In the weeks before Christmas, Bagaces had plenty of events. The central park was decorated and there was a special ceremony where the Christmas tree was lit with a parade.

It is strange having such warm weather at Christmas time but it doesn't bother me very much. I went with a busload of local Bagaces residents to the beach. It was a specially hired bus that dropped us off at a nearby beach in Papagayo that is used only for that purpose(ie. no cars). Most of the tickets were supplied by local soccers teams so there were plenty of soccer games on the beach. Playing soccer in the sand is fun, but too much results in your feet being rubbed raw by sand.

The week before Christmas Bagaces had the main tope, or rodeo of the year. There was a bunch of events in the town and Bagaces filled up fast. There was bull riding every night and I went on Saturday to watch the excitement. The big day of bull riding was the Sunday and it was even on the local TV. Around the bull ring there were a couple of fair rides brought in and they constructed two temporary bars, including one with two stories. On Saturday there was the main event, the tope. Anybody who had a horse paraded through the streets of Bagaces and there was competitions determining the best horses. Me and some friends borrowed horses for the tope and I was glad that my horse didn't freak out and take off in all the excitement. I'm pretty sure I didn't win any prizes, partly because my horse didn't know how to dance and partly because I had a baseball cap rather than a sombrero but it was a fun experience.