San Fermin

I guess I could of titled this up date "I'm alive" like I did the last one.
 The first day I got to Pamplona I missed the opening ceremonies just because I didn't plan right. The san fermin is a week long 24 hour a day festival here in Pamplona Spain. The running of the bulls is only a four to five min a day part of this festival. The first day I need to recover from my week in Mallorca so I watched the fireworks from the window of my hotel then went to bed . Because I missed all the nights activitys I decided to rest all day before going into town ( my hotel is about 3miles outside of town) and celibrateing the san fermin.That afternoon I eat and drink as much as I can including a red bull before leaveing the hotel at about 7. I brought white pants and a white shirt with me but I had to find the traditional red sash to tie around my waist and a red banddana for around my neck. I found them at a street vender just outside of the bull ring in the center of the city. So now I feel like I fit in ... kind of I'm sober and an american neither of which I'm finding very many of. I give up trying to find some one who I think that I would like to "party" with until 8 the next morning, but  Its cold here even before the sun goes down around 10:30, so I go looking for a sweet shirt.I didnt find a sweetshirt but I did find two brothwers from DC and New York who I end up hanging out all nite with. We ate from a street vender, walked around and talking until 10 when the toro de fuego runs the rute of tomorrows run. The toro de fuego is a guy with a bull costume over his back that runs around crazy on the bull rute with fire works shooting out of his back. Its something for the kids, but, these are'nt the safe legle kind either theses are like the  behind the counter indian reservaion fireworks the kind that would scare the kides in the states. (because their hair would be on fire).
Then at 11 when its finally darkish they set off a very impresive fireworks display. They have LOTS of fire works and their very progresive, they do all kinds of crazy stuff. They go on for a solid half hour.
At 1:30 we find a jazz conceret (hey I'm not alone. I dont't get to make all the decisions) Then we continue walking and talking dancing and singing and I finaly break down and get that sweet shirt.  7am finaly start to line up for the run. They bring out a saint and put the saint along the route light some candles and do a chant three times before the bulls are let out at 8. I am very close to where they come out and as soon as I see them I start to run like I have never run before. Their is some very good incentive behind me. Theses bulls are HUGE and I can see their eyes. I can smell them, Years, months weeks and today 12 hours of anticipation and it's finaly here. The six bulls are coming up the coblestone hill behind me. I cheek in front to make sure their are no people to trip over ( what Im really scared about)  and then look back to check the bulls again and.... their past  before my heart could really get going Im chasing the bulls instead of the other way around. Their really fast and the people do a better job of getting out of the way for them than they do for me. They continue to gain ground until in just before" dead mans corner" and the police are out on the corse stoping people from chasing them any more. I look around and see a guy being looked after behind the barieres they put up (I see after that the first two bulls trip him up and the others jump over him he is lucky....because he has a good story.) I also find the brothers just before I hear that now their are four steers coming. They are much slower and less agresive. I fallow next to the last one for the rest of the corse to the bullfighting areana. If you get their before the bulls you can go in with them but because the bull just beats me their I'm stoped by the police and I have to turn around. I go to meet at the bar we have set up to meet up at and they are allready playing todays run on the tv so surch for it I'm sure its out their. I dont know if you can see me or not but I'm very early on and I'm whering my sash around my head like rambo. Im strugaling to get pic up and with all my electronic skills ( I set a goal to take classes or practice until im better. Im strugguling with my cameras, with uploading photos and as you can tell with spell check) so ill get them up as soon as I can but until then... I cant wait to run tomorrow and be a little more a part of whats going on out  their Chaoo for now