Tirana

Hitchhiking up through Chile

As I hitchhiked north together with Claire, numerous drivers suggested that we go to a certain festival of religious dances in a small town called Tirana in the north of Chile, not too far from Iquique. We didn't have many concrete plans so it didn't take much to convince us. Not knowing exactly what to expect we set of for Tirana from Iquique in the late afternoon and arrived there a couple of hours later, greeted with the sounds of drums beating to all sides. We walked through the small pueble to find a place to camp, and found every street filled with dancers in large groups each with their own band playing playing incessantly next to them, and each with their own distinct dress and theme. These photos are all taken from the first evening, spent walking around in a constant wonder of this spectacle that had chosen to appear in front of us.

July 13rd, 2011