Without Guayabera

Nomads again. All our belongings stacked on Nemo's back, we left Oaxaca heading north. We reached Puebla in the late afternoon, and headed for the Zocalo. As per our usual luck, that Sunday was the opening day of the Barroquisimo, a month-long festival of music and art. Before we joined the crowd waiting for a popular rock star to appear on stage, we needed to fulfill our craving for a banana split. In the ice cream shop, we stared at a wall-size poster.

"An afternoon of Danzon!" it proclaimed.

According to the poster, the event was already in progress, and the last band on the schedule would have started to play about an hour before. Within seconds, I overcame Adi's reluctance by reminding her of two facts. First, the band "Danzonera La Playa" is one of the most famous Danzon groups, and second, they probably started later than schedule. We did without the ice cream and the rock star, and rushed to the event, a few blocks away. In our haste, we went just as we were, wearing T-shirts and sandals. Almost out of breath, we pushed through the thick ring of onlookers, and joined the couples on the dance floor.

Within seconds of moving to the familiar rhythm of the Danzon, my adrenalin dissipated, and I was calm, and happily enjoying the music. I noticed the big smile on Adi's face, and I knew that we made a good decision. Then, I paid attention to the other dancers. They were all dressed in fancy ballroom attire, much more elaborate and sexy than the Oaxaca crowd. It also seemed that they were all staring at us. According to Lonely Planet, the residents of Puebla are considered to be aloof and snobbish, and I felt uncomfortable in my casual outfit, until I realized that instead of frowning, the couples around us were beaming smiles while signaling Thumbs-up. Foreigners that can dance Danzon are welcome even in Puebla.

Adi, in her uncanny ability to remember faces, discovered that we saw this band performing last year, in the masked ball of the Vera Cruz Carnaval. The lead singer recognized her too, and asked her to the stage to introduce herself.

"I am Adi; I am from Korea; and I love Danzon!" she shouted into the microphone.

The audience erupted in thunderous cheers. After that, we became the afternoon's attraction. In the short breaks between dances, many couples approached, and congratulated us on our dancing ability. We repeatedly had to answer where we are from, where we learned Danzon, and what is our opinion of Puebla. Despite the adoring atmosphere around us, we did not fail to mention that we didn't know about the event, otherwise we would have been wearing our evening dress and Guayabera. This last statement seemed to seal our acceptance into the "Snobish" Pueblan society. We promised to come back in September, this time wearing the proper clothes.

"We shall await you" was the courteous and friendly reply.