TOMATO FIGHTERS (27.08.2008)

Tomato fight or "TOMATINA" as called in spanish is a quite funny party celebrated in BUÑOL, a village near Valencia (Spain).


There are too much stories around this party, the most known story tells it started about 60 years ago when someone accidentally let fall over a big basket full of tomatos in the middle of the central square of the village, then neighbours of the village begun throwing to each others tomatos, and somehow, everyone sitting in the place that day was involved into a red battle.

It was so funny to have that battle, that neighbours decided to meet next year in the same place carrying tomatos to start a new tomato fight, and it was like this for decades, they gathered in gangs and threw tomatos to the other gangs.
These days Tomato fight is an attractive party well known around the world. People from all kind of nationalitys come to enjoy this war that last only one hour each year.

I have to admit that it is a big waste of food (tomatos), over 120.000 kilograms (five dump trucks full), but at least there´s no coward bull killing in this this peaceful spanish celebration.

This was my first year, I went with my friend Mauricio. We were lucky that some collegues from Mauricio´s mother left us change our clothes and park the car next to their home, also, they took us to the town.

To start with, we bought a very famous spanish drink... sangría... hmmmm!!! I´m not a very good drunker, but this is the perfect drink to me, because it is sweet, and it´s got fruits and it´s very cool. I was walking like a complete idiot 20 minutes after drinking my litter glass.

Also Mauricio... but it seems he´s a better drinker than me.



In the way to the main place, we found lots of people, the streets were crowded and locals threw water from balconys!!

We got into the crowd...


... found beautiful girls...

... got happy and drunk...






... I dont know who the fuck was that..., but you can find every sort of crazy people.




... then, at 11:00 o clock, we heard a canon nearby, AND THE FIGHT STARTED!!!

Sorry for not showing so much pictures about the battle, but... it was impossible to make them... it is like being in the fist line of a METALLICA concert, but at the same time, throwing tomatos!!





There was no gangs... but people from every country, we found


Australian...

Spanish... (off course)

Japanish...

English... (almost... off course)

Indian...

Colombian...

More spanish...







and Peruvian...

if your country is not here, sorry, we went to tomato fight, not to take pictures to unknown people (well, actually, it was what I thought)

At the end of the battle, we went to a little lake in the village to take a short swim.


Then we returned back home

... and take another swim in the swimming pool

We were lucky... when we started the journey, we didnt even know how to get there, but finally, we fought, swam, and... not docummented, but we also took a delicious lunch in that unexpected house

I hope all of you have enjoyed this story, which is my first in my personal web. I will try to make a big effort next time to translate into spanish and french, but believe me, is not so easy to manage with this software.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING ME, SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

GOOD NIGHT... GOOD FIGHT!!!