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Position: 15° 34’N 61° 27’W
It’s almost carnival time here in Dominica. The first weekend in March promises to be a huge party up and down the island. But, the young woman serving us in JR’s Bar told us, if you really want to get crazy, head to Trinidad for their carnival. Dominica, she went on to say, has a strong Catholic influence, and therefore expects more modesty on the floats. Bikinis are acceptable, but thongs – no way.
We won’t be in Dominica for carnival. We will be further south. I think. This week we spent a few days in Prince Rupert Bay at the north end of the island. Sunday was pre-carnival parade day. The main event was to take place between 3:00PM and 6:00PM last Sunday afternoon. We wandered into town around four o’clock and it was completely dead. We asked a local if the parade was starting soon. “Sure, in 10 minutes,” he replied, “that’s a Dominican 10 minutes, you know.”
When the festivities finally wound their way up the street around 5:30, there were flag twirlers, monsters that look like they just stepped out of the Black Forest, and young men pulling wheelies on tiny motorcycles. Beer companies sponsored the main floats, accompanied by some of the loudest dance music we’d ever experienced, indoors or out.
love it