Tweet
Well i lucked up and found a place in woodbrook for carnival at a reasonable rate. I will also be spending a week in Tobago. Can anyone give me some pointers, advice, recommendations. This would be my 1st trip there. I also need suggestions for a beach front place for a couple of days before I come home. Thanks
-
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
oh Belle you did good - Woodbrook is THE SPOT!!!!!!!! during carnival. Although every little town has its own parade, this is the main one.
the main street right there, Ariapita Ave, is THE main downtown parade route for Carnival Tuesday. you'll see all the big Mas Bands and music come dung de road right there.
Woodbrook is also walking distance to everything:
- The Queen's Park Savannah for all the Carnival shows & events that are held there - the Calypso, Soca, & Chutney Monarch competitions, carnival King & Queen, Mas Band of the Year (THE most awesome costumes), the Panorama (steelband competition), and after carnival, the Champions show - one big concert with all the winners. Although is under construction now, hopefully it will be finished by 2008 carnival, or there will be alternate venues.
- The panyards - if you're into steelband music, some of the best bands' panyards are right around there, everyone hangs out & parties in the yards to hear them practice for the Panorama competition, they go all night sometimes. its amazing! (of course i'm biased, but still!) [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]
- the fetes. these are giant all-inclusive parties with a million different themes, music and food and dancing all night; they have these all over. the one called Salibia (pron. sahl-ee-bay) is supposed to be the best, but i hear that one is a ways outside of town. They cost a penny but i hear they're off the chain if yuh love to get wild and dance and jump and wind til mornin'. (never been to one cause i'm a straight calypso-head, soca don't do nuttin for me at ALL)
- the kaiso (calypso) tents. (these are more in St. James, a next town over, i walked there but it's a hike. easy cab ride though and a fun street scene, lots of taverns and eateries outside, the street there is a carnival by itself). The tents have classic calypsonians as well as the young ones coming up, singin all the new calypsoes for this year's carnival. calypso was the rap music of its day when it was the new hot thing - all wicked funny & snarky political & social commentary over that riddim. nowdays soca is the new hot party thing but, the kaiso tents are still around if you're into more traditional Trini music. to my mind, that's where you get the true pulse of the country and the hearts & minds of the people, cause calypso is always about the true shyte a gwaan under the surface. Loaded with vicious wit and double-entendre. personally i think it's street genius. but again, i'm biased [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]
Don't miss the J'ouvert - this is the night before carnival Tuesday; it starts at about 2 AM, and goes til dawn (j'ouvert = daybreak/french.) it's the old-time carnival parade, all acoustic music -the parade of steelbands, hand drums and shakers and bottle-and-spoon riddim in the street; the old-time oil and mud and paint-masqueraders, no sequins and feathers. traditionally it was just steelbands & no DJ trucks at all, but lately they been allowing the big DJ's in and that makes it kinda crazy. but still its NOT to be missed. everyone parties and dances in the streets til dawn, you haffi watch out fi some sneaky blue-paint-devil sneakin up pon yuh with a wicked grin and a bucket of mud to paint you up with!, all kinda wild music and nonsense and dancing and windin, and then it keeps goin all day afterwards..... waiieeeeeee i never seen NOBODY can party like Trini's. (OK, wait - maybe Brazilians too) [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70402-thinking.gif[/img]
but i digress-
can't tell you much about the beaches - i went to only one, Maracas - thats the main one you hear about. it was lovely, the palm trees are HUGE and tall. But it can't hold a candle to Negril. I hear the beaches in Tobago are the bomb, i'm goin there nex time. and lissen sister i can't EVEN tell you how green with horrible envy i am, that you're goin to BOTH places AND a week on the beaches of tobago. i've heard that place called the Negril of T-n-T. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]
the food is awesome - although they do seem to have more fried chicken places than we have Starbucks- its the street food that's the BOMB. 'doubles' - curried chickpeas wrapped inside 2 lil fresh indian breads, they're everywhere like hot dog carts in NYC. Roti (flat Indian bread) wrapped around anything is delish. watchansee, Monk is gonna come in here anytime now chattin bout he could eat a brick if they curried it & wrap it up in a roti. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img] even if you're not vegetarian the veggie food is incredible. their calalloo is awesome too, way diffferent from how it's made in JA. It's like a creamy soup, sometimes with crab in it. 'bake-and-shark' is another thing. 'bake' is a type of bread, kinda like a pita but much softer and fresher. they fill it with shark (deLICIOUS!!!!) and veggies and some kind of heavenly sauce. Alloo pie is another thing - (alloo = potato/hindi); thats a bake made with potato & seasonings, baked right in. They have these killer roots milkshakes, or smoothies i guess they are really - made from all kinda fresh fruits, veggies, yogurt or ice cream, roots & herbs.
gosh i could go on and on - but meanwhile here's some pics.
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
Dear Sistacaf,
Now you've made me even more excited than I was before. I've been to carnival in rio and panama and I've done caribana in toronto for over 20 years. I thought that it was time to experience the original. Last year I could not get a room even if I could afford the 100% markup in room prices. Good thing because I ended up having an extended illnes and would have missed it anyway. I didn't think anything would be available by the time I thought about looking into it and was actually checking out the caymans for nov. When i found available rooms and reasonable airfare, i was on a mission. There still some nice rooms around and i'm going by myself why don't you some on down...you know you want too!!!
[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]
Your report lets me know i made the right decision..i can do the caymans some other time. I found a "small hotel by the sea" in Tobago, that sits right on the water and you can hear the waves crash..a dream come true for me. So I think i'm on my way...gotta get trip insurance (just in case).
Thanks for the beautiful pictures.. I gather from a former trip of yours? good times to be had by all? don't be envious girlfriend...be there.
Still looking for names of beachfront in maracas or wherever. Thanks
BELLEComment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
I'm really happy for you ((BELLE))
Such inspiration [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img] sistacaf!!
Great sign aye
Comment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
yah roots i loved that signpost! It's right on the beach at Maracas. Not too many hotels right there Belle, i hear there used to be one or two but it's not the kinda beach where you stay, it's just go for the day.... further up the coast past the beach i hear there's more, and nicer beaches i hear too - but i never got up that far. too busy spending all my time in the panyards, i never even got to the beach til my last day. Next time [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70384-praying.gif[/img]
you better than me girl, i've never made Caribana, just Brooklyn and DC. And Brooklyn is pretty dang close to how it is in trini too, i was surprised how similar the vibes were. and yes, SO much fun to be had.... you're gonna have a blast! You pretty much know the runnins, so you ready!!!
funny, i've been to carnaval in Rio too, that was my first trip outside the US - i was 22 and my dad took me, boy he fixed my wagon but good! -BOAL- cause i been running around the world ever since. Trini is less glitzy, not as much nekkidness (even tho the constumes get weensier every year), but it seems more like the regualr folks in the streets, in Brazil it's all so stoosh & fancy, but trini is more rootsy in some kinda unexplainable way.
and yah you bet Ima go if I can, I wanna to play in one a them big steelbands so bad i can taste it.
but, yknow, it's all about money ain't a damn thing funny. so we'll haffi see how it all goes. and i got to fit in a JA trip somewhere too ! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]
so -- you gonna play mas? you know the websites for the mas bands? Usually they launch around August and evryone starts gettin all excited picking which group they goh march with on carnival Tuesday and what costume they gonna wear. But you won't catch me in no feathered bikini on the Avenue, noooooooooo! heheComment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
naw no mas for me...i think it'll be all that i can do to try and keep up with a few bands..hell just walking is going to present a little problem. i guess i need to look for hotels with shuttles to the beach or sumptin...thank you sistacaf for taking timw out this weekend to give the 411...greatly appreciated. and Rootsie girl.. you know how I feel [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blushing2.gif[/img]Comment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
and PS...I'm going to try JUBAY in brooklyn one of these years..have made plans twice and hit some snags...one day after trini.Comment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
oh sweetie its only my pleasure, I love TnT second only to JA, always happy to talk about it with anyone who is interested!
from what i could see there are no shuttles to the beaches, although maybe the "big name" hotels like Hilton or Sheraton may have them. (that's outside my knowledge though, cau mi never stay at them kinda place.) Generally speaking, Port of Spain isn't a 'tourist town' and there's not nearly as much catering to visitors as there is in other places. (you ever wonder why we almost never see travel advertising for TnT? Is cause they not interested in catering to tourists, they don't really "need" the tourist dollar)
more likely you will haffi get a proper ride to reach the beache(es) - either book a taxi or hail down one of those min-bus thingies, cause the beaches are far from downtown where you will be stayin -
on Carnival Tuesday i don't think the walkin will be too bad for you, since you'll be in Woodbrook you'll be right there. You can go in and rest every so often. When I was there i also stayed in Woodbrook - we just chilled on the verandah til we heard the next somethin comin dung de road, then jumped up and ran out to the street! Some of the mas bands are thousands of people and take HOURS to pass, and between them there's always time to sit down or get a snack or take cover under a shady spot!
now, for the Jouvert you WILL walk - and walk all OVER! LOL, but you don't realize it cause you're so busy chippin and windin and dancin and having fun! When it was all over and the sun started comin up, we were makin joke about "hey lets stop a car and ask a ride" - and then that's just what we did! Enjoyed the breeze from the back of some nice guy's pickup truck all the way back across town at dawn, LOL! the whole thing is absolutely wild, and totally FUN!!!!!!
Comment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
Oh my gosh ... you girls spilling your PASSION for Carnival, TNT and yada yada yada ...
mek me wanna go too ...
BellaDonna - you SURELY must come with a play by play reporting from this fabuous trip ...
YeeHaa ~Comment
-
Re: Carnaval in Trinida 2008
yeehaa?
an me deh a think say well all dis bel a bele dem a talk bout. shouda know betta.Comment
Comment