Carnaval Baby!

Feathers and Glitz

Through no planning on our part, but due to some great luck, we managed to arrive in Playa del Carmen during Carnaval. We only heard about it as a passing comment from someone at the pool. We discovered there was a Mardi Gras parade tonight near our hotel so we decided we to take a quick siesta to get ready for the evening. We woke up half an hour past the parade start time. As the sun was setting, we stumbled through the streets looking for the festivities. We asked a passerby for directions and we soon arrived at a traffic circle manned by a Mexican Swat team. Their black truck was full of helmeted policia carrying machine guns. This was promising - no parade but the police were obviously expecting something. At the far, far end of the street were flashing blue/red lights. Maybe we hadn't missed the parade after all. Within minutes spectators started lining the streets.  A couple more minutes and we were swarmed by Carnaval Baby!

Everybody Dance!

Music and colour swirl around us. Beautiful dancers gyrate, twerk and do God knows what else.  Floats with giant mythic figures tower over head. "Everybody get up and jump, jump!" A man in a top hat looks down from his throne. A devilish grin breaks on his face. Candies are thrown to the children. We're doing some sweaty dancing in the streets.

The Towering Giants

Then it's over. A throng of people follow the parade into the dark. We're left with palm trees and heat. Time to eat. We're exhausted so we opt for the closest restaurant still open - a vegetarian bio-love eatery. We settle on a righteous vegan dish. We sit dejected, munching on our mealy polenta.  Somehow, a juicy barbecued steak would have been more appropriate for Carnaval.