Picture four loaded up 7 year olds chasing a pack of teenagers down a street. This is what Bolivians call Carnaval. Four days of street bands, sporadic small group parades, and massive city wide water fights. We’d asked our students what we should expect for this past carnaval weekend but they fell drastically short from describing what we saw. Every ten feet on any main street there would be a family selling water balloons. Groups of about 25 people would walk the streets, some playing brass or percussion while others enthusiastically led in dance. These parades would constantly cross paths, virtually shutting down the city centers. Oh, and did we mention there was water? So much water. Balloons coming from roof tops, cars, corner stores, front doors, and all along the streets. Major roads were lined with people throwing water across at cars and pedestrians, while groups in the back of 1 tons dished it right back. Needless to say we were well pruned by the end of the fourth day.
Cochabamba
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