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Thursday, March 10, 2011

J'ouvert Morning - The madness continues

I realised from early when I started to write the blog that this has been a wicked experience going down to Trinidad for carnival and that my mind and fingers if left to themselves would write for days..Sensory overload. It;s three days later and I can still hear the pulse of the music in my head..Gosh I was so WOTLESS in Trinidad..Hey you there, I need a rum drink. What, no rum, no rum!!! Man is you mad crazy? Then how about a Stag or Carib Beer or yes, a Guiness and Puncheon?..ummm, withdrawl symptoms it must be I tell ya, yep I'm still on that high. The bands, the people, the music, the vibes..It was all intoxicatingly insane. Now back to J'overt morning.
Amidst all the madness I am checking out the costumes from people mingling and mungling. Blue devils, red devils, guys in diapers, guys in drag, painted faces and bodies ready to roll with the bands. Did I mention that the alcohol is flowing? Flasks in pockets or bags were coming out pouring carnival spirits from Vodka, dark rum, white rum - Puncheon (75% proof Trini rum), Hennessey, Johhny Walker Black, you name it was flowing  - I was pissed that I left my flask at home but I improvised so don't worry uself one bit. Didn't have a flask, screw it just bring di whole bottle and shoob it in a pocket or your waistline for this soon would be gone too anyways. It's 5am and we push out with two liquor vans and two semi-trucks packed with speakers blaring all the soca hits I've heard since being here and then some. I was getting ready to be truly WOTLESS and be a Palancing fool that felt like he just won a Million Dollars who now had the power to tell everyone to go weh from me, MOVE!! :-) So when you pay your money to jump with any band or group, line men or security is there to kick any wayward interlopers out of the midst. No one should interfare with you 'chipping' - It's like a Charlie Chaplain like walk with ridim and intention, a shuffled dance that allows you to exert just enough energy to pace yourself through the procession . A god send for mad fools like myself who want to carry on bad like a merry Ninja throughout the whole thing.. I must say that when you do J'ouvert, good clothes is not a neccesity for keep in mind that you might just have to part ways with them after J'ouvert is done. Now, if yu too stoosh, and gwaan like u too nice better stay you ass home. Don't like crowds, don;t even waist you time come a Carnival. Don't want some strange man or woman grinding up on ya, give me you costume and money. Don't like Soca and can't wine, Cho I wi wine fi ya. See, wining is a true necessity if you are going to be a part of the carnival experience and showing off your wining skills is true bravado. Sorry, no time for teaching right now :-) What, what's that I see? Yesssss, out comes the paint, the baby powder, the water..We are getting dirty this morning and of course I'm not shy. Paint me up baby. I bum some from a new friend and lather that stuff all over my face and my head and some on my arms like it's Jergens lotion. I came for this and I was not going to be denied, I LOVE it!!! We are engaging in the ritual of carnival whereby you get dirty be cleansed and transition into prettiness of MAS, costumed glory, beautiful the Saints are on their way to Ash Wednesday.
J'ouvert for me is the ultimate rebel rousing adventure among newly found friends. Chip up to a girl and jus wine pon dat ting. Big ting small ting I'm wining up on all tings, Short ting tall ting I'm wining up on all tings..Ting Ting Ting Ting Ting Ting..Dats how we roll at carnival boi.  I guess all of Port of Spain must be out this early in the morning because if that was here in the States and Loud music from big ass trucks, all day and night somebody going to jail. Ahhh bugger off, live a little. Better get those sleepy bunched up draws out of that knot for this is not Kansas for sure. We haved chipped, we have wined, we have behaved scandalously..WOTLESS like nutin else I tell ya. We have wined off di back a di truck and wined up on di back a di truck. We have Palanced. Sadly though this part of the fun must come to an end...ahhhh, wait, not before I have one more beer. WOTLESS indeed!!!..frig, it's 8am in the morning. holy crud. Carnival doesn't happen without side stories and here's a quick one. Our band Jungle Fever has ended it's J'ouverrt tour and now it's time to get some food. We pack into the car and drive to the spot, If I remebered the place I would tell you. I just know it's right next to the Hyatt. We get there and order. I'm having me saltfish and bake with a side of Callaloo - textured soup like dish that's made from the leaves of the Dasheen plant with okra, coconut milk, crab, pumpkin and kick ass seasonings...ummm, damn good stuff, lik off finga bisness dis. Not too long after this it is announced that our ride, the car we drove in, mine and Stephanie's ride back to the hotel: Gigi's and Nicole's ride back to the house has been towed. Bloody hell!!! One would think that this would invoke cussing, threats from the voodo man. Instead, a chorus of laughter insued and breakfast was eaten. A lesson to be learnt here from my Trini friends indeed. We walked nearly two miles in the blaring sun to reclaim the bugger..After this I was fried, I wanted a shower and a hassock.  All I can say at this point is that I thumbed my nose at playing MAS and now I'm a J'ouvert Rebel. Oh, wait a minute, I did play MAS..stay tuned.....lol.

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