Carnival

Day 279 – Port of Spain, Trinidad

For this day -finally, the costumes!-, friends whose house is on the path of several bands -groups of revellers sharing a costume theme and having their own logistic train- opened it to those who wanted to watch them pass.

We brought a cooler full of ice and drinks, and arrived on a bright day -it almost didn’t rain that day, thankfully- to the house. We put seats on the sidewalk in the shade, armed ourselves with drinks and cameras, and waited for the bands to arrive.

Each band has its own path, so we didn’t see them all -some, frustratingly, would appear at the end of the street but turn off before reaching us.

Port of Spain – Carnival

We saw mostly big bands -think hundreds or thousands of revellers-, with very good organization. They were accompanied with several trucks: music trucks, usually with DJs to keep the rhythm on; (open) bar trucks, because hydrating is important -though alcohol doesn’t count, we know-, rest trucks, to seat a while in air-conditioned comfort (some trucks will have a masseuse, a make-up artist for any touch-up, etc); a misting truck, to cool down dancers when it gets too hot; and of course, bathroom trucks.

Logistic trucks

I was impressed by the security teams: on each side of the band, people in yellow vest hold on to a rope, literally roping off the access from the onlookers to the band. They would communicate one to the other through hand signals, hold the rope up to let their band people come and go, and be there to make sure that nobody annoys the dancers or try to get in the train.

Port of Spain – Carnival

The noise is deafening, the costumes we saw were mostly feathers -strategically placed feathers with a few strings of fabric and glitter-, and everybody has what looks like a alcoholic drink in hand.

In the bands, people shuffle in small, dancing steps, and wine (from “to wind”), a sensuous dance between two partners.

All body types are represented, from anaemic-looking to generously curvy, and it is somehow heartening to see that Carnival doesn’t try to exclude people with generous figures.

Port of Spain – Carnival

We made a quick run to food stands because it is always more fun with fried food, and I got a cup of corn soup to try with my burger. Stupidly, I ate whole the first slice of corn instead of discarding the heart; since it was a small one, it went well. But the second, bigger, wasn’t as tender, and chewing on the hard, fibrous centre isn’t an experience I’m eager to reproduce. Why didn’t I think of nibbling the sides, as I would have done with a whole ear of corn?! Later, we had the pig tails I wrote about in the previous article.

We finally left mid-afternoon, happy to escape the noise and the sun, and the eyes still full of colourful feathers and glitters.

Port of Spain – Carnival

All the pictures here!