April, 2010

Night Music

I’ve come to the conclusion that the noise level is much louder in the small pueblitos than in the city. I know this seems contrary to logic. In the city there is a hum of the cars passing by until the wee hours of the morning. At this time, you can go into a deep sleep knowing that you probably won’t be awakened until around 6:30 am.

In contrast to the city, in the pueblito you can be awakened for any reason whatsoever at any time of the night. For example, if there is a strange dog in the neighborhood, this can get all the dogs barking and answering each other. ‘Who is this?’ ‘How dare that dog enter our turf?’ ‘Are they gone yet?’ ‘Are you sure they’re gone?’ ‘Let’s bark some more to make sure they don’t come back.’ This can go on for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

One of the culprits.

Then there’s the roosters. When one starts, they all start echoeing through the neighborhood times 100. ‘I think it’s a little light out here.’ ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo’ with their very shrill crowing. It is incredibly jarring and put one on pins and needles waiting for the next round. You look at your clock and it’s 2:30 am. What are they thinking? The full moon gets them inspired. Great!!! Then it’s 3:30 am. ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo.’ “What?”, I’m thinking, “I thought you just woke me up.” Now at 5:30 they start crowing because the sun is going to come up. Then we go back to sleep. Then they crow again when the sun actually comes up. What? I haven’t gone to sleep since the last time you guys woke me up!!!

Donkeys can also start chiming in at any time and tell the chickens to please shut up. But more impolitely. Donkeys can be heard for miles. ‘What the hell are you guys thinking’, they say, ‘Please go back to sleep and shut up!!!’

A donkey being useful.

There’s also the occasional 3 piece band playing for the neighbors until 11:30pm resounding in all of the surrounding valleys.

And I haven’t even mentioned Saturday night when passing cars blare really, really loud music from their cars until 4am. That’s until 4AM!!! Then you’re woken up a few hours later at 7:30 am from the big loud speaker strapped to the top of a car announcing hot tamales. Geez!!!

The lizards between the clay walls even have a say in it all. ‘Click, click, click.’ They have the audacity to mention that you have the lights are on beyond their bed time even though it 9 pm. They are always there watching you admonishing you and you can’t even find them.

I’ve been trying to sleep in this little, quaint, colonial town. Even with earplugs, I’m awake at 2:22 am with the choral of roosters serenading me. What are they thinking? No, I don’t really want to know. Just give me some deep sleep.

 Just a couple of locals on the left...the town of Concordia in on the right just outside of Mazatlan.  They are famous for making rocking chairs.  Most of them are smaller than this one in the town center.