It Just Keeps Getting Better....

It Seems like everyone knows someone with a Manu Chao story. Now I have one too!

Okay, if my gushing, glowing reports of how happy and perfect everything is
haven't annoyed you already, this is sure to test your patience. I am
laughing out loud about what a cartoon my life is, and how frikkiing
righteous Life's choreographer has been to me lately. It is hard to write,
because I am still not done shaking my head in charmed disbelief.

Ok. So I am in Ecuador (again!!) with Kevin (those of you who know him are
saying "aw" because you love him so much...those of you who don´t know
him.....well, he is really great and smiles a lot and is a pleasure to be
around, so just go ahead and say "aw"). We just had an adventure. When I
found out that he and I would be in Ecuador at the same time, and that Manu
Chao was playing a rare concert in Colombia, I instantly recruited Kevin to
be my partner in crime. "Oh my god, we have to hitchhike to Bogota and see
Manu Chao!!" I told him. If he had any reservations or protests I really
wasn´t listening, because I am just a little bit obsessed with Manu Chao,
and there is nothing that would stand in my way. Lucky for me, Kevin´s
defining characteristic is his coolness, so he agreed to hitchhike several
days with me thru Colombia, a place not necessarily renown for its safety,
to go to a concert we didn't even have tickets for.

Of course, Colombia is one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. Any
fears quickly melted away and were replaced by breathtaking views that left
us poking each other and pointing in appreciation. The food is so good that
no meal ended without us groaning. And best of all are the people, who smile
so quickly and make you feel embraced. It was a lovely little voyage. All
the while my stomach was swirling with giddy butterflies because we were
going to see MANU CHAO........ee!

So (to be brief) Somewhere along the way we met up with a bunch of other
Manu Chao heads who were also making the long trip. There were eight of us
all together, coming from Ecuador and the border region. We were excitable
little pilgrims. It is the first time I ever met anyone who dorked out over
Manu Chao more than me. So we formed a little tribe and crossed the
mountains together, suffering thru the endless rain and military
checkpoints. Uncountable hours later, we arrived in Bogota. It was already
dark, and the rain made our teeth chatter. The stomach butterflies turned to
sharks and we scrambled to get tickets. Kevin and I managed to get in to the
show a few songs late, but sadly, some of our group, after such a long
journey, were left outside.

Of course the show was incredible. I am showing great restraint by not
pontificating on the million reasons why it was great. But it was awesome. I
thrust my arms out and pogoed and shouted out every lyric in unison with ten
thousand other voices. Once again in my life I found myself surrounded by
shirtless, sweaty, drunk foreign men singing that song: ¨"Oleee ole ole ole
OOOleeeeeOOOleeeEEEEE!!" I was blissed out. It was worth the trip. Mission
accomplished.

But wait, there is more! This is where it gets funny and marvelous.

Rewind a day or two, and you will see Kevin and I waiting by the side of the
Pan Americana, by the Colombian border. The sun is beaming, the road is
steep and curvy, and the cars aren´t stopping. But we are standing up to our
ankles in smiling dandelions. It is a little field of white fluffy
make-a-wish flowers. I grab the fluffiest of the bunch and take a deep
breath. I wish that we make it to Bogota safely in time for the show, and
that we get tickets. The white propellers of fluff go spinning. Kevin makes
a wish too. We are happy. We picked up our bags and get ready to walk, but
then I decide to be greedy and make one more wish. Given all the pet
unicorns with pegasus wings that I wished for in my childhood that were
never delivered, I don´t necessarily have a lot of faith. But I wish big
anyway. I wished to meet Manu Chao.

And of course you see where this story is going. My wishes came true in
technicolor. My life is ridiculous. It is a marshmallow pie. I am about to
smash my own face into it.

After the show, our sweaty happy tribe of 8 regrouped and hugged and made
all sorts of exclamations of joy (and pity for those left outside). We were
all radiant with the news that the band had decided to add a second show!
Not wanting the moment to end, we lingered a little long inside the
stadium...just long enough to meet Majid, the guitarist. Taken by our joy,
and impressed by how far we had travelled, Majid invited us back stage. And
there he was, Manu Chao. Out of the six billion people on earth, here was
the one I most wanted to meet. He is as peaceful and radiant (and tiny) as
everyone says. I got a kiss on both cheeks.

(Now is the part where I am again showing great restraint by not gushing on
for pages)

Well, to make a long story short, the band was as cool as everyone has
always said they are. They shared their food and beer and small talk. Then
they put us on the guest list for the next show! And gave us backstage
passes! We were officially guests of Manu Chao. E gads!!!

So the next night I was front row center, crushing everyone around me with
my enthusiasm. (I just sighed really loudly as I wrote, let that say it
all!) Again I got to sing Oleee Ole OlE oLeeeEEE! And there was no denying
that life is good.

When we went back stage after the show. There were a bunch of people
there, but the manager waved us forward, referring to us as "Los
Ecuatorianos". We were told to wait, because Manu had a present for
us....Then we were handed a wad of cold hard cash! Several hundred dollars
worth. Manu wanted us to be his guests, and gave us all this money to pay
for our trip and tickets. HUH!!!!?????? Can you believe that? A fistful of
money from Manu Chao...it was....well, WRONG!

Kevin and I immediately looked at each other and vowed to make a project of
giving this money away to the people of Ecuador. We are going to reach into
our pockets every time a beggar stretches out a hand and give with a new
found joy. And we are going to take Fausto (a crazy, amazing, Jesus obsessed
street artist) on a shopping spree to buy new art supplies. And, well, I
have spent this money a million times over in my head, but always with the
same spirit in which it was given. What an amazing gift! It is the cherry on
top of our gluttonous sundae.

Before leaving Bogota we shared some goodbye hugs with the band at their
hotel. At this point I was so saturated that I wanted to sleep for a week.
There is a blur of a journey back to Quito. Somewhere in these days all the
rain and travel took its toll on me, and I got really sick. I had the worst
migraine of my life. Fever and chills. In the middle of the night as I
clutched a toilet and vomited bile, my nose 1 centimeter away from some
stranger´s stray pubic hair, I had one very clear, singular thought:
I AM SO HAPPY!

Thank you to Kevin Muth for most of these Photos! www.kevinmuthphotography.com

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