Palo de Agua!

The day of the wedding reception was full of activities and memories...so many that I can't possibly cover them all here as vividly as I remember them. I will try, however. The day started slow, with a 9am early rise to hit the gym and the pool. Great chats with the grooms' parents and friends resulted in precious laughs. Being the most outspoken, I found myself the victim of the best New York dry humor I've ever heard. Frank, Joe D, and Paul pretty much tore me a new asshole but I dealt my share of zingers, so it was all in good fun. I gathered some great wisdom and advice along the way while making a strong impression on them all.

After that, Jeff, Ovi, and I did the only tourist activity of the whole trip: visit Pico Avila by way of the teleferico. At 2000m or approximately 6000ft above sea level, the view of Caracas was awesome.

On the return trip to the hotel we took a pit stop en la Plaza Venezuela to try--what according to our driver, Castor-- where the best hambugers in world...Me meti 'La Criminal' which carried an egg and an avocado as key ingredients...tasty on the way in but painful on the way out. The right choice woulda been: 'Damelo pa Pola...pa pola manana!'

The wedding itself took place at 9pm and lasted through the night...til 6am I believe...yeah, that's a party alright...the pictures to follow say it all. The formal ceremony took place in New York so the purpose of this party was simply to celebrate...NICE!!

Drinks were in full effect, although I never got faded. Why? Cuz of all the dancing!! For real, there were like 5 live band acts, and all of them were GOOD! The night began with a solo Jazz musician, then an Elvis act, followed by La Hora Loca with the Carnaval theme, later a Salsa/Merengue group that I coulda swore was Oscar de Leon, Gilberto Santarosa, and Marc Anthony all rolled into one by the close imitation of all three.

The grand finale left nothing to be desired: Tambores. Yup, the ritualistic Venezuelan high-energy folkore dance and rythm common to the coastal towns. The MC captured the audience's attention with his clever commentary and typical Venezuelan humor...he challenged the bride and groom with following his quick commands that bounced at the beat of the drum. Tuku-ruku-TA!! He would say as he swayed his finger, indicating what thier hips should be doing... it was a blast indeed.

Y pa los que pregunten a que se refiere el titulo: "Palo de Agua"... es porque le caemos a TODAS!! JA!!