*** Just a note that parts of the above video tends to be of a revealing nature.
A spray of foam hit my face at 90 miles an hour and in that instant, the Fat Tuesday celebrations had turned my body into a living target. What had meant to be a routine trip to the grocery store turned into an all nite fiesta that went into the early hours of the morning as I found that the block had been closed off as a parade of dancers filled the empty streets. Stalls of street vendors selling hamburgers, pop etc. were set up to fill the public's food and drink needs in place of the supermarkets that had closed earlier than usual.
Growing up in North America, I had only heard of Carnival being celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the Samba dancers. It never occurred to me that Carnival gets celebrated in so many other forms in different parts of latin america. If you've already been to Rio de Janeiro and had your carnival fix, there are still other great options for you to explore in seeing how carnival is celebrated in Latin America. Uruguay is another country that is off the beaten path that hosts fantastic carnival celebrations.
One day I would love to find myself caught in an endless sea of bodies watching Brazil's annual Samba parade. But I gotta admit that there was something sweet and enduring at watching the community in Boedo come together to mark Fat Tuesday. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is something that many people know about and lots of people have seen.
However, local community celebrations (called "Corsos") that take place all over Buenos Aires is something that is precious on a whole different level. These are things that you'll never watch on TV or read about in a travel brochure or plan a trip to see. But experiences like watching a neighbourhood community celebration are the hidden gems of travel abroad that divide those who are living like a local and those are who are merely passing through the city. What began as a routine 10 min walk from my apartment to the grocery store resulted in a lifetime of memories....
Murga & Foam
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