Roosters
Posted on April 15th, 2008 by
So I came to
Travel With Candace
Discover Guadeloupe…And anywhere else I go.
Saut d’Acomat
Posted on April 12th, 2008 by
The Acomat waterfall can be found easily in Pointe Noire. It is a short hike down from the reach the waterfall and basin. Acomat is well-known for the young men move effortless across the rock faces making slides and/or rock jumping into the basin from ridiculous heights (video to come). My cousin Reggie, houseguest Ryan, and I scaled the rocks for a slide. It was pretty fun, but I think once is enough for me!
Le Marché
Posted on April 9th, 2008 by
The large fresh produce market of Pointre-a-Pitre can be intimidating. Dozens a vendors, mostly women, selling many of the same items vie for your attention with calls of “Vini Doudou”, which means, come here sweetheart, in Guadeloupean Creole. If you can handle the pressure you can by some good produce at a good price. The vendors are usually very knowledgeable and helpful and will aide you in choosing the best items depending on when you want to eat them. It’s best to pick one vendor and buy everything there, it gives you more leverage on the price. If you are simply visiting the market DO NOT take pictures of the vendors without asking and/or buying something. They are quick to cove their faces and cart and will berate you in Creole if you persist. Fair warning.
She’s Baaack!
Posted on April 9th, 2008 by
Hello all!! My computer is back in working order and I seem have found a decent wi-fi location so I’m getting back to blogging. I’ve done seen and done some interesting stuff in my time off-line. Hope you enjoy!
I’m alive…My computer on the otherhand…
Posted on February 15th, 2008 by
Sorry for the lapse! It turns out my hard drive died and it will be at least another two weeks until I’m back blogging regularly.
Cross your fingers for me!!!
Dimanche Gras
Posted on February 4th, 2008 by
“Dimanche Gras” or “Fat Sunday” marks the beginning of 4 days of Carnival madness. Since it was the first day of the celebration and the organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary, Akiyo featured a special costume that was top secret until Wednesday of this week. The costume was meant to represent the dress of individuals before the slave trade. The parade was preceded by a large boat, constructed to represent a slave ship. Individuals wore the minimum of clothing, tops and loincloth-like bottoms for women and simply loincloths for the men. We were all covered in in either a black pr red substance. Ruku, a seed mixed with oil, gave the red color while a mixture made from coal made the black. Everyone was amped up and, as usual, there was a lot of chanting and dancing going on amongst the parade or “Mas,” as it its called. I included some video so you get the idea.
Carnaval a Morne-a-L’eau
Posted on February 4th, 2008 by
In the weeks leading up to the actual 4 days of Carnival many cities host Carnival celebrations and parades. Organizers invite Carnival groups from all over the island to participate and give their citizens a treat. The groups march through the city and people line the streets and their balconies to watch. The march usually concludes at a central location, likely the town plaza, where one can find the bulk of spectators, vendors, and general excitement.
I live in Morne-a-L’eau and though my group, Akiyo, was marching I decided to watch the parade and experience my town’s celebration. You don’t get to see much of other groups when you are marching, so for me it was a new experience. Everyone was in a festive mood and it was fun to see my students out of class. They were running around everywhere! It was a great atmosphere and I’m glad I took the time to watch; though I did catch some friendly flak for not marching.
Oil Down
Posted on February 3rd, 2008 by
For some unknown reason, I’ve really been craving breadfruit recently. So when Andrea and I passed a market selling them for a seemingly cheap 2 Euros a piece, we picked some up. With a long afternoon of crafting Carnivale costumes ahead, we decided to make a special lunch to fuel our creative energy.
I didn’t really know how to cook breadfruit, but Andrea, being from Trinidad, knows a number of different ways. Apparently you can simply boil it or fry it until tender and season it to taste. You can also make a dish called “Oil Down” (believe me, I asked the origin of the name, she wasn’t sure). Oil Down consists of breadfruit, pigtail, onion, tomato, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper stewed in coconut milk. Any other salted or smoked meat or fish would work in this dish and spinach is often added. Simple directions follow:
1) In a large pot, add onions, tomatoes, seasonings and any other vegetables you might want to include and sautee the mixture in the oil of your choice until the vegetables are tender.
2) Add breadfruit and allow it to simmer among vegetables until it begins to soften.
3) Add meat or fish and allow to simmer for five-ten minutes
4) Add coconut milk and allow to stew for about 30 minutes until breadfruit and meat/fish is tender.
5) Serve hot and enjoy!
So what’s a Léwòz?
Posted on January 30th, 2008 by
I had repeatedly seen the term “Léwòz” written on event posters and fliers, but never quite knew what the term entailed. I attended my first Léwòz recently and found it to be fun and interesting.
At base, a Léwòz is a coming together of people who enjoy the celebration of Guadeloupean music and culture. It is an all-night drum/dance fest that starts around 9:00 and can end as late as 6:00 in the morning. Food and drinks are sold, people socialize, dance, and generally have a good time. Traditional Gwo-Ka music is played and continues almost non-stop with drummers ans singers switching off as needed. Anyone can dance in the middle of a huge circle created by the crowd, as sown in the video above.
Carnaval 1/27
Posted on January 30th, 2008 by
So my legs still hurt from this week’s Carnival march. The Akiyo group marched from Point-a-Pitre to Baie-Mahult and back, which is about 16 kilometers or 10 miles!
The costumes this week were made from dried banana leaves and people wore bull horns (or something of that shape). There were some really interesting variations on the costume. Unfortunately my digital camera of 4 years died on me Sunday night so I have no new photos. I don’t even have a picture of my own costume! Anywhoo, I included some images from 2006 so you get the general idea.
