Hiking Excursion VI, Acoustic Bugaloo

As in years past, this Summer the Bastardos moved West for the funk. The Olympic Peninsula Coast was the destination, wet feet the prescription, sand and ropes the constipation.

The hike was very much different from any other year, as 2011 offered an interesting mix of beach and rain-forest hiking, dolphin spotting, crashing waves drowning out snoring, and salmon and steak dinners.

All in all, another total success with zero fatalities and plenty of foolish douche-baggery. Lessons were learned and age was shown, with the aid of rope-ascent hikes proliferating muddy trails, where joints cried foul.

But, as mentioned, no one died or needed a ride to a hospital, so the venture only made us stronger.

Kisses from the indoors, where refrigerators and toaster ovens provide the warm solace of domestic bliss.

In Other Music News

It's been a full week since Joe Arroyo, Colombia's greatest salsa singer, died in a hospital in BQ. The last five or ten years had been kinda rough for old Joe (who wasn't really that old, 55).

That's him with Shakira there, back in 2006

He had drug problems and I think he was diabetic, and seemed really shaky on stage at times. But damn did he have a cool voice. He high-fived me once at a club (La Quinta, which is now closed) and we ate in the same restaurant once, where I made a fool of myself when I recognized him. I have been trying to reckon how many times I saw Joe, at least six, the last time at a small club in BQ with virtually no one in attendance, which is amazing, as he was, until his last breath, a National hero, and Salsa legend.

Adios, Joe, The staff at FPPInternational will be trying to imitate that screechy sound you made for the following week or two.

Here's the video for Joe's tune, Sabre Olvidar, which is awesome for many reasons:
1) It's a cool tune.
2) Parts of it were filmed at Las Flores, where we used to eat fish on weekends
3) Joe's wearing a captain's hat with overalls

4) At 3:45 a girl presents a flopping fish in a box to the camera for consideration