Doesn't anyone ever sleep?!

 The view from the balcony. The square is behind that tree. 
 A guiro. Jose said it was the largest he'd ever seen. 
 

Doesn’t anyone ever sleep?!

Alison Ehtisham

                My first night in Ponce was a loud one. The Three Kings had made their final stop in the square of Ponce. It would be the last parade before the big parade in Juana Diaz. Music blasted through the speakers as we arrived at our hotel. People swarmed the streets hoping to get nearer to the Kings. I planned to spend my evening in my hotel room resting, as my whirlwind experience of Puerto Rico had finally slowed enough so I could sleep. Ponce had a different idea. The parade wrapped up and the people dispersed, but the music continued. I tried to sleep as I listened, thinking that it would surely stop soon. No bueno. I could feel the bass shaking my bed and then suddenly it stopped. Finally I had silence…or so I thought. Soon the music picked back up again. I fell asleep listening to the sounds of the Reggaton from the square.

                The next day, I heard it all around me. The gentle pulse of the melody snuck over the hillside. The source would soon be seen, but the source didn’t matter. Music was everywhere in Juana Diaz. It sang through the streets in several forms. The parade featured music that seemed to involve the very soul of the people who were watching along the streets. People sang and swayed to the music they knew by heart. It was loud and exciting and it made me feel like a part of the culture as I couldn’t help but sway along too.

                As much as I enjoyed the parades and the sights, I was glad to leave Ponce. I was going back to sleepy Luquillo, where booming music was not an issue. As I arrived late into the night, I crashed into my bed, only to here another source of music. Coqui, Coqui! The cheerful chirp of the Coqui frog was a music form of its own. It reminded me slightly of the crickets back home, but somehow had a soothing effect. I closed my eyes and was lulled into a relaxed state as I listened to their happy songs. Music is everywhere in Puerto Rico, even in the most unexpected places.