Two Things...

THE FIRST

To begin with THANK GOD (cheers mate) that Carnival season is over and done with!!! I can leave the house again safe in the knowledge i wont be pelted with water balloons (well i hope it was water..) and sprayed with crappy white foam!!!

I will have to make a note in my diary not to be here next year, find a cave to go into or something and hibernate for a while.

YES the Bolivian carnival in Oruro is rather spectacular. Amazingly coloured costumes, dancing and drinking 24/7 over these few days of hardcore merriment. Of everything that people do complain about and whinge over when things go wrong in Bolivia, Bolivians' sure do know how to throw a good party.

It seems this place is starting to get itself a good rep in the carnival world. Yes there is Rio which is the one shown on most TV stations back home yada yada crap, but, and this is a large BUT, the 1995 high honour of being called a "Intangible Cultural Patrimony of Humanity" and "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage" by UNESCO (i don’t quite understand either of those, but they used BIG WORDS so must be good) and then the undoubted honour of a mention in The Guardian;

(http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2007/feb/15/bolivia.festivals.culturaltrips)

might just show that this place is going somewhere. Rio what-naval?

THE SECOND

LIVERPOOL WON WOO HOO!!!!!! RONALDWHONIO??

p.s pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease don’t let me regret that last bit about old bucktoothed Ronald. It’s only half-time and all that…