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| Radisson showing their carnival spirit with the WIFI password |
Friday around 10am we headed to the Bright Colours boat
ride. It’s a cooler fete that only cost
$35. Another method discussed in my budget blog, do a few cheap cooler
fetes. If you look at my carnival video
you see that no fun was lost by skipping an all-inclusive and saving $100. A lot of familiar faces were in the place and
we had a dayym good time cruising around Port of Spain.
When
we left the boat ride we had to go pick up our packages for Dirty Dozen J’ouvert,
Ambush, and our Tribe costumes. Not a
good look cause we were highly intoxicated. One thing I miss about switching
over from Bliss to Tribe, the pick-up process is a lot more chaotic. Even
though Bright Colours ended at 2pm, after all the running around we didn’t make
it back to our hotel until around 9pm. We
were exhausted and went straight to sleep to rest up for Ambush at 2am.
Ambush was the usual madness of paint, powder, and
water. That fete never disappoints I
tell ya. As I look at my photos of Ambush
2011 I think, “My my my how the crowd size has grown.” It was a pretty spacious
event back then, but now it is a complete sea of people. Still a dayym good time none the less. Crazy thing, I rode there with the homies
Rocky, Jermaine, and Paco and lost everyone almost immediately. Wearing
something that lights up is a must at J’ouvert, that’s the only way Paco and I
find each other. I never did see
Jermaine & Rocky again, if I didn’t ride with them I wouldn’t believe they
were there. But that’s just how crazy AMBUSH is, you can fete your life away
and never see the people you drove there with.
The new Soca Monarch “Voice” was there and blessed us with his jam
Cheers to Life. That song just speaks to your heart so that induced crowd
pandemonium. *Tun Up* There were no
injuries so kudos to us for surviving Ambush like some mutha *BEEPn* champs.
Around 9am we left AMBUSH and headed back to the hotel to
wash up, take a 9 ½ second nap, check out and then relocate. Around 2pm to
headed to Soca Brainwash another weekend favorite. As with the Miami brainwash, that is fete
that you are going to see the most familiar faces. Private Ryan did not disappoint, plenty
plenty food and drink choices. They even
had a champagne station that I sadly never made it too, I loves me some champagne. Kes touched the stage and gave an impromptu
mini concert which was frekkin AWESOME!!
We stayed there till the fete extended end time of around 6pm and then
we took our drunk, tired azzes home.
No
Saturday night fete for us, we went to bed like good little girls and boys. I lie, we couldn’t sleep, but we did lay down to stockpile energy for Shades Breakfast fete at 5am. We’ve done Shades every year since 2011, if
it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I hear good things about the other breakfast fetes, but I really enjoy Shades so every year I’m cool with going back. Shades is located at picturesque estate surrounded by mountains, watching the sun rise over the mountains is quite captivating. They expanded the food stations and added more liquor options this year, they even had a puncheon lolli station… Nothing better than getting drunk off ice-cream *whoop whoop* Shades always has some great artists perform and this year it was none other than the Soca Monarch 2nd place winner Preedy, I loves me some Preedy. Drue was walking in when we left around 11am so he probably touched di stage too.
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| Preedy = Veteran / Panama = Veteran |
After that it was off to the Hilton to relax and stockpile
more energy. I would have liked to
chillax by the pool, but they had a dayym fete going on so I chillaxed on the
patio drinking cheap champagne, blasting chunes from the Bose, and enjoying the
beautiful mountains (the mountains of the Caribbean set my heart on fire).
We walked down to the Savannah for dinner and
came upon my favorite countdown clock.
That definitely turns the excitement level up knowing you are only HOURS
away from “the Greatest Show on Earth”. We
had contemplated watching the super bowl that night, but fell asleep about 30
min after it started. No worries cause
the next morning it was time for THE BIG SHOW.
Yes it was time for J’ouvert Morning, we headed to Dirty Dozen mas camp
around 3am to get DUTTY!!! Linked up
with several of the homies and proceeded to be on our worst behavior. We climbed a wall (cause that is a must at J’ouvert)
and I looked over the endless number people I could see this was another fete
that has seriously grown in size since we started doing it. Most of J’ouvert is a blur, you drink drink
drink, dance dance dance, walk walk walk, climb climb climb, and get DUTTY
(which has multiple meanings in this instance 1) Get dirty & 2) Get on
bad). We never make it to the end of jouvert where they head back to mas camp
and have a wet fete, we always have to get our lives together for Monday
Mas.
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| Am I shrinking or is DJ Private Ryan getting taller every year? |
We headed back to the Hilton to powernap, switch rooms cause
we were on a different reservation lololol
this time we lucked up and got the Presidential Suite and proceeded to
JACK THAT ROOM UP. You would have thought there was more than just me and Paco
in that room. Linked up with Tribe at lunch and partied with
them till end time of around 6pm. We
missed the stage Monday L.
We were in bed by 8pm like good little
carnivalians.
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| Rep'n my Panamanian art: Kuna Molas sewn on the bathing suit, Kuna earrings, and tembleque beaded flowers in my hair |
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| Rhadi aka the Carnival Doc |
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| Funny thing about this pic is I didn't think I saw this young man the entire trip, then I see a pic of him in my camera *ALCOHOL* |
Woke up around 6amTuesday well rested, so I have NO EXCUSE
for what I am about to tell you. Tuesday
mas starts at like 7:30am, but we didn’t make it out of the hotel until 11am
for no reason other than I just didn’t feel like touching di road.
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| Should be on the road, but I'm in my room taking selfies |
It took us forever to find Tribe, but we did
come across Bliss and chilled with the homie Rocky for a while. How funny that when we were with Bliss 2014 we found Tribe first and just spent the day when them, why do you always come across EVERY truck accept your own?
We ended up finding Tribe just after they
finished crossing the stage and were heading to lunch. Lunch is like 2HR
process, so f*ck it, we headed back to the hotel to chillax in the A/C so we
could go strong all nite. We ran into
the homie Michelle Renee & she opted to head back to the hotel to freshen up as well.
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| Spending Carnival Tuesday in the hotel, dayym shame |
Headed back
out around 5pm, but it took us about an hour to find Tribe, we ate and ran into
some homies on di Ave. When we finally
did find Tribe, the sun was going down and we headed straight for the liquor
truck and went HARD IN THE PAINT. Drank
drank drank, the 1st bar truck apparently ran outta rum and gave us
Johnny Walker like we wouldn’t be able to taste the difference *SMH* I drank
dat yucky ish on the way to bar truck #2 for rum. Made it to last lap around 8:30pm, Last Lap
is a party that Tribe has for their 3 bands so the masqueraders can keep partyn
after the road march ends. They usually have beer in last lap, but this year
there was only water *YUCK* I went out
of the gate and snuck on a Bliss VIP truck parked outside, the guy there gave
me a bottle of Patron (Tequila is the devil) *YUCK* I drank the h*ll outta that
ish. Johnny Walker & Patron = Wacked out outta my mind!!! I was a hot azz mess at Last Lap,
as I look at the video of myself I’m surprised I didn’t accidentally kill
anyone with my flag that I was waiving like a maniac. We partied till 10pm then
took out drunk azzes home cause we had a flight to catch in the AM. By the way, we didn’t cross the stage Tuesday
either. Quite disappointed in myself,
but I just wasn’t motivated this year.
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| I believe Kevin was giving me a, "Get your life together" intervention |
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| Thank goodness his drunk azz didn't fall |
Woke up bright and early to pack our sh*t cause we were on
yet another reservation and had to move to a regular room. Yeah switching
locations so many times was a pain in the azz, but there is nothing that brings
greater joy than saving $$$. Headed to the airport around 9am and hop’d a
quick flight for Tobago for the last fete of the trip, Candy Coated Wine Down. This being our last fete we knew we had to go
HARD!!! Another link up of many friends and we danced & drank out lives
away in the water. This go round we got
performances from Voice, Preedy, and maybe Skinny Fab (the rum clouds my
memory). Of course Voice performing induced another onset of crowd
pandemonium. I was
proud of me and Paco for having no incidents all week, but I congratulated us
too soon. Paco lost himself at the fete, but after I had given up hope of
finding him I saw him asleep at the Tobago airport like some kinda vagabond.
Headed home early Thursday and I lied when I said Wednesday was
the last fete. The young lady seated
next to me on the plane and I proceeded to have a breakfast fete as we relived our best
carnival memories and discussed our carnival future. Carnival unites strangers,
I’ve made so many friends because of our mutual love of carnival.
I leave you with some “party done” moments that I'm sure I’ll get cussed for.
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