Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 338
January 17, 2015
Freedom on a the face of a mountain in the USA
It’s quiet up here. The wind is calm, the trees are still, the snow lay underneath me unmoving. My lungs are the only things moving.
Inhale. Exhale.
It’s a peaceful place the top of mountain. The wintery earth spreads our for miles around me, tall evergreens sprinkled with snow like powdered sugar as far as the eye can see. It’s a kind of peace a person feels before the storm, before the rush of adrenaline.
I’m at the top of a mountain in Vermont. Now it’s no Kilimanjaro or Mount Everest, but it does the job. My feet are secured into stiff boots which are in turn buckled into a pair of skis, grounding me, holding me down. But no matter the weight, one look at the sky, the snow, the trees—one breath of that crisp winter air and I may as well have wings. It feels like freedom. It smells and tastes like freedom.
Inhale.
Pure, unadulterated winter air fills my lungs and courseing through my body, heightening all of my senses.
Exhale.
The stress and tension from my body is released making my body feel as light as a feather despite the four layers of winter clothing I’m wearing.
It’s almost time.
A slight breeze tickles the mountain top. I get a rush of excitement. My heart starts to pound, my hands tingle with anxiousness as I grip my poles. I’m almost ready. I look out at the sprawling green hills around me one last time and then look down to face my competitor. The hair on my neck stands tall, my eyes widen, my jaw goes slack: I can’t actually see the ski slope. My destination awaits clearly at the bottom, but the way to it isn’t there.
That familiar fear begins to boil in the pit of my stomach but I force it down.
Inhale.
I let go. My skis roll over the edge and I start to fly. The snow crunches and carves as I rush down. The adrenaline roars past my ears making me deaf to my own fear allowing me to give into the speed. Left, right, left, right. I bend my knees and pump, shifting my position garnering even more speed. The cold air cuts through my face mask and goggles. My eyes are tearing up and my cheeks sting, but it feels so right. I feel like I’m gliding across clouds, flying through the air. It’s just me and the mountain. All the stresses and problems in my life slip away into the cold air streaming past me. This is as close to freedom I can get and it feels utterly incredible.
The base of the mountain approaches all too soon. I carve more readily into the snow to reduce my speed. The roar in my ears dies down, my cheeks burning from the cold. I relax and release the tension in my legs as they hurt with the congratulatory dull pain that comes after working them hard.
Exhale.
My lungs relax, my shoulders drop.
I turn around to face my competitor straight in the face– it stares back at me with its cold, hard glare daring me to defy the unstoppable energy I possessed after conquering it.
I turn my back and make my way towards the lift line.
One more time.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Freedom on a the face of a mountain in the USA appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego has always been a distant jewel, a place where adventures start, a desolate wonder, a frontier island. The ‘Land of Fire’ that hooks out of Patagonia, the name a reference to the first people, indigenous Fuegians, who burned fires in front of their huts.
I’ve always imagined travelling this outlandish mass, half way between world and non-world, an in-between of realities. I drove there in February taking the crossing of Estrecho De Magallanes from Faro Punta Delgado to Bahia Azul. I wanted to capture images of the land, the wildlife but most of all I wanted to feel the wilderness creep into my bones.
I found myself in a cold dusk, a grand expanse drawing me in. The dark came slowly as I drove deteriorating gravel tracks. Guanacos come out of the grey, lazy runs exaggerated by long necks and spindly legs, road signs warning me to beware of them.
In the dark I go straight instead of turning left. A few miles down the track I find a pull in where I sleep. I wake as the sun rises and see that the road goes on. Two Andean condors fly over. They drop down into the pasture to my right, their shadows are Tolkinesque.
The road is a wet-mud slip that heads into high mountains and through the snowline. I’ve missed the turn to Argentina but the view to Lago Fagnano o Cami, close to the border where Tierra del Fuego National Park starts, is exceptional. Dead trees, barkless and sun bleached protrude from mossy swamps, a vast conifer forest extends through the valley. This is the southerly stretch of the Andean-Patagonian forest. At its heart this vast strip-lake nestles between mountains. The waterfalls draw white lines down crags as they feed it.
The wind on Tierra del Fuego is fascinating. Occasionally a fleet wind overtakes my car dragging the dust I’ve stirred to the front where it spin-drifts into view. With all but meagre vision I slow the vehicle till it subsides. But at Parque Pinguino Rey the wind takes on a new level of fierce. It comes in strong, interspersed with angry gusts. The sea is green topped with simmering froth. It rises in heavy waves that may be pushed to the other side of the island in this wind.
Three foxes are hunkered in grassy hollows. They allow me to get within a few metres where I snap photo after photo. The scene doesn’t change, one fox occasionally yawn, yet I seem programmed to take hundreds of photographs.
Hunkered down in the vegetation with the foxes is one thing. Out in the open is different. When I take off my gloves my hands are pained by the wind before heading into numbness. I manage three or four photos at a time before giving up.
King penguins huddle together or walk against the wind. Their sea-evolved feathers and thick fat-layers push back against them so you see each detail of their figures. Occasionally one leans back to its partner to cross bills against the backdrop of a sea rising up with impending violence. Despite the cold I stay till the afternoon.
On the way out I pick up two hitchhikers travelling to Porvenir. They’re taking time to travel before making the decision to go to university. They talk with an easy friendliness I never had at their age. I enjoy the company but envy their calm outlook. I wish them well when I drop them in the town. I feel empty as they walk away leaning into each other like the penguins had.
On the way back to the ferry a group of guanacos run along a fence line, a mother and baby turn to the open expanse beyond the line. I’ve waited all week to get this chance of a guanaco leaping a fence. My camera is focused on the animals. From a standing position they leap the fence. When I check the photos are nothing like I’d expected. I head back to Bahia Azul to leave Tierra del Fuego.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Tierra del Fuego appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
#LuxeExperience: Beverly Hills 90210 Drinks on Rodeo Drive
#LuxeExperience: Beverly Hills 90210 Drinks on Rodeo Drive
Jesse, Dexter and the team at Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel have created specialty cocktails for your enjoyment in Beverly Hills. I got behind the bar and learned to mix the Kelly Taylor and the Brenda Walsh. Next time I am going to make a Donna Martin.
The entire experience was fantastic. I loved my stay in the Penthouse at Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel. Eat your dinner at Table #1 literally on Rodeo Drive at the “On Rodeo” Restaurant. Afterward walk a few short blocks and enjoy a show at Spaghettini and the Dave Koz Lounge.
VIDEO: Mixology at Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel
Ready to explore @luxerodeodrivehotel #Table1 for dinner and drinks! #Beverlyhills
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 26, 2014 at 5:39pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 26, 2014 at 5:46pm PST
Reserve #Table1 @luxerodeodrivehotel be seen in #BeverlyHills #luxury @lovebevhills
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 26, 2014 at 7:14pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 26, 2014 at 7:37pm PST
From Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel:
“Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel is an intimate AAA 4-Diamond Beverly Hills hotel located on world-famous Rodeo Drive. This premier travel destination for fashionable jetsetters combines classic warmth with minimal chic and the relaxed spirit of Southern California with the elegance of Beverly Hills. The only hotel on Rodeo Drive, the Luxe offers unique easy access to world-class shopping, dining and entertainment. Rolex, Patek Philippe and Michael Kors boutiques are located on the property.
As a distinctive choice among hotels in Beverly Hills, Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive catapults you into the crux of Los Angeles’ most glamorous destination. For legendary shopping along Rodeo Drive, you’ll never have the need to leave our boutique hotel’s world-renowned thoroughfare. With West Hollywood, West Los Angeles, and the Sunset Strip just a minute’s drive away, there is no better destination among Beverly Hills hotels for a weekend getaway, shopping excursion, or business meeting in Los Angeles.”
Read more about my #LuxeExperience:
Making Chocolate Souffle with Chef Olivier
A Luxury Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
Dining at On Sunset with Chef Olivier
Click here to see all my videos from Luxe Experience Hotels
The post #LuxeExperience: Beverly Hills 90210 Drinks on Rodeo Drive appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
January 16, 2015
Beside filthy muckpeckers in The Falkland Islands
A heavy swell is hitting the shelves while the sea rises into grand columns that fountain as they’re drawn sideways by strong easterlies. Occasional geyser spouts are forced through narrow fissures, how the giant petrels avoid them is a marvel of evolution. On land, and close up, these birds are clumsy looking creatures yet in flight they pass by with remarkable grace, their oscillating paths offering vertical tacks into the wind. I stay on the stack for a good hour watching the far cormorants come and go, and the southern skuas that chase them down in a klepto-parasitic style. I stand on my own, the only human in this view, feeling staggered and humble.
These cliff tops, on the eastern side of Sea Lion Island, hold thousands of imperial shags that commute between strong seas and flat ledges. An hour ago I was stood with them taking photographs as they left the ledge flying just a metre or so above my head. Between the shags several snowy sheathbills waddle by. As I watch them I can’t help thinking that these white feathered birds are poorly named, a more literal label would have them known as the filthy muckpeckers. They shuffle between the shags jabbing the final nutrients from green fish-laced faeces.
On the beach by Sea Lion Lodge I notice Lotto and Dottie, elephant seals that have their bellies graffitied by two Italian research scientists, Carla Galimberti, and her husband Alberto. They’ve been conducting long term research of these seals stretching back to 1995. Carla tells me about their work and how the belly-graffiti helps them identify individual animals from a distance, and unlike with tags these markings can’t be lost.
While the markings look out of place in this wild environment the research has shown that the vast majority of elephant seals on this island were born here. The population stands at about 3000, more than on any other of the Falkland Islands and they can travel some distance with re-sights recorded at the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Even without this information this scene would be a marvel of ecology and bodily gasses.
Then I walk till I stumble across a sea lion basking up the meagre rays of a southern sun. I wonder how I missed this creature till now, its long body blubbering over the rocks and its thick main a lush autumn-brown. Despite its size I’m only five short steps away before the form reveals itself from amongst the boulders. In turn, and despite my clumsy appearance within this landscape, it doesn’t notice me for some time, so I sit on a rock and watch it resting.
When it eventually spots me it appears shocked at my presence, as though I appeared from thin air. It stares at me for the briefest of moments before lifting its torso high and baring a flat lipped mouth and then taking to the sea. I notice three female sea lions across the way, one has thick milk lactating from her teats, a dark pup is latched on satisfying its hunger.
I stay where I am and watch little birds flit between the boulders and, higher up on the slopes, a colony of jackass penguins that, in turn, stare down at me from their peat burrows. Then, when I look out to sea, a splash draws my attention and there, just at the far edge of the kelp, four orcas are rising. I watch these pack hunters head west as three caracara watch me from the top of peat hags. Now and then an endemic Cobb’s wren flits from the tussock grass and onto the rocks by my feet. I pass my attention between the endless wonder of this six kilometre island.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Beside filthy muckpeckers in The Falkland Islands appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
Pura Vida in Costa Rica
He said “watch out for the ants,” as we walked down the dirt path towards the river. Halted by confusion I looked down and saw a distinct moving line of greens and yellows cutting through our path. I stared in amazement as the leaf cutter ants moved in sync with one another, forming a line that was at least three feet long. I was entranced by a minor act of nature that was almost looked over. This small but surprising event was one of the many memories formed from my trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.
Carefully stepping over the ants we continued on the path leading us down to the river, where our raft awaited. As we wobbled our way into the raft, we gently glided across the murky water to begin our tour. Gazing up at the sky we transcended under a canopy of trees hanging over us, awakened by the buzzing sounds of the forest. A sense of peace fell upon me as I entered this unfamiliar world.
As we started along our river tour we were welcomed by the animals that appeared along the river bank. The bright green colored Jesus Christ lizard, who shyly stayed at the edge of the river bank. The birds were next to present themselves. First greeted by the crane and then we saw the rare Tucan birds, which are known as a sign of good luck. As we moved further along the river, our guide mentioned to us that we might come across some crocodiles. We wondered if he was joking until a few minutes down the river there it was. A crocodile around 100 feet away from us sat peacefully basking in the sun. About half way through our journey we slowed down our pace and the tour guide began smacking the water with his paddle. He then made a howling sound and in reply the trees came alive. Hovering over us in the trees were the howler monkeys, voicing their presence with a deep echoing sound. My senses were overwhelmed with fascination. My ears rang with glee from being introduced to this unique sound.
Passing the monkeys overhead we took a stop on our tour to a farm originally owned by a gentleman who lived until he was 103. As we walked up about 50 steps that were all hand built, we walked straight into a home with dirt floors, limited walls that only formed a few small rooms, and every piece of furniture was made from wood off the land. We were greeted by the family with plantains, coffee and cheese. As we sat and ate we learned about the history of the farm. We learned that for years the family started each day by walking up alongside the sun rise. And up until a few years ago they have lived without the use of electricity. They’ve grown organic foods and everything they have needed was grown and made from the farm. A simplified way of life that is very foreign to my city lifestyle. Although we visited for only a short time, I got a sense of the calmness the family must have felt almost every day on the farm
There is a freedom that comes with being in nature that one cannot find within the concrete world of a city. Being amongst nature in Costa Rica I was constantly gazing at the surrounding beauty, from the colors in a flower to the shapes of tree. There were no advertisements or distracting sounds, just tranquility. This calmness has helped me to reflect on who I am, allowing me to simply exist and not feel pressured to fit into the roles that society creates. The Costa Rican people have such respect and value for their ecosystem that I am forever grateful to have discovered a place where a sense of harmony exist. I am grateful to have soaked up some of that harmony to carry with me throughout my life. My gratitude extends pass having a mere experience in nature but to have had the time to rediscover myself. In Costa Rica, they have a saying “ Pura Vida”, meaning pure life. Being in Costa Rica is, Pura Vida.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Pura Vida in Costa Rica appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
Dining On Sunset #LuxeExperience
Dining On Sunset #LuxeExperience at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
During my Los Angeles Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, I had a marvelous dinner at On Sunset. Chef Olivier selected choices for me that were fantastic and fit my food preferences.
Staying in a suite with a view of the pool and the Getty Center was a perfect staycation in Los Angeles. I learned to cook souffle with Chef Olivier and had breakfast on my balcony. I can highly recommend it all. It is exceptional to be so relaxed literally steps from the 405! I have had a wonderful spa treatment here as well. Thank you to the entire Luxe Hotels team for inviting me for a wonderful stay.
From the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel website: “Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel’s fashionably designed choice for Bel Air dining, On Sunset, presents the celebrated cuisine of Executive Chef Olivier Rousselle. Known for discriminating taste, our menus feature seasonal California fare with a splash of French influence, making us a standout among Bel Air restaurants. Bel Air fine dining is available al fresco on the comfortable and luxurious patio or indoors in the main dining room. Dine with us and experience one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles.”
VIDEO: Dining On Sunset
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 19, 2014 at 5:55pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 19, 2014 at 6:01pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 19, 2014 at 7:10pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 20, 2014 at 11:22am PST
Read more about my #LuxeExperience:
Making Chocolate Souffle with Chef Olivier
A Luxury Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
Click here to see all my videos from Luxe Experience Hotels
The post Dining On Sunset #LuxeExperience appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
January 15, 2015
Migration to the City in the UK
After finishing college I couldn’t stay in the countryside any longer. I was living in a county full of people whose idea of culture is drinking cider and comparing tractors. I needed out.
At the time London seemed like the center of the world. Every time I had taken a day trip there I felt a buzz of excitement riding on actual buses with two floors, instead of the coaches we referred to as buses in Somerset. I would stand on the left side of the escalators (the biggest pet-peeve of any Londoner) and gawk at the advertisements for plays and events going on around London before arriving at the underground, which at the time seemed like more of an experience than an actual means of transport.
The move to London meant freedom from the boredom of the countryside as a teenager. Freedom to do what I wanted and be what I wanted.
The move was initially a huge shock to my system and people from countries I’d never heard of speaking languages I didn’t know existed suddenly surrounded me. I felt like I had been living in a bubble my entire life and somebody had just let me out. I began to absorb the concept of the world in all its entirety by watching and listening to the diverse masses of London talk and pray and dance and sing and live. I watched life unfold in all its different ways and felt myself grow.
There are so many different sorts of people in London who are there for so many different reasons. So many potential friends and lovers and enemies. I savored the vast anonymousness of it and at the same time I basked in the knowledge London offered me the potential to become anything and everything I dreamed of.
Whatever mood I was in London responded; exhibitions, parties, parks, museums. A lot of it was free. A lot of it was incredibly overpriced. I felt strength from the knowledge and experience I was gaining simply by being in a place. There’s so much to discover by just wandering and taking buses to the edge of the city and back again. Always new sights and experiences and people to meet.
Although now I have chosen to move onto different places, London started a fire in me that is still burning alight now. I spent three years there witnessing my ambitions and dreams grow and London hardening me to the ways of the world. By the end of my time there I had grown into a sort of dependency that was difficult to let go of, and although I’m longer in London, London is still a part of me.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Migration to the City in the UK appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
Taiwan: praying for a new place
Taiwan: praying for a new place
Jacob leads the way into the smoky compound. We’re in the most famous temple of Taipei city, which is also the first temple I have ever step into after thirty days in Taiwan. Rather than drawing a divination lot, I am much more allured to the exquisite carvings and the psychedelic colors on the wall.
It is a splendid morning on a windy Autumn day. Finally, a cloudless blue sky after weeks spent in murky weather. An unavoidable overwhelming sensation dawn upon me. Moments of the entire trip lurked in my memory – pellucid turquoise waves crashing down on me in Kenting, standing on top of humongous stones in Hualien, gazing at the infinite night lights of Taipei on top of Mt. Yangming etc. This is it, this is the end of my trip, and the end of my long acquired freedom.
“C’mon, I’ll teach you how,” Jacob interrupts my serialization of thoughts. After thirty days in Taiwan, he managed to persuade me into drawing a lot. No harm trying. He hands me two red moon-like shaped wooden pieces and teaches me step-by-step, but most importantly, he emphasizes, “keep the question you have in mind all the time”.
Yes, indeed. My brain is congested at that specific moment, mostly with fragments and residues from the discontinued thinking session earlier on. I walk around teary-eyed, fascinated by the artistry of history left behind on the wall, overpowered by the strength and belief hold by people praying toward an idol. I kneel down on the soft padded cushion placed on the ground. “Keep the question you have in mind all the time.” Jacob’s advice echoed within for a while before this specific question hits me and I feel I need to have an answer to it.
I proceed the steps with caution. The entire process takes less than ten minutes and in exchange for the lot – number sixty-six – I now got a pink slip filled with unfamiliar Chinese characters. Without understanding any of it, my line of vision turns toward an elderly man sitting behind a counter. I approach him with some skepticism and a mere tingle of hope. What I got in return was an affirmative answer to my doubts that has been waylaying itself under the mask of freedom. My eyes lit up upon the words pouring out of the wrinkled man’s lips.
People are coming in and out of the temple’s front gate, and I stare at the picturesque sky in front of me. I am most certainly awe-stricken by what I perceived as a traditional superstition when Jacob finds me at the front door of the temple. He ask curiously, “so tell me, how was it?” I feel the piece of vulnerable pink slip in my hands and look at him and say, “I’m going to my next destination, my home”.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Taiwan: praying for a new place appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
#LuxeExperience: A Luxury Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
#LuxeExperience: A Luxury Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
I loved my stay in a suite with a view of the pool and the Getty Center. It was a perfect staycation in Los Angeles paired with amazing dining experiences. I learned to cook souffle with Chef Olivier, ate an incredible meal at On Sunset and had breakfast on my balcony. I can highly recommend it all. It is exceptional to be so relaxed literally steps from the 405! I have had a wonderful spa treatment here as well.
VIDEO: Experience Luxe Sunset
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 20, 2014 at 11:18am PST
Enjoy your #LosAngeles #luxury #staycation @luxesunsetblvdhotel by the pool! I love the cabanas!
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 22, 2014 at 3:13pm PST
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 20, 2014 at 11:15am PST
From the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel website: “Set on 7 palm tree-filled acres between Bel-Air and Brentwood, this refined hotel is 1.4 miles from the Getty Center museum and 1.8 miles from the Geffen Playhouse Theater. Serene quarters with some midcentury-style furnishings offer free WiFi and 24-hour room service, plus flat-screen TVs, custom duvets and patios (some rooms). Suites add living areas and airy bathrooms, some with whirlpool tubs. Amenities include a fitness center, a day spa (fee) and a heated outdoor pool. The restaurant offers French-influenced California fare in an elegant dining room or on the relaxed patio, and there’s a lounge serving custom cocktails and small plates.”
A photo posted by Lisa Niver (@wesaidgotravel) on Dec 19, 2014 at 3:43pm PST
Read more about my #LuxeExperience: Making Chocolate Souffle with Chef Olivier
Click here to see all my videos from Luxe Experience Hotels
The post #LuxeExperience: A Luxury Staycation at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
January 14, 2015
Trinidad and Tobago: All Ah We is One
They were here again – the Paparazzi! We strolled confidently towards the melee, the crowds parted, camera shutters clicking. They began “I want one of you together”, “She wants her picture with you”. We obliged, we were ready!
It was our 14th time playing Mas at Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. We recognised the looks of wonder and amazement on the faces of the crowd, reflecting our own feelings that first time on the street. The colour and movement as each Band advanced, the beat from the music truck vibrating in our bodies, seeping into our souls. Now we were back, feeding our addiction.
This year, more than ever, we were experiencing the seamless melding of people from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds at Carnival time, even political differences cast aside in favour of satisfying the human need to play! Just being present in the throng of masquerades filled us with hope for the demise of prejudice and bigotry, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but worldwide.
It was 0800 on Carnival Monday – we would be “on the road” for at least another 8 hours. The band was due to leave the Mas Camp at 0700 but people were still gathering, some carrying their costumes, other adjusting them fervently. No problem, this was “Trini time”.
The streets of Port of Spain made up our “track” along which we would dance or “chip” or walk, accompanied by the music trucks, the drinks trucks and thousands of spectators. This was people-watching heaven – girls in beaded bikinis and feathered head-dresses, men showing off their six pack bodies, Jabs Jabs watching Dame Lorraines watching Midnight Robbers. People of every shape, size, colour and age – all with one objective – to have a time!
The years had taught us that we didn’t have to do the whole thing – we could stop along the route for a cool beer, a roti, a shark and bake. We had learnt it was best to line our stomachs before we sank more rum, but the sweet liquor helped our legs move faster!
The DJs on the music trucks shouted encouragement to the band as we snaked along the Savannah towards our ultimate goal – the Stage. My husband and I wined on each other, on strangers, costumes and banners glinting in the Caribbean sun, sipping our rum a little faster – the judges were waiting. Then we were part of a wining frenzy, people gyrating in ways we didn’t even have the genes for – this was Carnival, what a Bacchanal!
We topped the rise that became the Stage, a chain of smiling security men holding us back, yet curiously, spurring us on. Then the chains broke and we were free – to dance, to jump and wave, to be who we really were, a year’s tensions to release.
We did our best to impress the judges – spinning like dervishes, smiling like movie stars, moving with our best rhythm. As every individual put their soul into the performance, the whole band moved together triumphantly, encouraging each other, smiling in confident anticipation of our success as “Band of the Year”. We were part of something bigger than ourselves and it made us feel stronger! As we neared the far end of the stage, we doubled back a little, circled a little wider, not wanting to stop the feeling.
Soon it was over and the trance was broken. We came back to our senses, aware of the blazing sun and heat again, conscious of the onlookers, and of the kiskadees, in the treetops, cheering for themselves.
It was time for drink and street food and later it was time to look in wonder at the photographs that testify our transformation into “Party People”.
Next day, in Port of Spain, everything is as normal – people about their business, returning to work, observing Lent, as if the party had never happened.
Carefully, we pack away our costumes, to bring back home, to keep the feeling, the reminder of the release, of how we can sometimes be. We are back to “normal” too, until next year…
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
The post Trinidad and Tobago: All Ah We is One appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
We Said Go Travel
- Lisa Niver's profile
- 57 followers
