Carnival time.

partying it up before Lent.

Salta City, Argentina

February 13th, 2026

Dear Reader,

I am sitting at my neighborhood café writing to you. It’s about 7pm, and the people at the neighboring table are having tea with carrot cake and tortillas - round and square shaped salty, flaky biscuits. Of course, dinner won’t be till 10pm or later!

Last night rain crashed down, and when I woke this morning it was still pouring. By 8am it had dissipated so I went for my usual walk. I saw a dark green vintage Mercedes truck parked on the street. I don’t know much about cars but I like and appreciate them.

The Mercedes truck.

Later, from the café, I saw a man on a motorcycle with a little girl in front holding onto a large round stuffed animal to use as a buffer over the handlebars I guess. She wore an oversized white helmet, a pink dress, and pink slides.

Man and little girl on motorcycle.

Yesterday Adrien had to go back out to the valleys - there was an urgencia he needed to attend to. This weekend is carnaval, several days of partying leading up to Lent which starts on Wednesday.

In Cafayate and Humahuaca, a town north of Salta people go around the streets throwing paint, eggs, and flour at each other. This practice is called carnavaleando.

There’s music and dancing for days. A lot of babies are typically born nine months later. “Hijo del carnaval” they say, if the father is unknown. Son of the carnival.

A couple of years ago we went to Cafayate during carnival weekend. Not on purpose, the event just happened to be going on when we went. We stay at a house in the center of town. I did not venture out but Adrien did. Here’s a photo he took of himself with our friend Tom Dyson and his kids.

From left: Adrien, Tom, Dusty, and Miles.

All night long you could hear the boom boom boom of music, and people laughing and talking. Sometimes shouts and screeches went up as people were ambushed by a spray can.

When I stepped out the next morning, there was a young man wearing a white tee shirt (remarkably it was still white) jeans, and sneakers asleep as if in his own bed on the sidewalk.

More to come. Have a great weekend.

Abrazos,

Mariah