National reggae star Phillip Montalvan rocked the house on Saturday at Arribas bar.  Covering a couple of Bob Marley songs and many of his originals he set the night on fire.  The band was tight and the groove was infectious as the crowd danced on long after the band left.  Another great party at Arribas!

For a month and a half San Juan del Sur celebrates it's Patron Saint St. John the baptist.  I don't know if he intended to leave this legacy but we are all glad it turned into a beautiful and colorful cultural party.  One of the many components of the festival is a competition between neighborhoods of a legend called the gigantona (gigantic lady).  A small bigheaded midget fell in love with her and they ended up together and happy.  Two neighborhoods battle it out for bragging rights every year.  This year it was between barrio La Cascabela (green) and barrio Chamorro (multi-colored). 

The Festival Einstein 2011 engaged the local youth and challenged them with a Science Fair, Essay Contest and Chess tournament.  The chess tournament drew out the best players in the area.  The science fair had various projects displayed and three happy winners were chosen and given bikes for their excellent displays.  The essay contest had only one entrant which also took a bike.   Five bicycles were given out to the five top chess players of the day along with medals.