Juancao, I was in the same boat, playing for a little over three years with no outlet beyond my garage. Finally, I broke down and let some guys talk me into an "open mic" night at a local club my wife was managing. There is no Latin jazz, or much of any jazz, in my area. Pretty much all classic rock, blues, or top 40 cover bands. Then I started doing a jam night with a local band once a week as well. Now this is all pretty much classic rock and a lot of 12-bar, I-IV-V chord junk, and I play mostly tumbao variations all night, but I'm learning a lot about playing live with other musicians. Also, people now know that I AM here, something that would never have occured inside my garage, so exposure and networking is the key element. I keep hoping that the idea will germinate among local musicians here that a good R&B-funk-dance band would be a good idea and then someone will say "Hey, I know a guy who can play congas...". So I guess what I'm saying is: get yourself out there, no matter how much it hurts. Even if it means coming up with a tumbao variation for "Mustang Sally".
Incidentally, does anyone out there know what to play during a slow blues? Normally, I just sit out, figuring there's not much I can add to it. Congas just don't seem to fit everywhere. ???