WorldWideKittyGlassesProject

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Parade for Carnaval Cayenne, Guyane

After lunch, my friend and I went for a hike to see some ruins of a prison. Then we continued along the hike to a river. We weren't able to enjoy the river because we had to make our way back to her place in time to watch the parade in Cayenne for Carnaval. The parade was on Guyane time. The groups were not one after the other. They were spaced out with big gaps and often you would need to wait at least 15 minutes for the next group to pass by. There was a lot of great music and really nice dancing. It was interesting to see and like I said in the last post I am so glad that I stayed in Cayenne to experience Carnaval. It was truly amazing! Overall my experience in Guyane was really great and I am so glad that I made my way to this beautiful country!! Thanks to everyone who made my trip truly great!

the former prison grounds

a leaf as big as me!

crazy tree roots

nice river

leaf eyes

the prison cells were so small

harsh

in a cell

doggie so tired

with a gorilla king?

part of the parade

nice palm trees in the center of the city

gorilla men

with a person dressed for touloulou (but her feet were showing, so not real touloulou)

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parade

in action

pretty cool

the musicians

with strange gorilla men

another group

more music

even more music

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Saturday Market and Touloulou

In the morning my friends and I needed to buy some accessories for our touloulou outfits. After that we went to the fruit and vegetable market. Once done with our shopping we got some delicious lunch. Then we went to a different beach for a walk. At night is when the fun began. We had to dress from head to toe and make sure that not an inch of our skin was showing. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING had to be covered! In French Guyane the temperature is quite hot and humid. With these outfits on, it was SOOOO incredibly hot! After we got dressed it was time to go to the club. It was so interesting to see that all the women were dressed up. The men had to dress normally. The women made the rules. The women chose the man she wanted to dance with and the man couldn't say no. If the woman wanted a drink, the man would have to buy one for her. Since I dressed up with my friends it was very easy to spot them. It was a very fun and interesting night. I am so glad that I got to partake in this very interesting cultural experience that only happens in Guyane during Carnaval. I would really like to thank my friend for letting me borrow a dress for the event and convincing me to stay for it. What a great and fun experience!!!

masks

more masks

in the market....no idea what this is

shopping

pumpkins

much more expensive than in Chile

bananas

amazing food stall in the market

sooooo good!

another beach

i loved the reflections

in the mangroves

getting a coconut

sooo cute!

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ladies in red

before the masks

ahhhh!

ready for the party

blurry

all the women were covered (wish i took more pictures!!!!)

Sloth Sighting and House Party Cayenne, Guyane

Earlier in the day my friend and I walked through Rorota Nature Reserve. As we were arriving to the parking lot I mentioned that I wanted to see a sloth. Five minutes into our walk my friend looks up and spots a sloth!!! It was awesome!! Unfortunately it was quite high up in the trees. The last time I saw a sloth in the wild was in Costa Rica and it was in arms reach. Nonetheless I was very happy to see the sloth. The next evening we went to a house party. Everyone was so very nice and I had great time talking with everyone! Thanks everyone for participating!!