J'ouvert

I woke up at 4 am, intending to go to the J'ouvert Morning Jump-Up in town – one of the main parts of Carnival, but decided against it and went back to sleep. I wound up going in the late morning with Halva to catch the tail end of it, and found out what J'ouvert is. Dozens of speakers are piled on top of these gigantic platforms. A band and its groupies are positioned in and on each of these structures. You can feel the sound pounding your chest from 50 feet away. These edifices are pulled by tractors around and around a few blocks in town. The streets are completely packed with people drinking and jamming. More than once were Halva and I right next to an almost-riot that was broken up by the stick-carrying SKNDF. Until I get my pictures up, check out these.

It was good that I went, though. As the Jump-Up was winging down, Halva and I were standing next to an older couple. The man had taken of his shirt and his wife was fanning him. I offered my water, which he drank and poured on his head. He was loosing consciousness. Someone called the ambulance. I bought them two more waters. I tried to find him later by calling the hospital, but they didn't know who I was talking about. At least I was able to help.