Now, behavior psychologists will tell you that satisfaction is the intersection of your expectations and actual experience. For instance, when you attend Salsa Congress or Festival, different things will impact your overall impression:  the accommodations, workshops, staff, room parties, shows, and the social dancing are examples.  Some events have an X-factor due to their location (New York, Miami), scale (Los Angeles), unique activities outside the event (Puerto Rico, San Francisco), or venue (Las Vegas, Acapulco, Palm Springs). 

In this case, I didn’t know what to expect. 

Without saying, having the opportunity to explore Mexico with three teammates was a clear bonus.   The sunny, 40 minute drive down the coast with filled with good conversation and laughs.  After arriving at the Grand Baja Resort in Puerto Nuevo, we were thrilled to confirm our decision to “go-big or go-home” on a three level, ocean-front suite was a no-brainer.  After touring the grounds, we gathered essential supplies from the local market and made our way to Puerto Nuevo for lobster and margaritas at sunset.

When returning to the hotel, we could see the energy was already ramping up.  Groups of people from San Diego, many from the Alma Latina Studio Party Bus, Los Angeles, Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali were settling in and getting ready for the first night of shows and social dancing.  Even the party bus from the Alma Latina Studios was on time, costing me my pool bet.

Friday night’s activities kicked off with a short set of shows anchored by international competitors Jonathan and Elly.  Soon after, all took to the large ballroom, getting their fix along with the likes of Beto Rojas, Jorjet Alcocer, Troy Anthony, Martin Galezz and Marilyn Klisser.  The energy stayed high until around 4AM, when a good bulk of the party shifted to Suite 408, where the “Baila-Baila Vodkas” were flowing and Bachata rythms kept the crowd going till sunrise.

Now you’d think to sleep-in a bit, yet the sound of the surf, light breeze from the open balcony and bright blue morning skies had me up at 10:30am.  Gingerly finding my way down the spiral staircase, the weekend’s first known casualty was discovered - a shattered coffee pot, victim of an indoor soccer match the night before.  Keep in mind the after-party was next door.  A short scavenger-hunt later, the smell of fresh coffee was in the air, and a good breakfast in the works to get us ready for the day ahead.  Most took advantage that each room had a full kitchenette stocked with dishes, silverware, microwave, and refrigerator.  Chorizo, tortillas, frijoles and salsa were on the menu next door so a “guia de desayunos” was in order.

Actually, several were rustling around early in anticipation of the the workshops.  Some made it out for the 10:00am Yoga overlooking the ocean and others were kicking it off hardcore at 11:00am Zumba.  But the real treat started at noon with something quite special.  

Jorjet Alcocer, a pioneer in the resurgence of Pachanga was leading an hour workshop in her speciality.  Several people commented this workshop alone motivated them to come for the weekend.  Jorjet’s Pachanga was well complemented by a Dominican Bachata class led by her husband and Houston Salsa Congress host, Troy Anthony.  Troy’s combination of detailed instruction and timely humor kept the room packed and laughing.  The event organizers efforts to provide a select number of high quality and unique workshops worked well.  Two other workshops  included both Cumbia led by Alma Latina’s own-expert Richard Torres and a bonus session by Bachata All-Stars Zeke Ruvalcaba and Raquel Gomez, both bringing serious energy despite having arrived at 1:00am the night before.  

What we weren’t prepared for were the events that followed.

The centerpiece of this retreat wasn’t the dancing, the workshops, shows, or the parties (well, yes it was).  However, Saturday afternoon introduced the first annual SalsaLympics, a multi-city competition testing the skill, strength, endurance, and pure silliness of each competitor.  If you think that people did this just for fun, you don’t know the pride which was at stake for Team Captains Ethan “Elmo” Kidhardt (Team USA) and Panchito “Little Bread” Lair (Team Mexico).  Each team of 15 rallied in multiple day-events including: Volleyball, Three-Legged Race, Water Balloon Toss, Tug-of-War, Pool-Flipper-Beer Relay and a Men’s Wet T-Shirt Contest.  It may have been the heat, but even the cheerleaders were breathing a competitive fire.  At the end of the afternoon of endless laughter, a creative scoring system (created by event host Sergio Jasso) kept the match extremely close with Team USA leading 6-4 going into the nighttime activities.

Before we knew it, it was time to eat again, and we all took the short walk to the center of Puerto Nuevo.  This little town, once a fishing village is renowned for its delicious lobster.  The event hosts, Sergio and Gaby Jasso simplified our decision of 25-plus restaurants and arranged for a large contingent to go to one of the best -  Angel’s.  Directly above the water with both inside and outside view seating, Angel’s is a newer venue with quick service, attentive staff, and great food and drinks.  Plates were large enough to share and drinks cheap enough not to care, so all felt like royalty.   After dinner we strolled through some of the eclectic shops on the main street, and made our way back for the evening’s festivities.

After some relaxing pre-party drinks and conversation on the top-floor balcony of our suite, we made our way to the shows for the night.  The evening’s showcase included San Diego Bachateros, Alma Latina Kids/Teens, and closed with Alma Latina Mexico (Pro), heating things up with their bachata.  Although we loved the shows, those in the SalsaLympics remained focused as the night games were soon starting, and the trophy was any one's to take.  

The first competition was a “friendly” game of musical chairs.  A determined Team Mexico took, or more like bumped to win this event and avenge their humiliating defeat in the 50 yard Freestyle earlier at the pool. The serious events followed - first of which was the much-anticipated Spin-A-Thon.  This went as expected - starting with which girl could spin the longest.  The finalists had to undergo a secondary trial of equilibrium, playing “Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey” after 30 additional spins.  Team USA’s Kristi “Zoe” Brooks simply smoked the floor, guaranteeing a victory for Team USA. The last event of the night was a highly contested “Jill and Jack” dance-off, where the roles of lead and follow were reversed.  Even in the face of overall defeat, Team Mexico of Ivette Bogarin and Gerardo “Pato” Lopez bested an inspirational effort from Team USA’s Kerry Bauer and Marty Morawski.  The night ensued with high energy social dancing until 4:00AM.

Any event of this magnitude wouldn’t be complete without a few friendly conversations with security.   Fortunately this was isolated to Saturday night’s after parties because a sleepy wedding party shared the hotel.  The upside was that after the second room party was shut down, the party relocated to an outdoor tent complete with a dance floor, tables and chairs left from the wedding reception earlier in the day.  Bachata filled the air and the sun quietly lit up the morning ocean as flocks of pelicans dove for their breakfast and fishing boats made their way out to the kelpbeds to reteive lobster traps.  At this point, many of us thought our trip was winding down. We were wrong.

A bit of misfortune led us to the next part of our adventure.   Somewhere between dinner and the shops, the keys to my roomate’s car were missing.  A morning of stress induced couch searching, backtracking, and phone calls left us no choice, we had to go on the Wine Tour. Our group piled in the tour bus which lead a caravan of cars through the curved roads and patch covered farmlands of Baja California’s scenic wine country.  Wine tasting was one of several extra curricular activities pre-arranged by our hosts for Sunday afternoon.  Others opted for hot-air ballooning, horseback riding, ATV dune riding, or shopping in Rosarito. A small contingent of close to 75 people elected to take the short trek to L.A. Cetto Winery, in the Guadalupe Valley wine region of inland Baja.  Following an educational tour modern production facility and free-flowing tastings, all enjoyed bread, cheese and conversation in the warm breeze filled vineyards.  Alas, security informed us the facility was closing, and we had to go elsewhere for dinner.

The group was hungry, so we took the fastest route back to Tijuana’s Taco Row.  After several savory carne asada tacos, or other variants for those eccentric tastes, again all were happy.  The girls were serenaded by local street performers, one of whom got a helping hand with a contingent of our dancers during his show.  It was hard to leave, as it was time to say “Hasta Pronto”, but not “Adios”.

Expectation = 6 / Experience = 10

To think I almost passed on this?  All I have to say now is “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhh Rosarito!”