Sancho Panza – Pamplona
Tonight I smoked one of my 10 value buys from Island Smoke Shop down in Key Largo, along with my new Key West Ashtray. I just couldn’t resist the dark oily wrapper on this tiny little Box Pressed Maduro. The Sancho Panza is a bold little cigar, that packs a punch. Wrapped in a shiny reddish Honduran-grown Cuban-seed leaf, this Honduran handmade cigar definitely did not disappoint. It was strong, it had depth, it had flavor, and it lasted about an hour.
The Sancho Panza – Pamplona only cost $2.75, so I was really impressed by the quality and value this cigar offered.
I come to find out that these cigars are crafted under the direction of Estelo Padron of Honduras. Apparently Estelo Padron and his brother Jorge Padron had a bit of a falling out, which resulted in Estelo leaving the Padron line in Nicaragua and going to work in Honduras. He is now the man behind the blends in Punch, Hoyo Excalibur , El Rey del Mundo and Sancho Panza.
The sizes are named Barcelona, Madrid, Cadiz, Cordoba, and the Pamplona.
…or, if you prefer in satellite view…
Being a survivor of San Fermin Festival myself, I had no other choice but to opt for the Pamplona. Now that I think about it, the words “no other choice” when referring to Pamplona, are quite ironic.
From Ibiza to Pamplona, the party continues…
A friend and I had just returned to the mainland from spending about 2 weeks in Ibiza – an island off the coast of Spain. Several people had suggested we go to Pamplona for the world famous San Fermin Festival, so we decided to do it.
We made our way to Zaragoza, and booked the early morning train to Pamplona. The train was packed, I mean standing room only packed, I mean packed so full you couldn’t even fit a potato on the train packed. Practically every square inch on the train was taken by guys wearing all white shirts & pants, with red bandannas and belts. We were able to negotiate about 4 feet of floor space for the both of us, and tried to get some rest, laying over people, with people crawling over us.
July 11th, 2001 – We arrived in Pamplona at 5:30AM. The “Run” starts at 8:00AM when they release the Bulls. We walked the street and tried to familiarize ourselves with the route where the bulls would be running. About 20 minutes to 8:00, they take hoses and start watering down the streets. I guess being drunk (from gallons of Sangria), and sleep deprived is not challenging enough when running from 1000 lbs Bulls, so they needed to add ‘ice skating’ to the list.
I never felt the need to prove my manhood and run with the bulls. I thought watching the event would be more fun, so I had planned to do just that. Next thing I know, the police closed down the streets with huge wooden gates. I started climbing out, but a police officer with a rifle started screaming out me to get down, so I had “no other choice”… I was gonna run. A few minutes later we heard a gunshot, signaling that the first bull has been released.
About 45 seconds later, a second gunshot, signaling that the last bull was out.
I didn’t stick around to chit chat.
I ran like a little girl.
The most dangerous part of Running of the Bulls is the last stretch of the course when it goes through the tunnel into the arena. The tunnel is dark and small, and with so many thousands of people running through, it’s easy to get hit by the bulls there. I made it through the tunnel, heart pumping, running onto the Plaza de Toros, hooked a right, hopped the wall, and watched as the bulls charged into the arena.
The after-party was so big, the energy so high, the drinks so strong, that the rest is pretty much a blur. Everyone was celebrating being alive! I do recall we went to a bar in the main square and had a pitcher of Sangria which was served by dipping the pitcher into one of several garbage cans full of Sangria, and it was the best Sangria I ever had.
Click Here to watch the July 11th, 2001 Running of the Bulls Video”
http://www.sanfermin2.com/2001/videos/streaming2001/110701_100.wmv
LONG LIVE SAN FERMIN!!!
