carnivale

I know that whenever people think of Peru, several things can come to mind. Might be the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, or the dark misterious rainforest. Some of you might think of beautiful beaches along the coastline and, perhaps, those of you interested in politics might actually remember the terrorist hell that the country went through for two (still very recent) decades.

Nevertheless, when I started blogging I decided I also wanted to let people know what life in my city was like. Lima is a difficult and confussing city, and everyone living here will tell you there are always mixed emotions when it comes to how one feels about it. There are, however, things I love about living here. And one of the is the Carnaval.

It is a tradition that had been lost in Lima for many years, mainly due to the insecurity caused by terrorism and crime. It is, however, making a colourful and loud comeback in recent years. It is held on a Saturday in February, from 1 pm to 5 or 6 in the morning of the next day. It is the day to go crazy. You can dress up, dance, get naked, change genre, bring your kids, get drunk, whatever you feel like: there are no rules. People bring paint and you can paint everyone you see, even if you don't know anyone, you can still jump all over them, paint their faces and invite them to join the carnaval. 

You start walking throught the city and then head down to the beach (Lima is located over cliffs, overlooking the coast). There's a party there and concerts and then everyone returns to the city for a street party that lasts until the sun rises. This year we went skinny dipping, got back in our costumes and returned to the party upstairs. 

I hope you enjoy the photos (not all taken by me) and that, maybe, one year you will join me in the Carnaval. 

(I was still clean....)

(that didn't last for too long...)

bye!