Fiesta!!!

Hola on Independence Eve! 

 

Wow!  We are back from our Fiesta, and it’s not even midnight!  [But almost! – R]  And (thankfully!) we can’t even hear the band – which, when they started playing, we weren’t sure about!  Yes, they were that LOUD!  

 

So … to start.  We headed to the Executive Lounge about 6, when they opened for Happy Hour, as we hadn’t had (other than samples at the market) a real meal yet today.  This provided us with just enough to get through to the 9:30 pm buffet serving time.  Late, you say?  Yep, it sure was!

 

I had a lovely soak in our bathtub before we got dressed for the party.  I am still REALLY regretting the fact that I didn’t stop to buy a red/white/green headband that I could wear to our party!  Hoping to pick one up tomorrow!  We arrived at the Fiesta about 7:10 pm and there were already a lot of people there – entire families for several generations, actually, and a few tiny babies as well!  (Wonder if they have an easier time of it than I do staying awake late?). We registered and got Mexican green wristbands.  Not exactly sure why they were needed, but we all had them on.  

 

Check-in and game area

Mariachi - it's amazing how loud 2 trumpets can be...

Lots of interesting apparel

Ice cream stand

Ballroom; buffet table to the rear

VERY close to the stage...

There was a lot of activity in the vestibule area, including games for kids (for prizes!) as well as stands containing variously colored bundles of cotton candy, cinnamon apples, and lots of ice cream!  There were waiters serving trays of some mysterious looking liquid – we opted for the safely of Mexican lemonade, which had the merit of being tasty while non-alcoholic!  There were additional stations for foods of different kinds.  The only possible niggle here was that there was no place at all to sit down; everybody just milled around!  I do have to admit that it was very enjoyable seeing how people were dressed.  Many ladies were in their Independence Day finery – lots of red/white/green, but dressed ranged from very dressy to very casual.  Some of the kids were SO cute to see – R took a great photo of one little boy who was just adorable! 

 

At 7:30 pm the Mariachi started playing, at which point I was thankful that I always carry earplugs in my purse.  I hope it wasn’t too rude, but honestly, those horns especially are REALLY loud!  They played what sounded like a lot of familiar tunes, as many people were singing and cheering along with the group, until 8 pm when the doors to the ballroom were opened.

 

We were seated at table 17, which was right next to the band and to the rear of the dance floor.  Our table was long and rectangular and easily seated 12, although only 10 places were taken.  Turns out, we had three Hilton Hotel employees at our table, including the catering manager.  She was really lovely, and we had a very nice chat about Mexican food.  Everybody at our table made us feel very welcome and helped us navigate the very extensive buffet line, which was amazing!  One of the guys at our table has a grandmother who migrated to California about 60 years ago, and spent many years living in the Pasadena area!  Talk about a small world!  The wait staff were ready to serve just about anything that might be required in the alcohol line, and fortunately for us, that included a really excellent Chilean Sauvignon Blanc … which they kept trying to refill.  Truly, no one was going thirsty tonight in the ballroom!

 

The Ballet Folklorico dancers came out next; they were fabulous!  They must have danced for at least 45 minutes, and that is truly strenuous exercise!  The different kinds of costumes were lovely, as they bobbed and swirled – I think I’m going to ask Robert for a similar dress for the holidays this year!

 

Ballet Folkloric dancers

Lovely costumes!

Such a cutie! Note binoculars!

It was now time for food, and there were two identical buffet lines set up on either side of the room.  Service was slow, but the experience was definitely worth it!  We both had bowls of Tortilla soup – yet a different one again, but just excellent!  I had the bowl of soup and then an entire additional plate of food – not sure exactly what I got, although I could identify a Mexican BBQ-style of beef and pork carnitas, as well as chicken breast with mole (Yes, again!) which was great.  Fortunately for me, the nice men who were looking after our table were ever at the ready to help carry the plates back to our table!

 

Beautiful voice!

A late addition -- her Mom kept having to chase her!

In line waiting for dinner!

My tortilla soup

Hate to admit, but that's my plate!

R's plate

As we were eating, the Lucha Libre started.  This is Mexican entertainment and wrestling all in the same place – well actually, more than the ring, as the participants kept throwing each other outside the ring, and scrimmaging on the carpet around it as well!  There were definite good guys (no masks on some) and definite bad guys – those guys dressed all in black, with scary masks over their faces.  I know that the folks at our table kept telling me that it was all pretend, and that nobody got hurt – but you certainly couldn’t tell that from the faces they made and noises – it sounded like gunshots!!  There were two different bouts – if that’s what they’re called!  The second bout had probably 6 or 7 people in the ring all at the same time – bodies were flying everywhere!  I enjoyed that bout a lot more than the first, which Robert hopes doesn’t mean I’m liking it!  Oh well!  Time will tell!

 

This is a "good" guy!

Definitely NOT a "good" guy!

"Good" guy

Hard to tell one from the other in the second match!

Just about 11 pm the huge screens set up on either side of the ballroom switched to the television coverage of the Presidential speech and bell-ringing from the Presidential Palace at the Zocalo, where we were this afternoon.  R estimated a million people.  I have no idea how many there were, but the square was absolutely jampacked with people – I hadn’t seen anything like it since the “Angels and Demons” movie with the Pope in St. Peter’s square! The Presidential Military Escort came first, carrying the Mexican flag.  Then, after an appropriate interval, the President and his wife came out and was handed the Mexican flag.  President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his wife, Beatriz, both then stepped onto the balcony overlooking the Zocalo, and the President proclaimed Mexican Independence.  The speech was very short – only a few words, really, but then there were lots of “Viva’s” celebrating lots of things – finally, ending with “Viva Mexico!”  The crowd enthusiastically responded to everything, and that was followed by the ringing of the Palace bell.  It was tremendously impressive and very moving!  That was followed by a great fireworks display, that we got to watch from the safely and comfort of the ballroom – but it photographed well, so we do have pictures!

Scene of Zocalo - so many people!

Presidential escort with flag

President and his wife

Waiving of the flag and proclamation of Independence

Ringing of the bell on the Palace; call to arms

Thought this was a lovely photo to end with!

After that, the President and his wife retired back into the Palace, and the band in the ballroom started to play.  Not sure if it was just that we were so close to stage, but boy, were they LOUD!  That was basically about the time that we decided that we’d had enough fun for one day, and certainly enough experiences to last us for several, so we headed back upstairs.  R is sound asleep – not that I blame him! – but I’m still feeling a bit wound up after a great evening!  So, writing now, and will post tomorrow.  Figuring that we’ll play it by ear to see if we want to do something adventurous, or just hang out in the area, watch the parade that is due to go by in the morning, and go from there!

 

So, take care, and sending lots and lots of love to all!

m

xxx

NOTE:  R has requested some "down" time today, and is happily napping away right now!

More later, hopefully!

m

xxx