Sunday, the 16th of May 2010 was going to be my last day in Salasaca, so preparations were underway (to be read as rum was bought) for a final party on Saturday night. It so happened that a big community celebration was going to happen in Salasaca centre on the same night. Were the Salasacans so glad to hear of my departure that they had decided to celebrate? I’ll never know.

The evening started out with Connect-4, with all of us trying different types of variations to make the challenging game even more challenging. At some point, we had a Connect-4 tournament which yours truly won in style. Having already established myself as the indisputable champion of Connect-4, I showed the others what a big cheater I could be if I wanted to :)

One of the many Connect-4 variations invented

Hot sauce gulping challenge (if you do this, you'll regret it the next day)

Finally when we were down our last 5 litres of Cuba libre; we took the rum and headed to the city centre to join the celebrations there. On the way, we spotted another party and thought we would stop by there on the way back. Once in the city centre, things got really wild. We joined a group of local boys and took turns taking shots of their local liquor, and also tried the different types of “fresh and hot” alcohol being brewed on the carts.

Salasacan community celebration

With Bruna & Megan

Nicolas, Pedro & Googie

With Michelle and her mom

At the feet of the Giant Salasacan man

God alone knows what was brewing in there, but we couldn't have cared less

Hanging out with the local Salasacan boys

Pedro borrows a poncho from one of the locals

Posing with the poncho

On the way back, we did stop at the party midway between the city centre and the hostel, but neither the others nor I could remember how we got there, or how long we stayed, or how we got back home. Despite the large gaps in memory, my last night in Salasaca was one that none of us would be forgetting for a long time to come!