Carnaval 2009

Dr. Merisier had not been to Carnaval in eight or so years, but was kind enough to drive us into Port-au-Prince to see the festivities (that or he was simply sick of hearing Jackie, Marisa and I talk about it). It didn’t take quite as long as I would have expected to reach the capital. We did hit slight traffic once we got a little closer (the highlight of which was the tap-tap Christ is the Answer nearly running us down). We parked near some relatives of Dr. Merisier and then headed out on foot (why I changed into flip-flops seriously eludes me… mystery water everywhere, not to mention the not-so mysterious piles of trash that dominate every corner).

We were there fairly early (around 6pm or so), so things weren’t too crazy. We walked the streets, making our way to the center of the celebration, the Champs de Mars. Along our route we saw various dance groups, people in costume and different bands. We also sampled some of the local treats, which were offered at every possible turn. It was like the Jersey shore, Haitian style, in that I had my choice of a wide array of fried anything. Our little group (which also included Dr. Merisier’s wife and two young, adorable children) shared some fried plantains, which had been slightly sweetened, as well as what I can only describe as (delicious) fried dough doused in sugar (it was a cross between a zeppole and funnel cake, and just as good).

The highlight of our adventure was most definitely Champs de Mars. I knew it was crowded, but did not realize the true extent of the people there…that is until I was able to climb up on one of the available trucks for a bird’s eye view. I had been enjoying myself before, but this was truly unbelievable. There were people everywhere, watching the various trucks/floats which slowly make their way through the masses, blasting music to the cheers and singing of the crowd. I broke out an occasional dance move (which I am sure was humorous to those surrounding me) but it was impossible not to move to the music. Although a lot of the trucks were HUGE, my favorite in the line-up was a little tap-tap complete with a mini painting of Obama. We left around 9PM, and it was clear that things were just getting started!