Dominica Carnival 2011

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We drove down the coast road to Roseau on Monday morning, checked into the Garroway hotel and parked our car in a position where we could drive out forwards (reverse gear is still not working – but that's another story). Then we just followed the sound of the music.

At 11.30 the T-shirt bands were already pumping music through the streets. We grabbed a rum punch to kick off the day, found some lunch and then joined in the fun. It was great – we popped back to the hotel every so often to chill (and rest my knee) and then back again for another session in the streets. The huge articulated lorries carried the live bands, with speakers piled high on the back booming music to a stream of fans all dressed in the same band T-shirt. It carried on all afternoon into the dark. The streets were packed with thousands of people and the bands on their slow moving trucks seemed to get louder. A continuous river of gyrating humanity snaked around the centre of Roseau getting a bit more merry on their way. Luckily there has been a 10pm cut-off in recent years so we were able to collapse and sleep easily.

On Tuesday we woke to a Celebrity cruise ship outside our window – familiar sight! Then we headed for the streets and watched the costume bands and Queen's parade pass by. This year it was a fantastic turn out, even if some folk looked a little weary from the previous day's partying. We stayed until mid-afternoon and then drove up the bumpy road to home.

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