Ha!
I already gave you all the rundown on mud baths at Plage de Babin, but this recent picture was just too funny…
Pictured: Sherilee (Trinidad), Nicole (New York), Andrea (Trinidad)
Travel With Candace
Discover Guadeloupe…And anywhere else I go.
Remembering Velo
Velo is the most famous drummer of Akiyo, a well-known cultural organization on Guadeloupe. Members of Akiyo marched to the drummers tomb in Pointre-a-Pitre last Saturday and performed a small ceremony on his behlaf. The ceremony included the placement of various tokens on the grave and a speech detailing Velo’s importance in regards to keeping traditional music alive when drumming was banned on the island.
Notice the old woman in the just behind the grave. She is ever-present at Akiyo events and we are always amazed at her enthusiasm and energy. The fact that she drinks, smokes, and pinches young women’s rear ends just makes it all the more funny.
The wonderful world of the “Pyekoko”
The list of items you can derive from a coconut tree (“pyekoko” in Creole) seems never-ending. I’ve noted the use of coconut milk in cooking and you should already know that mixing coconut cream with fresh pineapple and rum makes a mean Pina Colada. I’ve previously mentioned coconut water along with coconut sorbet and personally have a growing collection of bracelets, earrings and other accessories made from the shells of dry coconuts (“koko sec”). Recently, at a Creole cultural celebration I was taught to make another coconut product, a hat woven of coconut leaves.
The cultural celebration took place in Petit Bourg and was hosted by a local teachers union. The event featured various areas where attendees could partake in different activities such as toy making, basket weaving, and, of course, hat making. The gentleman at the hat station was very helpful and demonstrated the whole process; it actually wasn’t too hard after you got the hang of it.
The process starts with an entire coconut branch that is split sown the middle. A portion of one of the halves is cut roughly two inches more than the desired band of the hat. The stalk is then stripped down to about a quarter-inch thick; the shreds of stalk removed are used to tie the band in a circular shape. At this point, the weaving begins; it can be done in a variety of patterns. I was shown a weaving method that basically braided three leaves at a time in a circular pattern to make the hat’s brim. You separate, then gather the remaining lengths of the leaves at the point of the hat and weave downward to complete the shape. When satisfied with the downward weaving the remaining leaves are neatly clipped in conclusion.
We are on the look out for some more big branches to make a few more hats and a nice “How-to.”
Editor’s Note: I am aware that the hat I made is WAY to small. There weren’t enough branches for everyone to make a hat their head’s size; hence the search for more branches.
Do you see that creepy face?
While sitting atop one of my favorite waterfalls at Ecrevisses, I noticed a rock formation that looks like a face peering of into to the distance. Do you see what I see? Let me know!
Editor’s Note: If you can’t find it, look at the middle of the photograph.
Is that how they make those Caribbean roads?
While winding through
Editor’s Note: I don’t mean to imply that
Torrential Rainfall
I’m not one to complain much about the weather in these parts. I understand that I’m in the Caribbean and accept that a random rainstorm may befall me at various points in time. Today, however, I was caught in a downpour to end all downpours. Usually I wouldn’t mind too much, but I had my MacBook with me in a bag that was anything but water resistant. It could have been a serious issue, but I was able to shield my bag with my body. I felt kinda like that old VW commercial where that guy dives in front of the shopping cart, but I digress.
I trudged to one of my schools to hitch a ride with my landlady and the kids immediately put a smile on my face. Since they had no high-end electronics on their persons they were slipping and sliding around like there was no tomorrow.
I bet I’ll get the flu next week as a result.
