SURVIVING A COSTA RICAN RODEO

SURVIVING A COSTA RICAN RODEO

When I stayed at Dreamsea Surf Camp in Tamarindo one of the weekly excursions we went on was to a rodeo night in Liberia. This was one of my highlights from Dreamsea and there's nothing else really like it. 

We started the night getting a coach to Liberia which took us around one and a half hours. Plenty of time to drink and pre with lots of singing (even when the bluetooth speaker died on us). One of my proudest moments must have been getting a bus full of Germans, Americans, Australians, Italians, Spaniards, South Africans. Canadians plus a tonne of other nationalities to sing "OH, JEREMY CORBYN DUHH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUHHH DUHHHHH" poor people probably didn't have a clue what was going on. crazy english person 

Once we arrived we walked into the rodeo complex which was basically like a huge fairground. There were food stands of churros, corn on the cob, doughnuts and burgers, bumper cars, bouncy castles, dance floors and fairground rides. I felt like I was at a mini festival! 

We were a bit annoyed that they wanted to charge us $12 to get up to the seats in the ring but we found our own way instead... 

HOW THE RODEO WORKS 

The set up is a big ring surrounded by a fence. The fence is just made up of wooden planks which are easy enough for a human to climb through but behind it you are safe from the bull. Instead of paying the entrance fee we just climbed through this fence to make it into the ring. Here there were plenty of locals milling around waiting for the bull to enter. When they released the first bull with the rider on top there must have still been around 100 people in the ring so pretty busy... I hung around near the fence ready to jump through if the bull came dangerously near. Some of my other friends were part of the big crowd in the middle of the ring which was a little unprotected for my liking. 

So the bull runs around and some crazy people like to try touch it getting scarily close. Then they bring out the cowboys who lasso the bull safely out of the ring. 

The next bull they bring out gets slightly more aggressive. This was the one that got too close to Gemma and from across the ring I could see this girl fall on the ground very close to the bull! Thank the lord she got up quickly, if not a little bruised. What a fun life story for her to tell; she truly survived a bull encounter. 

Then the final bull was the most aggressive. So much so they had staff going around telling the weaklings to get behind the fence. We climbed up the fence to sit in the seating area and watch the carnage. Amazingly no one was hurt but I'm sure it must happen on the occasion. 

Best thing about this night was the adrenaline and that's me saying this who hung around the fence edge the whole time. I can't imagine Gemma's little heart when the bull got her.. The commentator yelling through the speaker in a language I couldn't understand plus the alcohol made everything even more intense. I have never known anything like it and I'd do it again in a heart beat. 

ANIMAL CRUELTY? 

Costa Rican law makes it illegal to harm the bull but this didn't stop many of the locals who were standing on the fences from kicking the bull as it ran down below them. There is also the case of stress being caused to the bull as I'm pretty sure I too would hate a crowd of people surrounding me trying to get close and touch me just for a thrill. Occasionally there are protests by animals rights groups but normally they are more against the American style of rodeo. 

From what I could see the bulls weren't harmed but they certainly put under some stress. I just hope it doesn't cause any lasting damage and that they live glorious lives for the rest of the year. But I'm probably being naive. 

If anything the humans are the ones getting hurt (completely at their own risk so no one can take the blame for them). In the past there have been deaths and serious injuries. This can be an issue if locals then have to pay for their medical treatment which can be inaffordable. 

If I was being completely true to my beliefs I probably shouldn't have supported this event but sometimes when you travel there are things that you are never going to see again, things you will never have the opportunity to try. This kind of thing is ingrained into the local culture and me not attending would not have made any difference at all. It is promoting the work of animal rights groups and their protests that will eventually lead to change. 

And to finish the night there was a perfect firework show with something cheap and fizzy. Lovely indeed.