 
continued..
I greeted my old friends,
Albert Torres, Amy, lots of LA Salsakids. And met a lot of new friends. People can say all
they want about LA, but one thing is for sure, the people there are very friendly and
warm!!!
Men just came up to me, who I’ve never
met before and asked me to dance. All noticed immediately my different style of dancing.
"Where you from?" they would ask curiously. "Curaçao!" I answered
with a question mark cause most people have no idea where that is. "Oh, that’s
where you guys dance with the wrong foot forward…" "Yea I’m from the
island where they dance with the right foot forward" Some wanted to try that but
hihihi some may call it the wrong foot forward but after trying they found out that’s
not that easy. It’s certainly not wrong, it’s just different.
"How do I do a cross-body-lead on the
right?" Was the most asked question. "Well ……uhh…...never
mind…it can be done but it’s just doesn’t feel or looks like the
cross-body-lead on the left so let’s just say it can’t be done".
When I told them that our guys (and girls)
back home could dance on the left and right and also switch from one to the other in one
dance, they just left the subject alone because it was just too much information for them
to process :-)
I danced all night long. I have no idea how
I did it after a 9 hours of travelling, but I did. I FINALLY met Mick (Salsaweb
Administrator) We had been e-mailing for months but we had never met each other. The
Internet is a wonderful thing - for me the invention of the century!!
I had asked Raul and Edie if
it wasn’t a problem that I wasn’t dressed in a costume, "No" was their
reply. After I went to the bathroom I came back and said to them "Know what? I just
found out I’m dressed up for Halloween after all" They asked me as what?
"As a ghost, I look like a ghost" My face was white like ……… a
girl who’s just been travelling for 9 hours and dancing for 3 hours. They started
laughing.
 
Okay of course since I’m not from LA my
style of dancing is different from theirs, but I had no idea it would be that obvious. Our
style on the island is a little mix & match. Since we started travelling in 1997 to
the first Congresso in Puerto Rico, we got so much influence from the outside world, that
we now dance "Curaçao-NY-LA-Puerto Rican-Style". We’re not really into the
fancy LA dips, turns-around-the world and neck-drops. If a guy does one of these with a
girl, it’s usually his dance partner or someone he dances with often, otherwise
it’s just an big NO-NO - an unwritten rule here on the island.
What I did after I found out this rule is
unknown in LA, before I started dancing with a guy I told him with a big smile on my face
"I don’t fly, dip, or sweep the floor" "No problem", was always
the answer. Can’t help it. I just don’t feel comfortable doing these stunts,
especially not with some one I’ve never met in my life. Everyone’s lead is
different and what if I ‘read’ him wrong………. I dance cause I
enjoy it so much, if I would feel stressed because there just may be a dip coming up. I
wouldn’t enjoy the dance as much - then why dance uh??
Funny thing was I got so many compliments
for my style of dancing I was happy that my head could still fit through the door after
leaving the club. I didn’t expect this at all. I mean LA has the Mecca of Salsa
dancers. There are so many excellent dancers there. Being different is not always a bad
thing. Girls who I would admire on the side came up to me, "How do you do this or
this?" I said to Edie that I thought I would get an over-load on new things to learn
but it looks as if it’s the other way around when Edie suddenly cut me off and asked,
"Yes, how do you do that thing with your shoulders?" I started laughing.
Of course I also visted a few
times my friends of Salsa Brava.
  
This was my first time to LA and only knew
LA from TV and stories I’d heard. My stay there was filled with all new impressions.
I’ve been to Miami, New York, Washington DC, and Dallas but all are different. I
guess it’s a bit like we have here with our 5 islands. They are all very close to
each other and are all part of the Netherlands Antilles. People usually think that when
they’ve seen one island they’ve seen all the islands but just the opposite is
true. All islands are very different from each other. There is no comparing Curaçao with
Bonaire, besides the sun and the sea, although I’m also a scuba diver and found out
the diving at Bonaire is very different from Curaçao and we’re only 20 minutes
flying apart!!
I expected harsh city-like attitude but
found nothing of a sort. People were so friendly and made the time to have a little
conversation. Especially in my favorite store, Starbucks where Edie took me every day. She
knew I’m a coffee freak and just can’t live without it.
During the days Edie drove me ALL over
California and made sure I didn’t miss anything.
In LA you
have everything, busy city life if you want, quiet mountains, the beach, snow, mountains,
small suburb towns, lakes, the big "downtown" district., Beverly Hills,
Disneyland, Hollywood, Universal Studios…. you name it they have it!! |
Beautiful ALL glass church.
|
What they also have are very busy streets and freeways! I had to get used to that being
from a little island.
On a Sunday Edie took me to
Venice Beach. WOW!!
  
My kind of place, I could stroll there for days, but when the sun was down we left,
because it was getting cold being so near to the ocean. We then went to Santa Monica, and
strolled down what is known as "Third Street Promenade" and even saw some
"psychic cats."
Usually Edie told me in morning to bring all
my stuff, "What do you mean by all my stuff" "For tonight of course"
We would one night end up changing in gym, yes all of the sudden we were members there :-)
we would walk in in sweat pants and would walk out totally dressed up for the night.
I must admit if I would ever live in a city
again, I would have to re-learn some tricks of the trade. Entering the gym, (which was
really the only place were we could change except of the parking lot), one of the hulky
guys asked me if we were members. Me in my innocence answered, "Nope". Edie to
the rescue, "She’s from out of town but I am" and pinched me in the
side.............Oops yea got it :-)
We had to hurry because we had a class to
teach in a club. I helped Edie out since Raul was in DC. It was a lot of fun! I found out
that night that students all over the world have the same problems.
Edie had promised to help Janette out with
moving. This was on my birthday. Hey I wanted to do something different on my birthday,
well I did. We had fun, especially with Janette her color coordinated closet, black
section, blue section, green…. All the colors of the rainbow. I was happy to help
out.
Later, we went home, changed and drove to El
Floradita’s for my birthday. We didn’t really plan anything, but were invited by
Albert Torres. It’s a little Cuban restaurant with a small dance floor. That night
the Johnny Polanco band was playing. I was in heaven because it was not such a huge place;
just a cozy restaurant with a nice dance floor, I loved it!!!
Soon familiar faces were
coming in, Josie, Season, Oscar, and lots of other new friends.
 
Albert had arranged for the
band to play a Happy Birthday song for me and of course the famous
birthday-"Gang-Dance" was ready for me as well.
Luckily they were all nice and easy, no flip-flops through the air. Weird enough everyone
was dancing on "2" I thought that LA was all "1" but no way, the
"2" also found it’s way to LA.
 
  
I really had a BLAST and would like to thank
everyone again for this unforgettable night!!! MUA!!
After El Floradita’s
Edie took me for a night drive on Hollywood Boulevard. Again I had seen all the stars and
hands & feet in cement a thousand times on TV but seeing them now in real life was
very different and made a big impression on me.
We drove around and Edie pointed out all the
huge murals on the various buildings along Sunset Boulevard. LA has just too many
incredible things. I went from "Wow" to "Gee" to
"………" just being silent taking in everything. We drove through
the rich and famous Beverly Hills……… mmmhhh some nice ‘little’
houses there!
Late, around 3am we made a stop at a diner.
I loved it, everything is open almost 24 hours. By then I didn’t want to leave LA
anymore.
Since we were busy on my birthday helping
out Janette, Edie said to me that I would get my birthday present a day later, and asked
if I'd mind?? NO of course not - even not if it was a week later. She made me curious why
I had to wait a day. I mean, even if you're busy, giving some one a present doesn't take
that long?? I don't need a whole day for unwrapping!! What did she have in mind??
After a day moving and dancing till the
early morning hours, I was surprised the next day with the most perfect gift of all for me
– a full day in a spa!!!! Total pampering, being lazy, being spoiled for a day. Edie
had it all planned out…. first I would get my usual coffee at Starbucks nearby, then
off to the spa.
We entered this beautiful building, inside
(again) friendly people at the counter, every where couches, a health bar and the smell of
a swimming pool.
Edie had planned that we would first get a
good workout and after that I would get my total spa treatment. Somehow the schedules of
Edie and the lady at the spa were different and there was no time any more for my workout.
Would I mind skipping the work out and go directly to the spa for my total body massage??
.........................Mhhhhh well ................ You mean I can’t sweat, huff
& puff, tire my body and have to go straight to the indulgence section of this huge
place? …….NO OF COURSE NOT hahahaha!!!
I was guided to the massage center, where
very soft relaxing music was playing. They had these little aroma therapy fountains
everywhere. I changed clothes into a big fluffy bath-robe. The smell and sounds made you
feel like living in a very peaceful world without any troubles. For a little while you'll
forget everything in life, outside people where probably trying to get to their jobs,
getting the kids from school, rushing in their cars - but inside the spa, there none of
that. Only peace.
I promised myself not to fall asleep during
the massage because I wanted to enjoy every moment of it. I managed to stay awake the
whole time, and found out I have muscles in my body where I didn't even know I had
muscles.
Sorry, I was so out of this world that even
forgot to take any pictures! After the massage I was guided (I needed guidance cause I was
so sleepy!) to the next room for a facial treatment. My skin was very thankful for this
after the dry airplane and LA air. On Curaçao the humidity is very high, as soon as I
travel my skin starts protesting and I almost want to put intense lotion on my whole body,
just to stop it from flaking and itching.
The lady put some kind of heated mittens on
my hands with little aroma stones in them. I never knew that even your hands can feel so
good with his treatment! While getting my facial in the back ground I listened to the
splashing water of the fountains. I promised myself I would get one of these for myself,
so I could listen to it the whole day...........I still need to do that.
When I was done Edie took me to the sauna
and the whirlpool, where I woke up a bit, and chatted some. I took a shower and then the
time came for me to join the rest of the world again in the craziness. "Bye spa, next
time I'm in LA I'll for sure come back"
Thank you
Edie for this wonderful birthday present!!!
We’ve been strolling
through the Garment District and now I know where the clothes come from hanging in the
stores here…….from LA!!
We saw a nice Salsa dress but had to buy six of them, mmmhhhh wasn’t planning on
starting a clothing store. Just incredible, if I would live in LA I would never go to a
mall ever again. Everything you see in at the Garment District you can buy in a mall
– but the only thing is, at the mall the dress’s price tag has one more zero
next to the price!
When Raul got back from DC we
went on a Monday to Universal Studio’s. It was fun to see where and how all the
movies and sitcoms are made.
Of course we went into the "Jurassic Park" ride, which was wet at the end but,
although I don’t like getting wet, I had a big kids smile on my face afterward. The
"Back-To-The-Future" ride got me the most……. And this is for kids??!!
It was scary!
|
Raul and Edie
had just moved to a new apartment, which would also serve as their dance studio. While
Raul was busy in DC teaching privates and workshops, Edie and I turned their living room
into a real dance studio by putting up mirrors on one of the walls. |
Okay time came to leave LA and to
continue my trip to Atlanta. I could still talk for hours about all my experiences in LA
but............
Atlanta story coming up soon..... |
