Part of the joy of travel is the wonderful and unexpected surprises one happens upon. We left a rather solemn artist display in Bella Vista and asked the taxi driver to drop us off at the Plaza Independencia. He could not get any closer than four blocks away so he dropped us off at the VOTA Basilica and we received an early Christmas present. A two hour long parade to introduce the Christmas season unfolded before us. Indigenous dancers in native costume danced toward the cathedral. Skirts swirled, flags waved, sombreros bobbed as the dancers performed uphill no less. A group from the Amazon had donned feathers, made bird calls and stopped to shoot Roman candles. Clowns handed out candy to the children.  Military band, high school bands, middle school bands beat drums, struck bell lyres, and played their instruments rather badly but so enthusiastically. The only melody we recognized was THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC which struck me as an odd choice.  Age did not deter the performers. Some were very young and their parents were close by with water for them; some had seen a number of parades in their life time. I made friends with a couple who proudly pointed out their son and who were going to visit Houston. I can only hope that they will enjoy their visit as much as we have enjoyed ours. Below are just a few shots Troy made. Click and enjoy
Adios, Sally
