Before I get into the post, I ask your forgiveness for these less than crisp photos. It was a challenge to capture images from the stands, under bright lights, at night, and while performers were walking and dancing along the parade route.
We attended on Saturday night, looking forward to arriving early to avoid the long lines of cars trying to get in from the one road that went by the Corsódromo. Tickets indicated that doors opened at 6; show to begin at 9. We figured we’d arrive around 6:30 and have time to tour the grounds, imagining that there would be food and craft vendors (not). Our taxi driver said that 6:30 arrival was early; he also recommended that since we’d be there early, there was a good chance that we could get a close up view of the participants in all of their fine regalia and of the floats. Don’t be intimidated, he said. Just tell them you’re from the US.
Upon arrival at the gate, we were turned away and not only that, but told gates would not open until 8:45! After conferring with our taxista, we had him take us to a mall to hang out whilst time passed. An hour passed fairly quickly and uneventfully. Then we stopped to look at wine in one of the carts that line mall concourses. I had a delightful conversation in Spanish with one vendor, while Charlie and the other vendor conversed in English. Gustavo told me that it would be a good idea to eat before going to Carnival to avoid the long lines there and recommended a place at the mall called Sherwood. It had the best cuts of beef, cooked to perfection, and very generous, too generous portions.
By now of course, we are arriving late to carnival and we do get stuck in traffic, but it moved fairly quickly.
We should have bought our tickets on-line as the best stand locations were sold out. We bought Preferential tickets, but were still a ways down the concourse. The performers had steely stamina, though and provided a good show for the entire length of the route, which was between a quarter to a half mile long. The energy of the evening was electric from the folks watching, to the performers. The music blared, and repeated throughout the long night, though periodically some comparsa would inject something different. At times, the music was live, with musicians and singers on a float, their stage high above the crowd. I don’t have a photo of that, but below are a few more photos to provide an ideal of te flash, the creativity, and the beauty of the costumes.
We stayed until the end at around 6 in the morning, and joined the crowd in walking to the main drag. Many were taking the buses – they went by, just packed and sounding like the party was continuing. We walked about a mile, passing many others trying to get a cab, before we could procure one. It was a beautiful walk, watching the sky lighten, and it felt good to stretch the legs after dancing on the bleachers all night.
Remember I mentioned a foam spray that was so popular at the Fiesta de Queso in Tafí? It’s called nieve, really does look like snow, and was in abundance here, too. Kids have such a good time trying to spray one another down as much as possible. Others just spray it up into air.
Arrived home (so many homes in the past few months and 3 more to come!) around 7, had yogurt and fruit, brushed my teeth, and headed to bed for a several hours.
I awoke yesterday morning feeling lethargic and with an upset stomach. It lasted all day, into the night, and is hanging on today. Last night I couldn’t do anything but listen to a book on Audible and go to bed early. Hence the lateness of this post.
All the costumes are hand made, hand stitched; some by the participant and some pay to have it made. A comparsa is a troupe or a club; members decide together on the theme for the year. People have their favorite comparsas, the one they think is best. We heard that the best ones come at the end, but, I don’t know that I have the ability to discern. They were all, with maybe one or two exceptions, over-the-top brilliant.
Shared Illusions 