Category Archives: Month Two

Carnival fireworks and our failed attempt to be festive

Sadly, I don’t have much to write about Carnival.  On Tuesday night, after hearing music for two nights, seeing people gather, watching fireworks, and seeing several stages from our apartment, we knew we had to walk down to check things out.  I was still really weak and not feeling well, but we decided to give it a try, and we would turn back if we had to.  So here’s a picture from our living room of the scene down the road.  We didn’t have all that far to walk, but it was far enough away that we couldn’t tell exactly what was going on.

IMG_4269

Of course as it got later, more people gathered, the lights came on, and the bands started to play.  Around 10:30 or so, we started walking.  The plan was to get near the crowd and the closest stage, take a few pictures, take a selfie to show that we were there, then walk back.  I really wasn’t feeling great, but when are we ever going to have this chance again?

Unfortunately, when we got close, we saw this:

There were two huge lines, one for women and one for men.  For the first time in the history of the world, the line for the women was shorter.  Much shorter.  As we got closer, we discovered it was because the police were patting EVERYONE down, but the men were really getting searched.  I almost blushed when I watched what the cops were doing to these guys.  There was definitely no room left for anyone to be sneaking anything in.  Eric said that it looked like they were pretty standard pat-downs, but if it had been a law school exam scenario, I would have plenty to write about.  Looked pretty intimate to me.

At that point, between how I felt, the lines, and the required intimacy with La Policía, we decided it was time to call it a night.  We took our required selfie:

IMG_4293

obviously not even taking time to see if it turned out well, and headed home.  The whole Carnival experience was not a complete loss, however.  We spent a lot of time both nights practicing taking night shots and photos of the fireworks.  We’re not experts yet, but I was especially happy with this one.  Eric understands the technical aspects of photography well enough to coach me, and sometimes we get lucky…

IMG_8875

It could’ve been clearer if we’d had a tripod, but I’m really happy with it.  I love the waves on the left side, the lights from the Cinta Costera (Coastal Beltway) and Casco Viejo (the Old City) on the top left, plus the stages and all the people on the right.  This represents our experience of Carnival this year, and it makes me happy.

Carnival!

[Written on Monday, February 16…see, I told you they’d be out of order.  Sorry!]

As some of you may know, it is Carnival time! I’m sure both Katie and our NOLA friends, the Goulds, would prefer if I referred to it as Mardi Gras, but that’s just not what it is down here. I assumed the city would be packed with people going crazy in the streets, particularly on Avenida Balboa, right in front of our new place. Apparently, however, the Interior (pretty much the rest of the country besides Panama City) is where people go. The city is completely desolate right now. It’s the most bizarre thing. Eric and I rolled the last of our suitcases from our old place to the new one down the road without any worries about cars this morning. Yes, we got weird looks, but it was only 4-5 blocks, so getting a cab would’ve been silly. I took a picture of Avenida Balboa and the Cinta Costera this morning (two of the main roads in the city) because I’m sure I’ll never again see them so empty! I’ll have to take a photo when people get back to town and post the side-by-side comparison. It’s really bizarre.

Anyway, people are gathering in the streets not too far down from us to celebrate. Eric came inside from the balcony to get me earlier today saying “Grab your camera and come look at the boats!” I was confused because, well, we live: 1) in a building called the Yacht Club which is directly across the street from the actual Yacht Club, and 2) within 15 minutes of the Panamá Canal. Of course there are boats! Turns out he said “floats”! There were several parade floats driving down Avenida Balboa at a snail’s pace right below us. Here are a few photos:

What a fun holiday! Everyone is off work. Businesses and many restaurants are closed. I’m really hoping that tonight or tomorrow I’ll feel up to walking down to see what’s going on and to take some photos. When Eric was moving some of our stuff last night around 11 (again, I thank God for my sweet and long-suffering husband a million times a day), he said the party was just getting started. Tomorrow is the main celebration day, as you might imagine (Fat Tuesday), so I can’t wait to see what happens then. If we had wifi in our apartment already, I would be checking out what’s going on and where we should be. But, we couldn’t get internet access this weekend or for part of this week because of Carnival. No one is working. I get it! It’s a great concept! We should do that in the States…or rather in more states than just Louisiana! Everyone take a break and spend time outside with family and friends and strangers dressed in bright colors. Listen to live music, celebrate, get sprayed by a hose (this apparently happens, which is great b/c it’s hot as blazes…again, sorry), and just have fun!

Eric and I both have more stories to tell that we’ve been saving up, but I’ll end this post for now. More soon…maybe even a guest appearance by Eric!