I arrived into Port of Spain on February 5th; the flight was smooth however the immigration line was very long. My friends were excited but also tired from the 5 ½ hour flight.
By the time we finally arrived at the guesthouse and settled into our rooms it was 1am; time to get some rest…Tribe Mas Camp tomorrow. The next day we went straight to the Mas Camp to collect our costumes (Tyrian Purple). After waiting 30 minutes in the seating area our numbers were called. While the payment process and collection of our costume only took about 15 minutes there were some problems with the panty sizes and the belt. We headed over to customer service and were pleased to find that they were very organized and willing to address our concerns. In total it took us 2 hours to process 5 payments, retrieve our costumes and fix any issues with our costumes.
After leaving the Mas Camp we headed back home to figure out our plans for the night. Since there was no Machel Montano AC concert the other option was “Temperature” which was 150TT. Now, I really did not want to go because I am an all inclusive type of girl; however my friends wanted to go and they were new to Trinidad so I had to make sure they were safe. As we arrived at Temperature there was plenty people in the crowd, the venue (Oval) was huge but also dark. Even though I had a bad vibe about this fete; I intended to make the best of it for the ladies. Jah Cure came on stage and the ladies wanted to get closer – who tell us do dat? As we walked through the crowd a guy grabbed my friend’s waist to dip his hands into her pouch and stole 80TT from her. She was quick and was able to give him a good punch in his stomach. We advised a police officer of what had happened and they pulled the thief out of the crowd. I don’t know what they did with him but I’m sure justice has been served. This incident was followed by fight after fight in the crowd; it was time to leave this party. My friends realized that this fete had not been the best choice. The performers were good but the crowd was not the best. Rating: I give this fete 2 Palance
Sunday approach and it was time for Flight Cruise “Landed”. Originally this fete was a boat ride but now they have ventured out to a bigger venue and larger crowd. Honestly, I loved the boat better; yes, the crowd was there but the vibes on the boat was much crazier. Despite that I still enjoyed myself. Once Flight Cruise ended my friends and I was not ready to go home so we ended up on a boat ride. Up to this day I don’t know the name of the ride but we were on it. Whatever it was, the boat ride was nice and we saw our share of wildness; woman wining upside down, man running across the boat back and forth while carrying a woman - plenty bacchanal! Rating: I give this ride 7 Palance
Monday we didn't have any plans to go out that night so we decided to head to Marcus Beach. It was a good 30 minute drive but hey better then sitting at a desk at work for 7.5 hours. The beach was a little quiet but I enjoyed it. Our first stop was Richard's Bake and Shark. You need to eat one when you reach and another when you leave. I put every dressing on the shark, from lettuce,mustard, ketchup, pineapple and can't forget the garlic dressing. We relaxed on the beach for a couple hours then headed home before the rush hour begin in city. The rest of the evening we relaxed, Tomorrow is Eyes Wide Shut. Typically, Eyes Wide Shut would have been another Machel Montano appearance; however, this year he did not perform for the carnival season until the Beyonce concert. I usually enjoy this fete because I’m able to get very close to the stage without feeling crowded or unsafe. We entered the fete and were checked by security and picked up our souvenir rags and glow in the dark chains. As we entered, the band Karma was performing; they were ok but not one of my favorite bands. Patrice came on and performed “Single to Mingle” - love that chune. Zan, Kerwin, Farmer Nappy, Shall Mashall and Swappi - one of my favorite artist for 2010 came on stage to perform “Dis Gyal”. As the night started to wind down reggae artist Serani came on stage. A few people booed him; this was a soca fete and the crowd was definitely not in the mood for reggae. Rating: I give Eyes Wide Shut 5 Palance.
As we arrived to Bacchanal Wednesday the venue was packed. We approached a tent where they were giving away free Lucozade energy drinks along with a free airbrush of the map of Trinidad and Tobago with the Lucozade logo. My friends helped themselves to the free drinks and had the logo airbrushed to their legs. Bacchanal Wednesday is where we see most of the people from Toronto. The vibe was the same as Eyes Wide Shut; same performers but different location. Overall, this fete is not one of my favorite parties but it was something to go too. Rating: I give the fete 5 Palance
On Friday it was time to head to Frenzy Boat Ride. This is an all you can drink event that costs 375TT. When I tell you this ride was NICE! The weather was real HOT, the crowd was SEXY and the vibe was GREAT!. It started off slow but once the entire crowd was feeling “tight” (drunk) the boat ride was rocking. The music was on point and by the time they played “Palance” everyone was out of control - no behavior! I eventually had to take a break and sit down because I had way to much to drink; after all, drinks were free so why not indulge myself? Rating: I give this fete 8 Palance.
Later that evening my head was in toilet and I could not stop cussing myself, asking why did I have so many drinks? We had planned to go to a house party but I wasn’t sure if I could make it. 5 minutes before our driver arrived my head was still in the toilet. I took some gravol and Tylenol to stop the vomiting; I was not missing this party – Its carnival and you can’t miss a thing. The cost of this fete was 150TT; all I can say is it was worth the money. If you were looking to go somewhere with friends to lime at a lower cost this was the place to be. I wish I wasn’t so hung-over so I could have enjoyed myself better. The music was good, the crowd was mature and we felt safe. I have a feeling in a few years this event will be very hard to get into. Rating: I give this fete 7 Palance.
I forgot to mention how trini people love to lime and party even on a maxi bus. One evening we were coming from a friend lime. A group of us hire a maxi to drive us home, that maxi was a party bus, people jumping, drinking and wilding out. Imagine the driver stop at a red light come out of his seat, walked around to the side door, jump inside to take a likkle wine...madness, then he came out before the light changed and continue to drive to our destination. Yes he did. I have it on tape. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Stay tuned for the more details of the rest of my trip.
