Playing Bikini Mas by Arwen Joyce
Playing Bikini Mas
By Arwen Joyce
All around me: the slap and stomp of feet hitting pavement. Skipping, marching, dancing to an infectious Soca beat. Over 10,000 feet carrying ecstatic revelers in sequins and feathers through Port of Spain. Mine barely touch the ground as I’m carried along by a sea of masqueraders, on a wave of pulsing calypso music. I am no longer an outsider visiting the island for the first time, but a bikini-clad participant in this Caribbean Carnival parade.
mas - (n.) short for "masquerade", i.e. dressing up and participating in Carnival
Trinidad's Carnival is not just for Catholics, or spring-breakers for that matter; all ages, races and religions join in this joyous celebration. I dance forward. To my right, a smiling teenage girl and her grandmother play bikini mas. To my left, a billboard advertises a special low-rate loan to cover Carnival expenses. No one is left out.
So much more than just one parade, the costume preparations and nightly fêtes begin long before mardi gras. As Carnival approaches, the neighborhoods of downtown Port of Spain come alive at all hours with street parties. On Sunday at 4:00 AM I find myself on a blocked-off street being offered mimosas, doubles and rôti. Live music blares while foam and water cannons keep the carousers cool as the island sun moves higher in the sky.
wine - (v.) to dance with your hips, i.e. "wine up on me!"
Next up is j'ouvert or dirty mas which rattles quiet streets to life in the wee hours of Monday morning. J’ouvert is a descendant of the macabre Carnival-mocking parties held by slaves who would dress as devils and cover themselves in molasses to avoid being recognized. In the modern day version the mood is joyous. As the music truck bumps past I am swept into the laughing crowd and quickly coated in body paint, mud and chocolate.
bikini mas – (n.) minimalist style of Carnival dress popular currently, as compared to "traditional mas" which
connotes elaborate, themed parade costumes, often coordinated with matching floats
After an exhausting practice run on Carnival Monday (the only lundi gras on the Carnival circuit), I rise early on Tuesday morning to dress for the main event. I put on the understated feather and jewel-encrusted bikini and top off the look with false eyelashes, glitter and a tiara. For some, the costume alone is not enough – on the way I meet a woman with an impossibly high, lacquered hair style and am stopped in my tracks by the sight of a young man with spray painted abs.
Downtown at the parade route, the mood is electric. At the appointed time my group marches triumphantly across the judging stage in Queen's Park Savannah, bouncing, bounding and belting out songs led by a Siren Soca singer. Popping flashbulbs and rolling TV cameras record every adrenaline-fuelled moment for local news outlets. Even a rain shower can't dampen the spirits of the now wet-feathered masqueraders who continue laughing and dancing late into the afternoon.
lime - (v.) to hang out, loiter
After all the non-stop action and excitement of Carnival, I join the mass exodus from Port of Spain along a windy narrow road across the mountains to Maracas Beach. I pull in at the overlook to feast on the views. Women at their stalls sell Trini Treats and soon children’s hands and faces are sticky with the juice of spicy mango and pineapple slices.
At Maracas, a smattering of palm trees offer welcome shade as we settle back into the island pace of life.
There’s nothing left to do but to spread out a beach towel, pass the bake and shark with tamarind sauce and recount all the Soca-stomping, jewel and feather frivolity of the last 48 hours. One day to reminisce and 364 days to prepare for next year.
____________________________
Arwen Joyce is an avid traveller and writer based in Singapore. www.arwenalamonde.com.
Arwen’s Recommendations for Port of Spain: Where, When, How
Getting There:
Caribbean Airlines flies direct from JFK airport in New York to Port of Spain in around 5 hours. Prices begin just below US$500 but can jump much higher during the popular Carnival travel season.
Drink and Dine:
If you’re looking for spicy and flavorful traditional Indian cuisine try Apsara (13 Queen's Park East, Belmont, Tel: 868-627-7364). A great choice located just off the Savannah in a converted Victorian house.
For a quick bite try rôti (flat bread filled with curried or stewed ingredients), doubles (the most popular fast food in Trinidad made from filling two flat fried breads with curried chick peas and spicy chutneys) and bake and shark (a sandwich of crispy fried white fish on soft bread) which can be found most everywhere in Port of Spain (try the doubles right outside the airport terminal).
Join a Band:
Carnival season (especially the week before Easter, which can fluctuate between February and April) is a great time to visit Trinidad. Don’t just watch, participate by signing up to dance with a band (a group of people all dressed in matching, themed bikini mas). Monitor the bands’ websites eight months in advance to sign up; they are very popular and fill up quickly: www.carnivaltribe.com, www.hartscarnival.com, www.islandpeoplemas.com.