Clare writes:
Gran Poder festival in La Paz. Picture this: A parade of singers, dancers, musicians that starts going past your window at 8am and is still going strong until 11pm - 15 hours of festivity involving probably 50,000 performers, all of whom are being plied with drink from the very start. The route is closed to traffic but there's no obvious police presence. No trouble. No fighting that we saw.
It would never happen in Britain, eh?!
But it was amazing - fabulous costumes in every imaginable colour, hundres of cholitas (stately Bolivian ladies in multiple petticoats and bowler hats) in identical costumes filling the street with rythym, 60 or more brass bands in crazy colours, energetic young men in Zorro outfits, Rio-style dancing girls, lots of masks and feather headresses... the sheer number of people involved was overwhelming in itself but the content was fabulous too! And yes we were dancing in the street (our hostel manageress insisted!) but we were really lucky to have a room facing on to Calle so the wholoe procession went right past us and we watched most of it from the comfort of our room - a great spot to see all the hawkers (ice cream, beer, whole plated meals, sun visors, popcorn, bubble machines, rattles etc etc) and to watch the melee when the whole thing stopped every once in a while for a beer break and friends and family appear to hold masks and instruments and supply food and beer for those involved! Incredible day!!