“After working for 6 months straight, it was time for a vacation. My vacation led me to Mazatlan Mexico. It was a deep sea fishing adventure. So most of my days consisted of spending 9 hours out in the pacific watching whales and dolphins, even manta rays and sailfish, all this while trolling around the water hoping to catch a bill fish.
During the downtime, it usually consisted of flavorful mixed drinks and shopping of course. Down about 9 or so blocks, I had come across this market, which resembles a typical pulga or flea market. However this was fancy, because it was indoors and not super dusty out in the middle of nowhere. So I come across this shop with 3 walls and its just walls of wrestling masks, of course the typical Mexican luchador masks of all the super stars. I have been looking for one of these forever and a day. It was like a jackpot of all things. So I go barreling through all these masks and try to find the flashiest one possible. I was told this mask belonged to the “dirty fighter” the guy that uses chairs, nails, ladders, and is plain outright a dirty fighter. I hand him his 120 pesos and move on.
A few days later, I am on my voyage home. I decided to keep this mask in my carry on bag. When it comes to customs and all the security checks before you get on the plane, I had the attitude of an idiot, and as the Mexican equivalent of TSA, this lady is going through my bag which had some chones, my iPad, and my luchador mask. As she pulls out the masks, she looks at me, and I say “yo soy luchador El Pulga Gigante”, I’m the big wrestler the “Giant Flea”. She didn’t think I was funny and I got the good ‘ol search of a lifetime. Meanwhile my travel companions are cracking up laughing.
So, after we arrive back in the states, I just wanted to put on my mask and go in to the local Valero and buy a Gatorade. I tried my best to have the utmost serious look on my face. So as I got back into the pickup, I had took a picture that I hoped looked like the typical luchador with the squeezed face and the lips and teeth pose. Quickly I started laughing and just had to post it on Facebook to show my friends how stupid I am. Little did I know that one of my buddies has a super talent for photos, editing, and just has an artistic eye.
In a matter of hours, I see a tagged photo of my wrestling mask with my face on an extremely convincing event poster. I down right couldn’t stop laughing; I was amazed and shocked at how awesome it was. I immediately copied it to my page, so that it would be my profile pic. I showed all my friends and family, and everyone seemed to think it was the coolest thing ever. It is truly unique and one of a kind.
It blew my mind; I didn’t even know that things like this were possible. I am blessed to have the friends I have, and so appreciative that one person in particular went out of his way to spend his time and his talent on a goof ball like me.”
Ernie Galvan – Luchador