Wrestling With El Luchador

F3b 4, 2011
Puerto Esconcido, Oaxaca, Mx.

I encountered the `Luchador` ( The wrestler,) both in the literal and the figurative sense, the other day. Angel Salinas - internationally famed Mexican masked ´Luchador de las Olas´- longboard champion from the 90`s and proprietor of Central Surf; and my friend, foe, advisary and teacher, ´la mar´ , the oceon. Angel ( Ahn-hell) has the spiritual quality of someone nurtured and schooled by the waves and the sea: humble, kind yet very passinate about all forms of surfing and paddle-boarding .

Marinero Bay and the fishermans ´marina´ if one may call this tiny collection of humble fishing boats a marina, is tiny as bays go. Tiny and protected in part by a short stone jetty, although weaving between the pelican and seagull studded and stretched canopies of the ´launchas´ on the paddle-surf-board was for me, only possible untill the terminus of the jetty. The chop, wind and waves broadsided the board and tossed me like a taco chip into the salty, sometimes oily water. It smelled of summer, and the outboard motors of my Idaho youth- ´outboard´ 60 H.P. Evenrudes and Yamahas to my left and right. Smooth pond paddling is considerably less challenging than ´el mar inquieto´. Angel dropped me off with the simple instruction
´´ Tres remas al lado´´. ( Three paddles per side.) was the only instruction. ( Get on, get wet, do it, was the feeling.) The warm-up aquaintance with the board felt insufficient, and indeed was for the brisk relentless winds wrestled and shadow boxed this sad iniciate. A group of Canadian and American women, tri-atheletes, serious mountain climbers, yoga-afficiandos and avid canoeists in general fared better than I, at least until we all entered the ´lavadora´( washing machine) while crossing the bay to take the boards back. Then `luchador` flips, sumersaults, side-arches and quick, unintentional yet theatrical`yelps´ became part of our repetua`.
´Next time I am wearing one of Angels wrestler masks `, thought to myself. In congognito, as it were. Angel in his Central Surf Shop, along with board shorts, surf and boogie board rentals and sales, has a small collection of his personal `Luchador` masks - part marvel-comics-super-heroe costume fare, part ancient greek tradition, pure Mexican wrestling kitsch.!

`Pero sin bortas, porfa!` ´ hold the sequined fringed neck tassels, please! ( Too many years exposure to BBAAADDD Idaho Drag Shows. A visceral reaction.)
The first bar of `I Will Survive`, plays in my head- the International Drag Queen Athem.
``En este rincon, tenemos el feroz gringito, ` Sr. PEEELLOONNCITO`. Y eca`, el `ganador`, ´La Lavadora`.
(In this corner we have the ferocious gringo, Mr. Skin-head. In that corner, the winner, ´la lavadora´ ).
From the shore, one large pelican and five seagulls could be seen taking flight from a blue ´lona´ of a fishermans boat.
A faint ´Ahhhh,eahh!´ , and a subsequent splash could be heard.
Abrazos,

Esteban