This was written last night, but the internet was down...
We have been very busy here in El Salvador, which is really great because the time goes by very quickly….but also pretty tiring because of all the logistics that go into getting us where we need to be when we need to be there, setting up in the sweltering heat (today in the shade it was 100 degrees, in the sun it was 111 degrees), doing the show and then tearing down when it is even hotter. Today before I even opened up my first case to start set-up, my t-shirt was already drenched. Yuck!

Yesterday we had a concert at a park near one of the medical sites but it turned out to be very much like we set up for a huge rehearsal…in that at one point, there were more people on the stage than there were people in the audience. But that’s ok because I really had a good time having fun with the guys on stage….dancing, cackling and just being plain ole silly…like I always am.…We did end up getting more people in the audience towards the end of our set (figures) and they really appreciated it. We played a tune In Memory of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I can’t believe that he’s gone. As we played “Beat It”, I got a choking feeling just thinking about how much he will be missed around the world. Thanks for all your music and influence on the entertainment world MJ, Rest in Peace. We finished our 2 hour performance and like always, we tore down and headed out of there so we could catch our Helo back to the ship. Since we’ve been in El Sal, we have taken a helo the whole time! It has been great! By boat, the ride to shore is approx. an hour and twenty minutes; the helo takes about seven or 8 minutes tops! It’s great! I wonder though, what it will be like going back to the boat when we get to Nicaragua. Speaking of which, I can’t believe that we will be in our last country so soon! Woo hoo!

So today we had a performance with a local El Salvadorian band, “La Banda Friguey” (pronounced Free-way). The plan was for us to meet up with them this morning sometime and rehearse some tunes together. We were going to play a set of our own tunes, they were going to play a set and then we were going to play the rehearsed music together. The rehearsal was to begin at 1000 or 1100 give or take a few minutes. 1000 and 1100 comes and goes. We ended up playing an hour set at around 1200 to try to stall for time and also to see if they were going to even show up. Well at 1300 they come strolling in…. After getting them plugged in, they played a set and it was very fun original music. Lots of dancing…and great animation for all of the audience. After they finished, we ended up playing some songs on the fly….I mean they were songs we all knew, but the songs form is always different no matter where you go. Believe it or not, it was very comfortable and just very fun to just be free in the music. I sang with their two vocalists and it really turned out to be a great time! After the 45 minute set, we all shook hands and thanked each other. We tore down and loaded the bus headed for the HLZ. After about a 30 minute wait at the HLZ, we boarded the helo and made our way back to the ship.

I’m pretty beat right now, and think I’m gonna turn in. My eyes are getting heavy….

Thanks for stopping by….
Keisha