This aint no bull-shit!

I don't recommend actually watching the video unless you have a really strong stomach. But this is the news all over Spain today.

Click on the title for the link.

Taken for a Ride

My camera is gone. I lost it at the beach last night. I am so sad!!!

I got home about 4AM and as soon as I realized it was gone and dragged Erin into a cab and headed back to the beach. I told the cab driver, in Spanish, to take us to the metro stop at the beach. He headed in the wrong direction immediately. I was watching carefully because I know there are many ways to get to the beach... but this wasn't one of them.

In my horribly broken Spanish I explained that I had been to the beach from Benimaclet (my neighborhood) many times and asked if this was right. He said, "sí, sí la playa metro". Well the bastard took us clear across town and tried to drop us off at another metro station having little or nothing to do with the beach. So I said, "no señor... la playa Eugenia Viñes" (a specific stop at the beach)... He was like "¿oh la playa?"... Ok my Spanish isn't that bad!!!

So the meter is running and what should have cost 6-7 Euro was now upwards of 10 Euro... and I had no idea where we were. The worst of it was that all I had was a 50E bill. So all I could think of is I had to give it to him when I got to the beach. So I started attempting to explain to him in Spanish that it wasn't fair that the meter was so high and I didn't think I should pay it. He started yelling at me in Spanish so I started yelling back in English because I can't yell in Spanish... I can barely talk!!! I figured if he was going to yell at me in a foreign language I would do the dame!

"Este es mert" was all that kept coming out of Erin's mouth which we think means "you are shit" in part French and Spanish, but... I don't know.

Anyway, here we are yelling, really yelling at each other in different languages and I was pissed so I said,"no, I won't pay policia..... Sooooo.... he pulled right up to a cop and started telling him the story. I heard what he said and could tell he was lying about my original request to go to la playa. The cop wouldn't even make eye contact with me... and I had on my best "he is a liar and wrong pouty face". After a couple of minutes the cop looked at me and I explained that I asked for la playa, not the other stop that I had never heard of. The Spanish was horribly broken but I knew I made some sense. He didn't seem sympathetic at all but in the end, the guy gave me 40E change and the meter said 15.35E. Still we were about 3 km from the beach and it was starting to get light out. We walked the rest of the way to the beach and searched for the camera but nada... The beach was filled with people heading home from the nearby clubs... it was a mess, garbage everywhere broken glass, cans, plastic bags, etc. We watched sun the come up and took the tram home. I was in bed by 7AM... what a drag.
I am sure though before the morning beach rush started the garbage was completely gone. Here people drop trash everywhere and at night the streets are a mess, but by the morning they are spotless... everyday.

Although I tried to break that 50E several times throughout the course of the day, the lesson I learned today was no more going out without small bills in my wallet. I think I will start stashing some mad money so that I will be better prepared in such an emergency. The only "crime" I have heard about here in Valencia is the cab drivers ripping people off. I think I will talk to my teacher about how to explain I know you are going the wrong way without being offensive or rude. Also how to be offensive and rude when you know you are "being taken for a ride". There is no being timid here, the passion is high, people yell at each other all the time. I see it on the streets regularly and I guess if I am going to be part of this place successfully, I'll have to learn to do it too...in Spanish! Lesson learned.

NO CAMERA IN VALENCIA!!!!!

The new challenge is buying a camera in a store where I can't speak properly!!! OMG this is so frustrating!!!

¿ What the was I thinking...?

I went to the bull fight tonight... yeah, yeah, yeah... I can say it in Spanish, but I don't feel like it. Besides I think I'm still in shock.

Perhaps today wasn't the best day for me to go to a bullfight... perhaps there really is no good day to go watch a beast be tortured... because don't let them fool you, what they do to the bull is tease, bully and torture him. What el matador and his sidekicks do is flirt with and tease the bull. It's almost like a beautiful dance, only with pain and blood...

Next time I will watch people dance instead or maybe even dance myself... not a good day for a bullfight.

I have always been a firm believer in trying everything once... if you don't like it don't do it again, if you do and it's good for you then hey... that's great. I am going to have to keep a limit on that motto... no more watching animals be tortured. Years ago I went to the rodeo in Colorado, that was equally as disturbing...

What was I thinking?

The bottom line is just because your ass looks great in an outfit, doesn't mean you have to be a bully.... It just doesn't.

Not a good day for a bullfight, especially if you are a bull.

Oh and if anyone was wondering where the King of Spain was tonight...Well rumor has King Juan Carlo was at the Corrida de Toro en Valencia hanging with me... though I am still not sure and no one even said to bow... I would have given a bow or something for a king... damnit... this is not a good day for a bullfight nor to see a king. .

Also... and then I will day no more on this matter, if you ever decide to see a bullfight, go late. At least one hour into the time you are told to be there. This way you don't have to see 6 bulls being tortured and killed. Arriving late means you can see the latter ones which seemlingly have more angry and energetic bulls. I left before they speared the forth bull, I just couldn't watch anymore.

Today is not a good day for a bullfight, not good for the bulls nor for me.

Now I will sleep and try not to have nightmares of what I have just seen.

I am so tired I am having trouble making complete sentences appear from my hands... seems more like psycho ranting to me... lol... I think I will be better tomorrow... no more bull shit...