Driving Baja California – Part 12
Updated July 2022
This is part 12 of the “Driving Baja California” series. Click on the Travel menu at the top for the other parts.
Carnaval Time
Traditionally, February is Carnaval (Spanish spelling) time in Latin America. Above all, the big Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is world famous. However, many smaller cities have carnivals that are not so famous but great fun to attend. One such carnaval is in La Paz. If you time your tour of Baja California as I did, you can drive to Cabo San Lucas and get back to La Paz just in time for the Carnaval.
Candies, Rugs, Balloons and Good Food
Click photos to enlarge.
It was much like the fairs and exhibitions that many towns and cities across North America have yearly. There were exhibits, games, rides, food, and all the typical things one would see at a fair. But there was one significant difference from all the fairs I have seen. The Carnaval is not at an exhibition grounds like North American fairs. They set up everything right in the middle of the city. The city’s main street, customarily clogged with heavy traffic, was closed to vehicles. Booths in tents were set up along both sides of the street for several kilometres.
Rides and Entertainment
At left is a photo of a balloon salesman. He is in there somewhere in all the balloons.
Likewise, the rides, such as the roller coaster, were set up right in the city streets. There were many bands and other types of entertainment. There was a merry-go-round with live ponies.
Eat Cotton candy, ride the wild mouse, or get your face painted. There is no end to the fun things to do. Each day ends with a fireworks display. We spent all day there and did not return to the campground until midnight.
Parade and Carnaval Queen
After a few days of checking out the exhibits and entertainment at the Carnaval, we went back on the final day to see the parade and the Carnaval Queen.
The people in the crowd threw eggs at the people in the parade, and the people in the parade threw eggs at the people in the crowd. They were not real eggs but had the same strength as a natural eggshell. When they hit something, they would break open and were filled with confetti. You can see many of the eggshells in the photo of the band.
Summary
Be sure to plan your drive down the Baja California Peninsula to include the La Paz Carnaval. It was great fun.
Driving Baja California Part 13
In part 13, we take a boat tour in the Sea of Cortez. Click here for Driving Baja California part 13