Carnaval--Parte 1

Carnaval has been quite the experience so far. Even though the famed pre-Lent festival is technically just this weekend (through Tuesday), there have been plenty of shenanigans the whole month. For example, someone threw a water balloon at me from a bus when I was walking home. Nico, my five-year-old host nephew, threatened to shoot me with his water gun until Meche told him, "No hagas carnaval a la Patricia." And today, I was riding in a taxi with the window down, and someone in a passing car sprayed this pink foam stuff at me. Such actions are supposed to be illegal and thus have calmed down in recent years, but they definitely still go on. Apparently they target gringos, and I can't really blend in, so this weekend might be an adventure. I'm going to two cities famous for their Carnaval celebrations: Guaranda and Ambato. I've been told that people get eggs thrown at them in Guaranda, so I'll try to be careful. More on that when I get back...