Yesterday (Saturday 29th May) was ´Gran Poder´in Bolivia, a huge street party and religious festival which is only held once per year. This did rather scupper my plans to do contacts (talk to random strangers whilst focusing on one aspect of the McGuire tchnique), as no shops or businesses were open and everyone was drunk. Not conducive to contacts. (McGuire readers- I did do speaking exercises later on in the afternoon so it wasn´t a completely wasted day, speaking wise).
From about 8.30am the streets were lined with spectators, and the carnival music began. Scores of dance troupes filtered down Calle Illampu, the main street in La Paz, and the costumes and dancing were like nothing I have ever seen. Older ladies wore the traditional costumes with flowing skirts and lace shawls, whilst younger women wore the shortest skirts I have ever seen, adorned with sequins, ribbons and lace. Genuinely, I haven´t seen so many knickers on display since I fitted bras at Marks and Spencer! Men sported costumes that included dragons and other mythical creatures, all topped with feathers. So much time and effort had been spent on the costumes, it really was incredible.
As the day wore on, dancers were openly swigging from beer cans, yet still managing to stay perfectly in time. There was a real party atmosphere in the streets until midnight, and this was definitely a day I will not forget for a long time!
I´ve tried to upload some photos but they really dont do the day justice.
PS Apologies if there are missing ´e´s in this message- the e key is missing so I´m having to copy and paste e´s from the address bar.
