CARNIVAL

One of the many thing I have learned about living here is that the locals love to have a good time. Yesterday was the last day of the Dolega Carnival. Since entertainment for the kids is very limited here, we decided to head out to the Carnival for lunch. Carnival looks like this: food kiosks everywhere serving "meat on a stick". This meat is remarkable good, however you taste the sauce for days afterwards! People at this celebration wear as little as possible because of the heat. Everyone gets soaked by fire hoses, water guns and anything else that can spray water, or beer in some cases. Loud "boom boom" music that shakes houses to their foundations, and crowds of people. This carnival is a little different from the other festivals here. The Dolega Carnival is known for the wet factor. Getting wet and getting everyone else as wet as possible. There is a fast moving canal down the center of town people float down . As you float down, you try to get the people on the sides of the canal wet. The cleanliness of the water is questionable. (I know, I have really lowered my standard! FYI The kids showered right after swimming.) If you are in the gated area you are allowed to spray anyone, except police, and no one can get upset. The local fire truck is filled with water and they spray this hose constantly during the 5 day celebration. Fire hoses are powerful and hurt when the water hits you.

Really, words do not do it justice, here is a short video.

Sydney, Alayna, Josh and Chris floating down the Dolega Canal

Note the fire hose spraying into the dancers!

This was so funny! This lady is celebrating her birthday in the canal. Her whole family, probably around 12 people in all, and the cake in the canal! Her husband is trying to light the candles. Eventually the cake landed in her face!

There are ropes under each bridge that you can hang onto it you want to stop floating down the canal. Here Sydney and Chris are hanging on waiting for Alayna and Josh.

Until I blog again,
Linda