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Because of what I have perceived as an increased interest in residencies, I have undertaken a trip around the world to check out the home turf of some of the Sims top places to join with your stables. The trip is being sponsored by those lovely ladies at the BTB as they realize how much our readers will enjoy this inside look.![](\"http:\/\/images.buycostumes.com\/mgen\/merchandiser\/24088.jpg\")
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I have to admit that my week in Louisville for the Derby and Oaks last week was like a marathon and I was really beat but how can you possibly reject an invitation from our recognized Hispanic Residency for a trip and party on Cinco de Mayo? So I packed up and grabbed a plane in Louisville and after layovers in Atlanta and Miami, I landed at Arturo Michelena International Airport in lovely Valencia, Venezuela. I grabbed a cab and moved through this charming city and countryside towards the Hipodromo Nacional de Valencia race track. <\/p>\n
The Hispano Parlante Residency is relatively new and hasn\u2019t yet picked a spot for their headquarters as their members are spread out across the globe and there is quite a bit of politicking to put the main offices in their county of choice. Whether that ends up to be in Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, Chile or Southwest USA is still to be determined but is joyously argued over many bottles of Spanish Red Wine or very cold Mexican beers. I was in Venezuela to meet with SimHispano the spokesperson and leader of the residency who currently lives in Venezuela. We are meeting in Valencia to visit the track for a day of watching horse racing South American style and enjoying the local flavors and beverages. ![](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/5\/5a\/Valteatrompal.jpg\")
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We met at a rustic and friendly outdoor caf\u00e9 along the Calle de los Cafes in la Vi\u00f1a neighborhood where we enjoyed both the temperate weather and the view of the senoritas while chatting. Although he kept apologizing for his English, I found him easy to understand and his friendliness translated across any language barriers we may have had. <\/p>\n
SimHispano<\/font><\/b> \u201cFirst I want to welcome you in the name of all the Hispano Parlante residency members, we would like to thank you for the opportunity you are giving us to go \u201cSim unplugged\u201d, and we feel honored to seat with a very distinguish and respected member of the Sim Community. I apologize that our meeting has to be conducted in this local \u201ctasca\u201d but we have not yet decided where we will end up with our headquarters. Right now mainly you can find our offices at certain tracks on certain countries where the \u201cbutifarra\u201d and other \u201cfiambres\u201d are allowed to be exported from Rafa\u2019s Bodega in Spain.<\/p>\n He had ordered us both \u201cButifarra\u201d which is a fantastic grilled white sausage served with white beans and wild mushrooms. We also had a platter of \u201cFiambres\u201d which was an incredible sampling of local cold cuts and sausages. There was cured Serrano Ham, local cheeses and wonderful \u201caceitunas and pimientos\u201d (olives and roasted peppers). While we ate, there was a live band playing a sampling of Flamenco, Rumba, Boleros, Tangos, Musica del Cuzco, Cuecas from Chile, Baladas (soft rock) en Espa\u00f1ol, and on and on. Occasionally, there were beautiful young senoritas that would bet up and dance, swirling their colorful skirts. I could get used to this in a hurry! It was all washed down with \u201cTintorro\u201d which is a robust Spanish red wine that matched perfectly with our spread of tasty foods. I was truly enjoying myself but finding it hard to get back to the interview!<\/p>\n SimHispano<\/font><\/b> By the way PazJazz, forget about a timed interview. We know when we start, but who knows at what time the interview will be finished. We know you are a family man so you better called your lovely Se\u00f1ora (Lady) and your beautiful bundle of DNA (children) and tell them that you have no idea at what time you\u2019ll go to sleep. Hey, we might end up closing the tasca and then continue the interview at the backstretch in one of Haack\u2019s Barn and maybe finish it after a \u201csiesta\u201d in one of the Hammocks Lukita has at his barns. Our lunch meetings tend to last into the wee hours of the morning. <\/p>\n PazJazz<\/font><\/b> Around mouthfuls of the incredible sausage, I asked him about the residency and the members. <\/p>\n SimHispano<\/font><\/b> He poured more wine in our glasses and told me, \u201cWe\u2019re a cosmopolitan group of trainers who run their horses all over the place, even there are sometimes that Otto (Haack) runs his smalerl horses at a dog track. LOL Led (Ledwith) sometimes say there are no a racetrack bad enough for his horses and he ends his horses to a rodeo, we can understand that. I also understand that sometimes Rafa (Zambaygo), uses his slow horses as \u201crejoneadores\u201d en la \u201cFiesta Brava\u201d or Bullfighting rings (These are Bullfighters on horseback in the Bull Ring). Paton and Lukita seem to use his slow horses for tours and carriage rides close to the beach in Valparaiso, Chile!\u201d <\/p>\n Regarding the theme, basically what has put us together so far is our language, which is Castillian. Our Message board is not in English. We write in Castillian although sometimes it seems a couple of guys talk in Gibberish, me being one of them and no one can understand us!\u201d He laughed his infectious laugh again and added, \u201cFor some members, although they are able to read English sometimes they don\u2019t fully understand what is said in the Message Boards, so a tacit rule is we\u2019ll be able to communicate effectively in Castillian due to web translators don\u2019t capture the essence of the real meaning behind sentences & many times make no sense. Our trainers are located in Spain, Chile, Venezuela & USA so sometimes there are dialect differences between us. <\/p>\n SimHispano<\/font><\/b>– We started out last year around at the beginning of January I believe; Haack and I were in \u201cLas Vegas\u201d for a New Years celebration at the Mandalay Bay and we were talking stuff about our Sim horses, our Sim dreams and we decided to start this business. Who woulda\u2019 thought that after a year we were going to have this effective stats as a residency? <\/p>\n The pretty young waitress brought more of the \u201cArepas\u201d which is a delicious fried bread made from maize that goes great with the sausages and is really hard to put down! <\/p>\n PazJazz<\/font><\/b> I am really enjoying the food and wine and the surroundings are mesmerizing. Tell me, how many members do you have in Hispano Parlante and do you have any rules about membership?<\/p>\n SimHispano<\/font><\/b>– \u201cWe just have 82 stables supporting us at the moment. Most of them, a little more than half, come from two players. Sadly my busy personal life has not allowed me to promote the residency and organize more and better contests. But we have been growing little by little. But again, once my real life stabilizes and I get more free time I\u2019ll work on the residency. Fortunately for me, our members are patient, they are relaxed & they are waiting for me to deliver what we have promised.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cRegarding rules of numbers of stables, we don\u2019t have a rule, basically you can come and support us with as many stables as you would like although we might have to change this in the near future. One rule that we do have is that your stables must have Hispanic help; at least 50% of your workers must come from Hispanic countries and be able to recite at least fifteen famous soccer players from the 20th century and some famous World Cup goals too!\u201d, He laughed out loud again. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.sogonow.com\/archives\/Spain-Mallorca-Valldemossa-Outdoor%20Cafe.JPG\")
<\/p>\nPazJazz<\/font><\/b> – I asked him about how long the Residency had been in existence. <\/p>\n
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