Corn Starch and Foam in Barranquilla

So we decided to check out the Carnival at Barranquilla this weekend after some accquaintances from school took it upon themselves to arrange an affordable van service to Barranquilla for a day trip. While weren´t going out of our way make it to Carnival, since all we had to do was show up, hand them the money and get in the van, we figured it was worth doing. After all, it is considered by many to be the second largest Carnival celebration in South America. While Saturday is the main parade, and in some ways the kickoff to three days of music, dancing and partying, we found a relatively safe, controlled atmosphere, which kind of felt like a modest parade anywhere in the states, just with a little more alcohol and a lot more spirit. 

While we expected to encounter water balloons and squirt guns aimed at us, instead we discovered that in Barranquilla, they accost one another (and particularly tourists) with small boxes of corn starch and aerosol foam guns, which sting considerably when directed in your eyes. Generally as the day progresses, and the alcohol consumption increases, this playful behavior in the streets becomes slightly more malicious and agressive, but is always done in good fun.

Highlights of the day in Baranquilla include: respite from the incredible mid-day heat in the supermarket Exito (think Fred Meyer of the Caribbean); a brief moment of ¨Gringos loco¨ vengeance on the Costa Rican frat boys who seemed particularly intent on  coating us with water, cornstarch, and soap foam; and the memorable experience that the boys all took part in when they paid a man 500 pesos to piss in a bucket. My impression of the parade was pretty much the same as [m]´s, in that it seemed like a poor-man´s mardis gras. The floats mainly consisted of semi trucks hauling sound equipment, with a lot of local dancers and school bands in between. Apart from the parade, it was nice to interact with the group from our school. A couple of the guys we went with will continue on for the next few weeks- and one gave me a tip on where to get a manicure and pedicure for a few bucks a pop..... very exciting. When our mini-bus finally showed up (two hours late and after much confusion), we were all very happy to get back to Cartagena and get the cornstarch out of our hair.