San Jose, 12-26-11

A strange sort of parade--about an hour of various forms of police--regular patrol cars, with shrill sirens, the armored motorcyle units, several sorts of vehicles.  Some folks advertising this or that, some energy drink that little-clad women handed to the crowd, some packet of green stuff another set handed out (looked like parsley--?), some folks that handed out fold-to-a-hat cardboard, which everyone seemed to want (again--??), while hawkers swarmed through the crowd selling sombreros, plaintain and yucca chips, canned beer, papaya freezer sticks, plastic chairs. 

And for a tropical country, it wasn't hot.  A stiff wind blew through the canyon of city-central buildings, and the crowd shriek, delighted, when someone's hat flew off into the street.  Without the wind, there was that smell of beer, when you aren't drinking beer.  And much, the crowd watching the crowd...

But then, the main attraction--the horses arrive.  One of the first was a singer, dazzling the crowd, amped into the loudspeakers on the truck behind him...

And guys doing the fancy rope tricks...

Group after group of horses, many doing that fancy prancing, sometimes in unison.

And then a few riders that stood out...

And the good old boys who maybe just got a holiday in town.
Even after the group arrived, and we had our orientation meeting, the horses were still parading down the street--a good four hours, I'd guess.  Pam would have like this parade.  Hope she was watching.
bob