It's 9 p.m. and your Uber driver drops you off on the side of a dark and quiet road. It appears as if the streets are empty and the businesses in this area are all closed. You are left standing bewildered and confused, staring at a giant black iron door. Suddenly, as small hole opens on one side of the door and two eyes are staring at you. It felt like a scene from the prohibition era in the United States where you approached under the cover of darkness. You expect to hear "what's the password?" Suddenly the large iron barrier begins to slide open.
"¡Bienvenido!" the security guard says as he opens the portal into another world. As you begin to enter the establishment, you realize this is a store filled with small gifts. One particular item that caught my eye as we walked towards the back of the building was the hand rolled incense sticks. There were dozens more interesting items, but I didn't dare lose sight of my group of Yari, Katharine and Diego.
As we made our way towards the back of a beautiful garden filled with live plants; there was a small bar, a DJ area, dining tables and eventually a performance stage unfolded before our eyes! It was beautiful, and most certainly not what was expected after the rather ominous entry just moments before. Our table was set for 8, as Katharine had made the reservations in advance for our group, and four others were to join us soon.
True to Costa Rican fashion, it was a good 5 minutes or more before our waitress approached our table. Wearing a clever "Money is Calling" t-shirt, it appeared as if she wanted to swipe right for "accept." I ordered the alcohol and sugar free fresa (strawberry) drink. Again in true fashion for Latin American restaurants, it would be about 20 minutes before I discovered how delicious the drink would be. Whatever you do, do not expect fast service. It's a cultural thing, you will only be disappointed if you are always in a hurry. Yari ordered the chicken with rice, and Katharine and Diego shared a plate of friend plantain with dipping sauce. Yari devoured her meal, but the other two didn't seem as pleased with their choice. The other 4 guests were lagging behind and looking to make an extravagantly late entrance.
About 60 minutes after our initial arrival, the band began to take the stage. "Fore, Movimiento Afro" would be the special guest for the evening. A brightly colored group of three men and three woman suddenly took the stage. (Learn more about them here on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/foremovimientoafro?igsh=aDVwcGl0ZW9tdnNr )
For the next couple hours this amazing ensemble took the stage and dazzled the audience. A distinct African Tribal sound heavy with roaring drums and an array of delightful percussion instruments lit up the room. The dancing was abrupt and full of well timed gyrations. The lead singer and percussionist got the crowd involved with clapping, back and forth singing and dancing. The crowd was well involved and fully excited to be a part of such an interesting show.
After their performance, we were treated with a night-cap. A slender man came to the center of the dance area and began to razzle dazzle everyone with a brave and amazing display of fire twirling. At one point, he had three lit staves and was rolling one around his neck and back. Truly an amazing performance. If you are looking for something truly unique to do on your visit to Costa Rica, then I highly suggest you book a show at La Colmena. You can learn more and see what's coming up here on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacolmenacostarica/?hl=en I promise, they won't disappoint, and you will have a night of enjoyment that will be unforgettable.
Gracia La Colmena! Gracia Fore!
#travelcostarica #costaricatours #hiddengems This gallery and video is just a small sample of the exciting performance:
Comments