Saturday we went into La Paz to see what we heard was a "parade" but our cab driver said whatever it was it wasn't a parade. MH says that anytime there are people marching past him with music and costumes it is a parade. I guess they'll have to agree to disagree. What we gathered from the cab driver (named Johnnie), was that students graduating from one class to another participate in this festival. From 8 am to 5 pm they "parade" through the streets in costumes and dance to music (but it isn't a parade, mind you).
It took us a while to figure out the rules, but it seemed like store owners charged people to sit in the chairs they provided in front of their stores while beer, candy, and ice cream vendors walked up and down the streets. The streets were also filled with people making their way through the parade, so as the students were dancing and marching, spectators were bumping into them (and getting in the way of my picture-taking). Luckily we're giants compared to Bolivians, so we were able to watch the spectacle over the heads of the people who didn't want to rent chairs. The Boy kept asking to move, so we found a cafe and ordered the best meal we've had since we've been here: goat tacos and queso fresco quesadillas with fresh guacamole. The Girl was mostly unimpressed, but during the lulls, The Boy asked for "more dancing."
It took us a while to figure out the rules, but it seemed like store owners charged people to sit in the chairs they provided in front of their stores while beer, candy, and ice cream vendors walked up and down the streets. The streets were also filled with people making their way through the parade, so as the students were dancing and marching, spectators were bumping into them (and getting in the way of my picture-taking). Luckily we're giants compared to Bolivians, so we were able to watch the spectacle over the heads of the people who didn't want to rent chairs. The Boy kept asking to move, so we found a cafe and ordered the best meal we've had since we've been here: goat tacos and queso fresco quesadillas with fresh guacamole. The Girl was mostly unimpressed, but during the lulls, The Boy asked for "more dancing."
