The other night we went to a karaoke/full moon party at the local beach bar, La Buena Vida. While we were there we met a couple that live at the RV park up the road, PaaMul. They invited us to the Crab Races held there on Friday nights. So, tonight we went crab racing! It was pretty funny.
They have about 30 of the big, black hermit crabs that they keep under their rig and feed dog food to all winter. When they leave in the summer, they let them go. These guys are up to 4" across and have loooong legs and pinchers. They have numbers painted on their shells and they put them all in a bucket inside a circle made from a huge buoy rope.
For 10 pesos you buy a ticket with a crab's number on it. At the start of each race they turn the bucket over in the middle of the circle, inside a rolled plastic noodle, and off they go. Before the race they announce what the winners will be, such as 4th one off the rope wins dinner and 6th one off the rope wins the money. As the crab touches sand outside the rope, it is picked up and put back in the bucket and its number called out.
A lot of the crabs go to the rope but then they just walk around on the rope and never come off it, they're called 'rope runners'. Some crabs, usually the ones we had tickets for, don't go anywhere. They just sit inside the noodle. I decided they are probably the smarter ones. They have about 6 races a night, by race 4 I was amazed that any of them took off but they do. Mimi says it is because they have brains the size of a grain of sand, I figure the ones that just stay inside the noodle have a couple of grains to rub together. Whatever you do, you're going to the bucket, why run?
The races are held in the sand next to the restaurant & bar, so drinks are consumed and cheering increases. The tickets sold out for a couple races, there are only 30 crabs, and only one ticket per crab. I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't pick my own crab but I gotta admit, the one I thought was going to be the winner rarely left the circle. Plus, the first one out doesn't win and it's pretty hard to pick who will be number 6 off the rope. They have 'crab spotters' around the circle to watch and grab the crab as it puts that first claw down.
The reason I don't have pictues is that the batteries died on the camera - at least I hope that is what happened. It may take me a bit to find some to replace them.
They have about 30 of the big, black hermit crabs that they keep under their rig and feed dog food to all winter. When they leave in the summer, they let them go. These guys are up to 4" across and have loooong legs and pinchers. They have numbers painted on their shells and they put them all in a bucket inside a circle made from a huge buoy rope.
For 10 pesos you buy a ticket with a crab's number on it. At the start of each race they turn the bucket over in the middle of the circle, inside a rolled plastic noodle, and off they go. Before the race they announce what the winners will be, such as 4th one off the rope wins dinner and 6th one off the rope wins the money. As the crab touches sand outside the rope, it is picked up and put back in the bucket and its number called out.
A lot of the crabs go to the rope but then they just walk around on the rope and never come off it, they're called 'rope runners'. Some crabs, usually the ones we had tickets for, don't go anywhere. They just sit inside the noodle. I decided they are probably the smarter ones. They have about 6 races a night, by race 4 I was amazed that any of them took off but they do. Mimi says it is because they have brains the size of a grain of sand, I figure the ones that just stay inside the noodle have a couple of grains to rub together. Whatever you do, you're going to the bucket, why run?
The races are held in the sand next to the restaurant & bar, so drinks are consumed and cheering increases. The tickets sold out for a couple races, there are only 30 crabs, and only one ticket per crab. I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't pick my own crab but I gotta admit, the one I thought was going to be the winner rarely left the circle. Plus, the first one out doesn't win and it's pretty hard to pick who will be number 6 off the rope. They have 'crab spotters' around the circle to watch and grab the crab as it puts that first claw down.
The reason I don't have pictues is that the batteries died on the camera - at least I hope that is what happened. It may take me a bit to find some to replace them.
posted by Jonna at 11:30 PM
1 Comments:
Who needs photos with such great writing! I felt like I was ringside at the crab races. Thanks for the fun post -- I'm still chuckling.
Love your blog and check on it regularly. More pics of Akumal would be nice.
Chris W. (from Lazy Daze group)
Post a Comment
<< Home