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However in Trinidad the spirit of the Roman cult’s frenzied celebration of Bacchus, the god of wine, freedom, intoxication and ecstasy, has been embraced in popular culture. There are several judging points along the routes taken by the parade, where acts perform, mas bands (masquerade bands – groups with coordinated costumes centred around a truck mounted sound system) show off their costumes and revellers show what they’re made of by upping the dance energy. It’s at the judging points that dj’s will play the biggest tunes to get their mas band pumped up, to show off to the judges. People constantly displayed a concern for my welfare and wanted to be sure I was enjoying myself, although it’s difficult to see how anyone could have a bad time, unless you had a particular aversion to soca music – in which case I’d have to end this relationship right now.

The joys of transit flights via the U. S

The city of Cochabamba in Bolivia decided to make public transport a lot more visually stimulating for its people by splashing a load of colourful paintwork all over its buses. You have to wonder why more places don’t try something similar as its a great advert for the place and helps liven up the daily commute

The president’s sweater, proudly worn as a testament to his indigenous heritage, is however, only marginally less of an import: it may be made from local alpaca wool but needles and knitting techniques were introduced by the Spanish, with the sweater itself being another British concept that went global along with the bowler hat at the end of the 19th century. In a sense, the hat choice is the odd one out in the Cholita wardrobe as it was adopted entirely by choice (although the precise foundation myth for the hat’s arrival is disputed), whereas much of the rest dates to the end of the 18th century, under the reign of Charles III, when a law was passed forcing indigenous women to wear traditional Spanish regional costumes, typically those of the Basque country, Extramadura and Andalucia. Since then women have mixed and matched the various items so that the essential ingredients are: the pleated skirt – la pollera; the petticoat – las enaguas; the blouse – la blusa; the shawl made of llama or alpaca wool – la manta; earrings and brooches – joyas, which can be of considerable value for richer women and an indication of status. On the streets it does mostly remain the preserve of older women and despite the advancements and Bolivia probably having the strongest local culture in South America, the future of the style may well be more reserved for special occasions than the daily use from which it originated.