Carnival 2010

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This year we decided to do Carnival in Roseau so booked a night at the Garraway Hotel and packed a bag. The morning we left was one of those “only in Dominica” times. First we had to ask the guys next-door to take their goat out of our garden because it was eating the plants. Then, driving out of the village, we gave a lift to a man who, after he was settled in the car, turned out to be deaf and mute. Despite continuous attempts, we couldn't find out where he was going! Next we were stuck in a traffic-jam in Portsmouth behind the aftermath of Jouvet. Starting at 4am on Monday and finishing at dawn, Jouvet is the excuse for an all night party, but today things carried on past dawn and were still going strong at 10.30. What’s a half-hour delay anyway? We’re on island time! And yes, our passenger did eventually get out.

Once in Roseau we headed for the front and went through a couple of no entry signs to get to the Garraway by the shortest route, no-one flinched. We could already hear music so went onto the streets. The t-shirt bands got going and we followed around with a beer or two. For those unaccustomed to Carnival in Dominica, the t-shirt bands are made up of a huge articulated truck filled with a live band and millions of watts of sound system, plus a bouncing, gyrating posse all dressed in matching band t-shirts following on. All you have to do is keep dancing and drinking from 3pm until 10pm.

Tuesday was the carnival king and queen and the costume bands. Just think Colour and Calypso and you won’t go far wrong. This was the first time we had seen 4 cruise ships in Roseau at the same time. Even then, the streets weren’t filled with cruise passengers, they were somewhere else. They don’t know what they missed! The photos say it all…

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Photos

One very friendly local
...and one slightly beery Yorkshireman

It's just too much for some
This guy is balanced on the tow bar between a truck and its generator - sleeping through the wall of sound from the band