La Malagueta in the Afternoon

Usually I take Waldo for a post-lunch walk around 6 pm. The Paseo Maritimo has a much different feel to it at this hour. The day is in full swing, the beach is still crowded, and lots of people are out walking or just hanging out. It's a nice hour because the line of tall buildings is by now for the most part blocking the sun and the Paseo is in the shade even though a lot of the beach is still getting sun. Perfect. And every afternoon I pass by an older man who's always sitting on the same bench. And every time I pass by he says the same thing: "hey, there's the dog who's ears are so long they're bigger than mine." Ha, ha. Same thing, everyday. It even made me think of that Bill Murray comedy, Groundhog Day. In fact, this guy does have huge ears. But yesterday there was a twist. He had two of his friends with him there on the bench and after his obligatory joke about ears, his friends started joking him about the very small dimensions of his penis, his pichita. Odd.  Here I am standing there as Waldo snoops around and these old farts are laughing away, going on and on about the pathetic state of their dried up little pichitas. And what made it funnier is that I don't think these guys could come up with a full set of teeth among the three of them. Well, they seemed to be having a fine time and they certainly don't lack for entertainment just sitting there on the bench. It's quite a parade. The Malagueta is mainly a local beach, but not a neighborhood beach. That's because there are two different bus lines (C2, 14) that come by here and they dump off loads of beach goers from some of Malaga's most modest neighborhoods. And you throw in an eclectic mix of tourists (British, Japanese, Russian, Swedish...), plus the occasional groups who are walking into town from the cruise ships, and it all adds up to a fun, crazy spectacle.