Lake Titicaca--Part II

My final day in Copa passed quietly. I walked around the town a bit more, and reveled in the Cathedral, which was tiled in the Moorish style. There was a festival going on, celebrating the Virgin of Calendaria (still not quite sure what that means), which meant the streets were choked with Bolivians reveling in the festivities. From what I can tell, when Bolivians celebrate, they mostly get plastered. There were several sites where live bands were playing, sometimes folkloric bands and sometimes brass bands. The Bolivians gathered around crates of beer, wearing festive paper and aluminum hats, and throwing paper confetti everywhere. There was much dancing and cajoling going on. At one point, on my way to exchange some money (Copa doesn't have an ATM, a minor sore spot with me), a highly inebriated Bolivian man missing most of his teeth grabbed my arm, thrust a cup of beer into my hand, and proceeded to convince me that his life would not be complete until I danced with him on the day of the Virgin. There were three cholas with him, one of whom, I discovered, was his wife, and they thought this entire episode was hysterical. They were all equally faded, and sort of swaying around waving their hands in the air and giggling at the scene I was making. I really wanted to take a picture of this event, but I didn't want to seem rude. I finally broke away, promising to return, and when I passed by again, they were all being packed into a van to head home. I rarely see grown adults drink so much that they cannot stand up, but all over the streets, Bolivians were slumped in various stages of drunkeness.

In unrelated news, this is Bolivian popcorn, which sustained me during my Isla del Sol walks and my final day in Copa. It is a cross between Kashi and caramel corn--very puffy and lightly sweetened. Me gusta mucho!
Several pictures of the beautiful cathedral.

A parade of festive Bolivians dancing through the plaza.

Celebrations in the street.

It was kind of fun being present for a festival, an experience I had yet to delight in. I wish I knew more about what was going on, in addition to public drunkeness!