaurant in the back area about 2 kilometers from our house.  When we arrived the Unsha tree was standing in all of it's glory, filled with kitchen items, clothing and other various items.  We started out with some welcome shots of a home-made fig alcohol.  It was very tasty and plentiful.  We moved into a distilled sugar liquor made from sugar cane juice, fermented of course.

It wasn't long until the water play started and the kids and adults were throwing water balloons at unsuspecting revelers.  After a few beers and conversation we were moved into a beautiful room set up for lunch.  We had a full diner lunch of chicken, beef, cow hearts (anticuchos), potatoes, corn, etc...  Then the dancing began...  We must have danced for an hour or so before we headed back outside for the official tree chopping party; talcum powder, water and eggs completed the fun!

First of all we had some field games to play, including tub of war girls, tug of war boys, and sack races.  The new Unsha virgins had to baptized, so we stood in a circle around the tree and held hands while talcum powder, and water were sprayed on our heads.  We then had to close our eyes, kneel, and wait for the true prize of a couple of eggs smashed on our heads....  It was great fun...

We then danced around the tree with the whole party and took turns chopping at the tree with an axe.  By this time I was pretty tired and but I persevered until it was my turn to chop.  I took some pretty pathetic chops at it and left the dancing to catch my breath.

As we neared the end of the chopping, I guess they decided that it was going to be my year to chop it down. So after Kerry's chops, they handed me the axe to finish off the job.  I got much better at chopping after I got my chop grove on and and took that baby down.

I think these are the home-made bottle rockets that make a huge noise all night long

As soon as it fell or possibly before it hit the ground people swarmed the tree for all the goodies...  In about five minutes the Unsha was over and Kerry and I walked home along the river in the rain with egg on my face and talcum powder on both of our faces.  It was a grand mess.....  When we got home we warmed up by taking hot showers and the spent the rest of the day hanging out in the house.  We should have attended the Neighborhood Unsha but it would have been too much fun for one day.

Mi Amigo

My walk to work almost always provides something amusing for me to either see or think about.  Here is my latest walk to work video.  First the story....  Well no, first another story....

Today is Unsha!!!  It is, I think the last party of Carnivales 2014...  Last night, Kerry and I were in the house and we heard a truck go by which isn´t unusual but this was a fire engine which is why I think we noticed it.  What was unusual about this fire engine is that it was pulling behind it a giant tree, maybe 20 feet tall.  These trees are erected in the middle of the streets basically dug into the concrete or somehow erected like a christmas tree.  On the tree is placed presents, again, like the ornaments of a Christmas tree.  The tradition is to drink beer, dance around the tree, sing traditional songs and take turns chopping the tree down.  Who ever knocks it over wins the opportunity to host the Unsha the following year.

I understand from Kerry who went out last night to look, that we have at least two of these trees on the streets around our house.  What made me think of it right now was, that I think another tree is about to be erected, because, as I was getting ready to write the other post, I saw a tree slide by my window being pulled by a truck.  Here's the picture I was able to snap.  It's not a great picture but you will get the idea.

They are dragging the tree behind a truck it set up in the road for Unsha!!

Davy has it's own Unsha. Kerry and I are going to walk there for the exercise and and I am sure I will have a bunch of pictures of this later.  Because this is our first Unsha, we get the luxury of being baptized.  I understand it has something to do with food and our heads.... More to come.  

Back to the walk to work.  I walk about 4 miles to work.  About a half mile into my walk I had a little dog start following me...  He was really cute and made me want to take him home.  He followed me all four miles to work.  When I arrived the guards shooed him away and I felt really bad for my little friend.  Here's the video.....  

This place is full of emotions!!