dancing men

I took my colleague Abdel downtown right at the time he was feeling a bit claustrofobic in safe/residential/walled/malled San Salvador. We walked down Paseo Escalón for about 40 minutes until we got to Café de Don Pedro, a 50´s style cafe where people hang out for a drink and a Ceviche while listening to 70 year old marimba performers. Two things I love about this place: the shoe shining service and Naomi the waitress.

The shoe shining service at Café de Don Pedro:
As you approach the patio a couple of shoe shiners greet you inviting your shoes for a shine. Men stop, take their shoes off, leave them there and sit bare foot. It is simply beautiful to see all these men having a beer on their white socks. Note: only men get their shoes shined

Naomi:
She simply greets me as if I were her niece. She hugs me, asks about my sister and my brother in law, tells me about her son. She literally makes me feel home...

So, Abdel loved the place. His sister and brother called while we were having lunch and got a bit of the marimba which probably calmed them from their fears for the country.

We headed downtown right after our lunch at Café de Don Pedro. We wandered around to the rhythm of nativity scene noices, vendors, kids cries, laughter, music, more music, religious speeches, political campaign jingles, narrated soccer, porn screams, made in china toys, fire works and cathedral bells. There was a wedding at the Cathedral which was fully decorated with plastic and paper flowers (gorgeous!).

After walking and walking through the strets and the open market we decided to go to a bar for a drink. Ok it is not a bar, it is a club and it opens 24 - 7 (at least that is what I think). We got in: Abdel´s cover was 2 dollars and mine 1. Beer: 1 dollar! yep...

We danced and we also did some people watching, or dance watching. Compared to other clubs uptown (which means west), men dance more than women. Everything moves bottom up: the way men move their feet determines the whole body movement to the rhythm of the music. A very samba-like style. But just for men... I wonder if it has something to do with men having their shoes shined (or shone?).