La Tomatina baby!

There were some tired bodies on the bus to Bunol however once the 8am sangria kicked in we were ready for the fight!

A 6m pole covered in lard, with a huge ham at the top was fantastic entertainment as we watched it remain, despite many attempts. Some girls on the perimeter asking for abuse in skimpy white tops were pounded with flying tshirts and grapes as we waited for the tomato trucks to arrive.

And then the fight began. I had a fantastic yellow bathing cap on to protect the hair however the rest of me was covered and squelched with tomatoes. Mayhem ensued. Lucky it only lasted an hour and locals from apartments above threw hoses over to hose down the crowd.


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I was still picking tomato from my belly button two days after La Tomatina.

It was everywhere: in my hair, ears, under my finger nails and even down my pants. I’d never noticed the smell of tomato before, and now the scent makes me sick. In fact I’m not sure I’ll ever relish (get it?) eating tomato again.

It was worth it. La Tomatina was such a blast; a surreal once-in-a-lifetime experience that we’ll always remember fondly. The biggest food fight imaginable, we were in a red, thriving mosh pit, with tomatoes flying in all directions.

It was a surprisingly good natured crowd, too. We’d heard stories of girls having all their clothing ripped off, so Nicola went prepared. But I don’t think I saw any girls with their clothes ripped off, which is a bit of a shame if you ask me.

We got there early to get good spots in the heart of the action, and witnessed the greatest spectator known to man: people climbing up a greased pole to get at a ham. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen and a surprisingly riveting spectacle, watching people slip and slide up a pole, only to be dragged down by other would-be climbers clambering for the ham at the end of the pole.

When the tomatoes stop coming and you give up throwing around mush, the locals hose you down and throw buckets of water to rinse the tomato off you. It's a funny end to a very funny day.

Check out the craziest tomato fight in the world!