Jody and I were out busting broncos on Sunday night!
Well…..we weren’t actually doing the busting. We were doing the watching and some local cowboys were doing the busting……with bulls…..at the local rodeo. It was quite exciting!
We decided early in the planning phase of our trip that we wanted to find and participate in as many of the “locals” events as possible, so that we could really understand the Costa Rican culture. So, when the concierge here at our apartment complex called to say there was a” bullfight” (loose translation for bull riding) going on, we jumped at the chance!
We headed out at about 7:00 pm for what we thought would be an 8:00 pm start. After we gave our tickets and had our shoes checked for ants (not sure what that was about!), we found a great seat on the bleachers directly across from the gate where the bulls would be released. We watched patiently as the other spectators filed into the arena. There were a wide variety of people in attendance…mostly locals, I think, and also a few tourists like us.
Then, we watched the food vendors come around. I have never seen such an odd variety of things being sold for consumption at a sporting event. They did have beer, which we expected to see. But, they also had things like churros, pizza and an interesting shredded salad (complete with dressing options) that we couldn’t identify. They also had an interesting mix of music to get you in the mood…..remember the theme from “Rocky”? Are we in Costa Rica?
Finally, after about 30 minutes, the “ringmaster” came out to get this show on the road. I have never seen such a build up to an event of any type. First, the cowboys riding in the event came out, lined up on the field and were introduced. Then, there were some plain clothed fellows that came out and lined up beside them and they were introduced. There was a girl there that was introduced as well. I still don’t really understand what her role was. Then there was some praying for the cowboys…and maybe the bulls, too… who would risk their lives so that we could have a fun evening. It was all very interesting…….. and long……almost one full hour to set everything up! After all that, it had better be worth it!
It was definitely worth the effort! First, they released a bull into the ring and several people from the audience that had been sitting on the railing around the arena dropped into the ring with the bull. I guess their goal was to taunt the bull into chasing them. Just as Jody and I were looking at each other and wondering why someone would do that, a bull pinned one of the “taunters” against the railing. They took him out on a stretcher. Someone was injured already and the match hadn’t even started. YIKES!
Then, they released the bulls that had riders on them……not all together of course….. but, one at a time. We, along with everyone else in the crowd, were yelling and whistling while we cheered the riders on! WhooHoo! There was a lot to cheer about. As each of the cowboys fell, the bulls chased them (if, indeed, the cowboy was able to get up and walk). Those boys were mad! After the riders fell, the spectators that were hanging around the railings came into the ring and further provoked the bulls, making them charge even harder. Finally a “cow poke” came around, roped the bull, and led him back into the pen. Whew! I was exhausted at the end of each round!
We watched about three of the riders. None of them were able to stay on very long, but certainly longer than I could have done if I had wanted to do this, which I don’t. One out of the three was butted on the head by the bull as he fell off and was carried off the field in an unconscious state. He looked like a rag doll. The announcer said that he was OK. We’re not sure what that meant…OK as in he is alive, but broke his neck and is now a parapalgeic? Or, OK as in he’s up and moving as normal. HMMMMMM……..Another cowboy was trampled by a bull after being tossed off. He was not hurt. We could see him walking around! So, we felt very good about this!
After this, we decided that we had our fill and made our way back to the apartment. It was an exhausting evening. You would think we were doing the riding.
Jody and I are both retired and work part time jobs that are fun. We decided in the end that we would stick to our fun jobs and let the cowboys do the bull riding. We don’t want to work that hard! HA!
Travel With Betsy 
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