La Tomatina

8/31/11

Waking up at 5:30 after what feels like a weeks worth of late nights kind of drags. However the excitement of La Tomatina (And the free breakfast down stairs) launch me out of bed.

I’m wearing possibly the most ugly out fit I’ve worn since I grew out of my “Grunge” phase. Knee length khaki shorts, a huge white t-shirt, pink and black water shoes and goggles. Oh! And my bra has given me this lovely cone effect. In short I’m looking HOT!

Anyway enough about my fashion tragedy onto the tomatoes!

We arrived at Bunol at about 7:00 and began the walk down to the actual city center where the festival took place (About 2 miles away from where the bus parked) Along the road as you walked people were everywhere selling stuff and the street actually smelled like food being cooked. Huge Sandwiches made of grilled chorizo and Liter glasses of Sangria everywhere you looked. There were also people walking around selling sunglasses and hats the occasional pair of goggles and even  crazy wig or two.

Soon we arrived in the city center where the fight took place and we took the short cut our guide gave us to end up on the far side of the main square (The side the tomato trucks came down!) C and I wandered toward the Square wanting to see the Ham Leg on the Pole (Part of the Festival is a ham leg tied to the top of a huge pole that is then greased. People take turns attempting to climb the pole, the fight can’t start until someone gets the ham) then maybe get some good spots to wait for the fight. We looked around and saw no ham and decided to ask a guy who looked like he knew what was going on. He points to a spot like 3 feet over C and I frown but move there and look around and see nothing. Then I looked down.

The pole hadn’t even been put up yet! We were literally standing front row center for where it would go so we decided to stay and watch. The pole is basically a telephone pole and the Ham Leg is literally a leg still in the plastic and mesh bag from the grocery store. They greased half the pole with this white goop then they  lifted it up and stuck it in this hole at our feet. They began filling the whole with these wood things to hold the pole in place and as they hammered them in the white goop up top began falling in huge dollops onto them. Suddenly one of them grabs some off his shoulder and pelts it out into the crowed, soon it turns into a mini fight people running forward and grabbing some smearing it across their neighbors face. Luckily the goop turned out to be crushed up bars or soap and liquid soap mixed together and not lard like we had all feared.

The pole was up soon (about 9:00) and they were greasing the bottom half as soon as they did people darted froward getting handfuls of goop and pelting it around at each other again but soon that was done and we all stood back to see who would go first. As we waited we made friends with this guys behind us (in a shirt that said Chicago so that is what we shall call him) Chicago is from Spain and has climbed the pole 2 other times and he began giving us tips (Not that we were going to attempt)

Tip 1: Let the Americans go first (AKA let the clueless people go first and wipe the majority of the soap off s when you go there will be a better chance for traction.

Tip 2: Do a running jump trying to get as high as you can (This may involve, as we were soon to see, running up the backs of people already attempting to climb the pole.)

Tip 3: Never stop moving (Even if you some how end up standing on some guys face as you climb don’t stop moving just use him for leverage!)

Tip 4: Use your shirt (Once you get high enough take off your shirt and use it to hep you climb/wipe off goop)

Tip 5: Don’t do it (It hurts you get the stuffing kicked out of you by other people and covered in soap. DOn’t do it unless you’re crazy and in the mood to get hurt. I was not so I passed)

Soon people are on the pole jumping and climbing up slowly (Climbing mostly seemed to involve standing on the Shoulder-Head-Face-Hand of the person below you and attempting to wipe as much soap off as possible from the spot above you. It actually involves a lot of team work, you stand on people get as high as you can then try to get the goop off so the next person can get higher. Of course there were a few people who were NOT team players.

There was a group of like 6 guys who I assume were from Bunol, they kept yelling “Bunol only!” and, “It is Bunol’s,” (That is a very loose translation and they were yelling lots of other things but I didn’t understand it.) They were very drunk and slightly bipolar, one minute they were yelling at an australian telling him he couldn’t climb the pole (And stealing his hat) the next they were hugging him and letting him through. They were a bit rowdy and got into shoving matches with several people. We backed up a bit to give them room to be “loco.” Then they crossed the line and actually burned some guys face with a cigarette who was trying to get through. Yeah… Time to be somewhere else…

We made are way through the crazy crazy crush of people. (Seriously think of a mosh pit times about 1000 literally) out of the square and to a slightly less congested area, we were soon to find out why it was less congested. I was talking with C when suddenly BAM a bucket of freezing water is dumped on us. It seems there is a tradition amongst the locals (which is not mentioned in info on the festival.) Dump water on people. We throw tomatoes they throw water. At first it was vaguely annoying 5 grown men chasing down people with their buckets but it was hot and the water felt good after a bit! Also people’s faces when they got hit! Priceless!

Finally after close to 2 hours (10:50ish) someone got the Ham! The cheer went up people went crazy now it was time for the tomatoes!

So we waited.

and waited.

and waited some more. Then we heard it, a rumble down the street… Was that the tomato truck? It was! That was when the slightly Scary  Teriffying part happened. So the tomato  fight all happens on this one street, one narrow street. An alley is more like it. An alley with 2 thin strips of sidewalk they leads to a square before going back to being an alley.

The tomato truck was a dump truck as wide as the street. People had filled the street to capacity… where was the dump truck going to go?

Here is the thing about dump trucks, they don’t find a way around you. YOU find a way around THEM.

Guys came in front of the truck pushing people either along the wall or forward in the square herding us out-of-the-way. The first dump truck pass i found my self in the front row pushing off and away from the dump truck so I wouldn’t get pushed under it. The they started dumping tomatoes and it was madness. You squish them in your hand then throw them, the ones you get hit with are additional ammunition grab it and throw. so many tomatoes ended up on the ground but going down to get them would be crazy in the crowd. Then Truck 2 came through… Then Number 3… Then Number 4… By the time Truck 5 came everyone was ankle deep in smashed tomatoes and was squatting down grabbing the slime and chucking it at people.

The feel, of being up to your ankles in Tomato Nasty is disgusting. I can’t even explain it. it was slimy and chunky and Blech (But great to throw at people!) you could feel it dripping down you back sliding down you face and down your shirt. There was not a tomato free spot on my clothes, skin, face or hair.

The sight, was astounding it looked like pasta sauce (With huge chunks of tomato and t-shirts in it)and 15,000 Plus people were standing in it throwing it. It was everywhere on the walls, on the windows but mostly on the people. People were covered and solid red. Everywhere you looked was chaos throwing and dodging, pushing and shoving, scooping up more and grinding it into your neighbors hair. People were taking of their shirts and using it to scoop up more than throwing the entire thing like a t-shirt-tomato water balloon of grossness.

The taste, unfortunately I got a mouthful or two (Which I immediately spit out.) It tasted like dirt and tomato mixed together. Thinking about it now is making me nauseous so we will move on.

The Smell, I don’t think it will ever leave me. It smelled like vomit. Tomato Vomit. And other bodily fluids. DISGUSTING.

Then suddenly it was “over” the gun went of signaling the fight was over but it didn’t stop. People continued throwing and at the Point C and I were done so we headed for the exit. Problem with that was some 10,0000 other people had the same idea. And there was only 1 way out. 1 Narrow alley.

Scary part 2: Exiting. The crowd was so thick and impatient it was literal a mosh pit people pushing and shoving for close to an hour with no way out as we took like a step a minute (In at times 6-8 inches of tomato slop). People also liked to use short people (Like myself) as places to put their elbows to shove their way through the crowd. One guy may have done this putting his elbow directly on my chest then pushing down. I do not condone violence but when I asked him repeatedly to stop (In 3 different languages) and he did not I may or may not have hit him.

Suddenly you’re out of the ally way and trying to remember how to get back to the bus (And more importantly find a freaking toilet). More food stands and drink spots along the road on the way up and this time I enjoyed them, A liter or 2 of cheap cold Sangria does a tomato soaked girl good. There were also locals with hoses willing and having a great time hosing us down with freezing water. Which felt so good….

Every once and awhile as yo walked you would pass a big group of people sitting at a dining room table on the sidewalk on the very center of the table (on a sort of pedestal) would be a dried up looking leg. How cool, someone in that family climbed the pole and one at some point and they still take pride in it (Who wouldn’t that is a serious feat of strength and agility. In fact I think it should become a new olympic event)

Eventually we found the restrooms (8 porta potties for 15,000 people… Yeah we’re not even talking about it.) Then we headed to the bus and got our clean clothes only to discover there was no place to change… So in true European fashion we changed on the street next to the bus. There was a time when taking off my pants in public would have embarrassed me. But while covered in tomato scum and just wanting to be clean apparently me inhibitions are lowered and I changed on the street along with everyone else. I was several people’s favorite because I brought a pack of Wet Wipes with me >8)

After changing we still had another hour so a group of us headed to get more Sangria and found a place to sit (For the first time in 7 hours and just talked and sun bathed)

We got back to the hotel and after the longest shower ever (I washed my hair 3 times and for 2 days after was still finding Tomato in my hair) it was nap time.

At about 7 got up got dressed and headed to the after party! It was cool there was Sangira and lots  of dancing (I have never danced so much in my entire life as I did in Spain, every night seemed to end in dancing and despite the fact that I am an AWFUL dance I loved it!)

And that was La Tomatina!

Tips I can give people about La Tomatina? Go! You should do it at least once UNLESS:

1. You are claustrophobic

2. You can’t stand dirt or being dirty

3. You don’t have the size/ability/strength to keep upright in a crazy mob and/or push people off you and get back up if you go down

4. You are allergic to tomatoes

5. You really like tomatoes and would like to eat them again someday.

(That last one is a joke… Mostly)

No Pics from me yet (I took them on a disposable to be developed Stateside) But my tour group did post some (I’m not in any of them but here’s an idea of what it’s like. Here is a link ( Click on the La Tomatina 2011 pics) I’m not in any of them but it gives you an idea of what it was like. And that is all folks!