Palmares Tope 2008

HOLY CRAP! That's the best way I can describe this year's tope. Reports on the news and in the local paper say 800,000 in attendance, that's not including horses & riders.

Eight hundred thousand people, that's the crowd we pushed through to find a place to watch the parade. Even worse was us deciding to leave early and having to push in the opposite direction of all those people. Scary, very scary stuff.

If you're a fan of crowds, drunks, and public urination, Palmares is the place to be. If not...well this was most likely our last Palmares Tope. Everyone should experience it once. We've been there, done that twice. No need to go again.

Last year we were up close and personal with the horses, front row viewing. We saw the terror in their eyes and realized this was not fun for them. We were pushed and shoved but held our viewing spots for the most part. This year was a whole other story. People saw the fear in our eyes as we weaved through the crowds trying to leave while protecting our daughter from being squashed or trampled. This was not fun for us.

While comfortable in our chosen viewing spot on a side street there wasn't much to see except the scantily clad women being groped by men as they walked by, people walking with their bottles of whiskey in one hand & glasses in the other, unhappy children, drunk inattentive parents and a clear lack of police presence. We had a friend visit last summer who commented on how the women here dressed like hookers. She should've seen them parade around Palmares in stilettos, barely there tops, tight jeans or short skirts! Bill enjoyed the show.

It didn't take Callista long to ask if the whole idea of the Tope was for people to get drunk. It certainly looked that way through her eyes. After a few hours she'd had enough. You couldn't turn around without seeing someone urinating. Disgusting! Leaving proved to be a nearly impossible task. There was only one way back to our car and out of town... through the crowd.

While we were leaving hundreds of other people were still coming. Pushing and shoving our way through was crazy. If someone fell in the crowd there is no way they'd come out of it alive, they'd be trampled. We kept a close eye on Callista making sure she didn't get knocked down. It was survival mode. Even the normally complacent Bill got rather aggressive in the crowd trying to protect his daughter. I'm sure several people had an ache in their sides later that night from being pushed out of the way with the stools I was carrying. A mother will protect her young.

I felt for the people who'd gotten there early and set up shade tarps because as we pushed passed them I saw they had to have someone at each corner of the tarp protecting the poles from being snapped by the overwhelming crowds pushing against them. At one point we even tried to get out via the street thinking weaving between the horses was less dangerous than trying to get through on the sides. While the going was easier it proved more terrifying as horses were coming at us from all directions. Kind of difficult to stay out from behind a horse.

It took us over an hour and a half to get the quarter of a mile to our car. We did make one stop three quarters of the way there to catch our breath and regain our strength to keep pushing. Callsita broke down in tears. It was an unbelievable experience. She had nightmares that night, to be honest me too.

I can't imagine what it must be like to live in Palmares and watch the chaos each year. We've only attending the horse parades, the event itself is a 10 day long party with various attractions on different days such as concerts and bull fights. There are even special party buses running from San Jose to the festival. If you're looking for an all out, no holding back party, Palmares is the place to be.

If you're a family on vacation looking for a little fun, I'd think twice.