Mash 2011

S'funny how life goes - planned nothing more strenuous than cooking and reading, but finished early and while giving a Cupcake and Brownie to the Tamil child next door it occured to me that I could take her to see the Float Parade as I feel too old and jaded to stand up waiting for ages in the Hot Sun.
She excitedly told me, in an accent of rankest creolese that I to listen carefully to understand, that she had already done it at school and I wondered what her conservative parents would have thought of their daughter whining down de place - globalisation innit!
We walked to Irving Street and the crowd seemed rather sparse at 1pm, when the PPP/C float was passing-- so that seems to be it-- turn up three hours after the advertised time to be in the thick of things!
I had an big,angry woman in Pink turn and demand - Where u going? - in reponse to pushing the little one in front. Guyanese, being the most ridiculous people on the planet, all chose to do their perambulations just when the Floats were passing annoying the Marshals and spectators alike - no action at all between the floats-- why??

I noticed the increasing sophistication of the Floats-- mainly Trinidadian-influenced with a elaborate framework on wheels.

There were quite a few Chinese, from China as opposed to the local ones, milling around and wondered whether they appreciated their influence of the Ministry of Tourism's Anaconda based in the Chinese Dragon used in the Dragon dance. That ministry also had the most scantily-clad women.

It was nice to see the kids out enjoying themselves but I may be a bit prudish to be a bit shocked to see a five yr old and seven yr old perform very suggestive 'Dancehall-type' movements- the child with me was fascinated to see her peers spread their legs, bend over to put their head on the ground and whine their batty while suggestively touching the said part, all under the approving eye of their father who basked in the gawking of passing strangers - times have certainly changed from the Nuns in my Primary School exhorting us to 'carry yourselves with decorum'!
She was quickly getting tired and I was taken by the the kindness of strict-looking strangers who were better prepared that I - complete with chairs - who let her sit for while. A very nice family let her sit on their Ice-box and ended up offering us Ice-cold beers- I opted for a piece of Ice and introduced her to what every Guyanese child knows- eating ice-

There was only one Float using the a Horse-drawn cart that I saw for the two-hour period we were there.

I enjoyed the acrobatic balancing skills of the Stiltwalker in the traditional Masquerade Band and the general joie-de-vivre of the participants- in fact when we were walking back a Big, black strong guy who was in a Berbice band furiously 'backballed' the aggressive Woman in Pink who had a HUGE smiles on her face and so All's well that ends well and a good time was had by all species!