Curacao

After much anticipation, we finally arrived in the Caribbean island of Curacao, a short hop from Trinidad.  Before we took off on our trip, we had carefully planned this as our final stop… a place where we could relax, do nothing and soak in the sun one last time before heading home to the cruel reality that awaits us. 

We also chose this island because it allowed us to use up some remaining hotel points and honeymoon in style, as compared to the cheap hostels we had been staying in for most the trip.

Throughout our 12 day stay here our daily routine consisted of: breakfast, gym, beach, nap, beach, shower, dinner, sleep.  It was perfect.

We only left the hotel property twice—once to go to the main island town of Willemstad and another time for a snorkel trip.  After so much rushing around from place to place before this, we loved having absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go!

View from our balcony

Beaches and pools around the hotel

   

 

Occasional wildlife sightings… lots of iguanas.  We weren’t exactly sure if we were seeing the same one over and over or if they were all friends. 

 

Our day trip to Willemstad, a very colorful and cute island city.

 

 

And… in what seemed like too short a time, our “honeymoon/ last hurrah” trip through South America had suddenly drawn to a close.  Although we had an absolutely amazing time, we were looking forward to seeing our family and friends again, and continuing our new life together in the magnificent and familiar city of Chicago!

 

Thanks to everyone who checked out our blog from time to time… we plan to cap it off with a “best of” post in the near future, so please check back one last time!

Take care!

Scott and Jen

Carnival

Months earlier, we had planned our route to land in Trinidad for Carnival.  Although Rio de Janiero is best known for its famous Carnival celebration, after doing a little searching, we decided Trinidad would be a better place for us.  Less crowds, cheaper, safer, English-speaking… and (they say) the festivities are just as crazy as Brazil.  We had an absolute blast in our few days here… truly a sight to be seen! 

J’Ouvert Festival 

Upon arriving at the hotel, we found out about something called the J’Ouvert Festival (pronounced joo-VAY).  J’Ouvert is a long tradition in the Caribbean islands and always take place in the early morning of the Monday preceding Fat Tuesday (Carnival).  Its origins go back to the time of emancipation in Trinidad, when the freed slaves first started celebrating Carnival. (More on wikipedia here.)  To participate in J’Ouvert, you have to align yourself with one of the local groups, or “bands”.  Each band has a platform truck playing calypso music and a second truck close behind serving drinks.  The bands start at different locations throughout the city and wind their way through the streets marching, dancing and throwing mud and paint on one another.  As you can imagine (and see from the pictures below), it’s an incredibly fun time!  We were able to join on to a band called “Bamboo Patch” and met our group at about 3:00 AM.  The event goes on through sunrise and into the early morning, and signifies the official start of Carnival!

 

   

  

 

   

Finally, at about 9 AM, we arrive back where we started.  We head back to the hotel, shower off all the mud and paint and go straight to bed!  It’s time to rest up for the next couple days of Carnival !

Fat Tuesday (Carnival)

A big part of the celebration takes place in the parade that winds its way through the streets and leads up to the main stage.

Because we couldn’t easily carry around the big camera we could only get some pictures/ videos from our small pocket camera… a bit blurry but enough to give you a flavor of the festivities!!

 

 

       

      

The main stage

Finally, each Carnival group gets their big moment on the main stage where they are at TV, judged and cheered on by everyone in the crowd.

  

 

  

   

 

 

Next and final stop, Curacao!