Carnival

Thank god I´m finally getting something else up here so that last picture is knocked down a bit.

OK, I finally got some of the pictures from that weekend, so let´s finally delve into this subject. Carnival, as you may or may not know, is a Mardi Gras style event that is celebrated throughout much of Latin America. I´m not sure how exactly it is done in other countries such as Brazil or Trinidad, but I can tell you a little bit about what goes on in the DR.

There are many celebrations around the country throughout February, but the supposed best one takes place in a nondescript mid-sized city called La Vega. I´m not really sure how this evolved into the best, but that´s the story that goes around. Anyway, each Sunday in February there is a fiesta culminating in the largest and most out of hand one on the last Sunday of the month. We were there for the first on of the season, and it was fun enough. Starting Sunday afternoon there is a loosely organized parade that goes on for a couple miles I´d say down a main promenade. The parade consists of many different groups that put on elaborate, coordinated costumes and make their way down the parade route. They also carry these whip-type devices that are apparently made out of cow bladders and are sometimes filled with rocks. They can apparently hurt pretty badly and leave your ass bruised for weeks, but I didn´t take any good hits. I was a little disappointed in that regard, but I believe the stories. I think they were just getting warmed up during the first weekend.

Lining the parade route are thousands of people watching, semi-participating, drinking, eating, dancing, and generally having a good time. I was one of these people, as were the three people I was with. We basically just sort of milled about, changing locations occasionally, having a good time. One thing that surprised me was that the crowd seemed to be made up almost exclusively of Dominicans. I did not see many other white people there, which seemed odd since there is a lot of tourism in this country and this event isn´t a secret. It´s in all the guide books anyway. But that made it more enjoyable and more authentic seeming.

One logistical headache was getting all these people in and out of a town in the middle of the country which doesn´t normally have a lot of tourists. There is bus and public transportation service, but everyone is trying to get out of there, which made things a bit difficult. We took a gua-gua (mini bus used as local public transpo) to nearby Santiago and from there walked to the large bus station and took the 2 hour bus home from there. As you can imagine, a good amount of drinking during the day only compounded the problems and coordination issues. Luckily, Jen did not imbibe very much and took on the leadership role of getting us home. I think Anthony, Caitlin and I more than made up for her.

In summary, Carnival is definitely not to be missed if you ever have an opportunity. Oh yeah, and I missed the Super Bowl for the first time since I have had memories of them (´85 is the first I can recall) and do not regret my decision.

Onto the pictures. And please remember everyone, don´t fight, don´t be angry, let´s hug it out.