fresh n juicy chunks of oyster :: RTW travel blog

Up here in Tilcara it is definitely scarf territory at night and I don't think it'll get better up in Bolivia. I am hoping that layering will be key (currently at 3 shirts, 1 sweater and 2 trousers - I'll keep updating).
My body had already reacted badly and erupted in a temperature on Friday although that may also have been a by-product of the last week's exhaustion, excesses and the rain on arrival here. I prescribed myself a day of bedrest only interrupted by an afteroon stroll around town but once it started getting cold around 5 pm I slinked back to the hostel and slept till next morning.
Eureka, miracle cure! I had lulled my body into believing it was safe again, ready to take a new beating in a week of fast travelling. Indeed I'll be having to do a lot more of that in the next month otherwise I'll never make it back to London on my RTW ticket.
Sunday I then met up with some Argentines I knew from Salta and roamed around freely in Tilcara Carnival. One of the ideas of Carnival here seems to be to irresponsibly arm little kids with Super Soakers, water balloons and spray cans of some carcinogenic foam or other and to declare open season on absolutely anyone. While on Saturday, packed into my layered winter gear, I was still able to plead with them not to soak me on account of my infirmity, on Sunday and today I was a sitting duck (although revenge, when forthcoming, was all the sweeter - I love bullying little kids! :). Maybe having dressed like a bulky, layered, multi-coloured Carnival Clown with a Brasilian-flag serong draped around my neck didn't help either.
The rest of the Carnival affair involves getting very drunk (lots of locals too) and dancing through the streets all day and most of the night in a long procession. All clean, harmless fun, really!
In other news I am embarrassed to admit that in my time here in Argentina I hadn't realised how many contrasts there are in this country (this ain't Kansas or Europe no more). Gradually towards the North it has become noticeably more 'Andean' in culture. At least that is based on what my, by-definition, misinformed stereotype of stereotypically Andean countries would have me believe. But for one, they serve Llama here which seemed quite Andean (--unfortunately I had the munchies quite badly when I tried it so I can't quite recount anymore what it tasted like but I think it was good-ish).
Anyway, I'll be working more on educating myself in the Andean ways of life and Llama diet: I'll be off to Bolivia tonight - finally! :)

[Pics have now been uploaded to Album Argentina 5.
Ps.: Have my blog post titles always been this cheesy?]