Fusion 2009

This last weekend, a bunch of friends and I participated in something called Fusion 2009, which was sponsored by the Port Authority here in Port-of-Spain.  Fusion is something along the lines of an adventure race.  Adventure races are done either individually or in teams (in this case teams) and it requires multiple events and multiple disciplines (running, biking, etc.).

It all started about 2 weeks ago.  Aaron saw an ad in the paper talking about this race and sent out an e-mail to a bunch of us asking if we wanted to give it a try.  We were all intrigued, as last year's Fusion apparently started with a run where teams were tied together, followed by a 17 mile run, followed by a 2 hour hike, and finished with a quick 5k run around downtown.  That is all that we knew about Fusion and had no idea what it would be like this year, because with these races, they tell you what will happen on that leg of the race about 10 minutes before you start the leg.  So we really had not idea what we were getting into.

We did a crash course in getting ourselves ready for this by scheduling hikes, yoga, runs, and what not for the 10 days leading up to the race.  Yes, we only trained for 10 days after hearing what last year was like.  We split ourselves up into two teams based on the anticipated pace that each person would match up with and away we went.

The race started in the NE of Trinidad at 5:45 AM Saturday morning (with an informational meeting at 5:00 AM).  We stayed at a little guest house about 30 minutes away from the starting line, so to get ourselves a little breakfast, and get to the start on time, we were up by 3:30 AM.  As we were driving to the start, we literally woke up some roosters.  It was a nice payback for once.

As we were milling about the starting area, we looked around and we noticed that we were the only two teams who were not in matching uniforms.  We also noticed that we were the only ones without a lot of gear with them.  We were just a couple of rag-tag teams, thrown together at the last minute, completely unprepared for what we were about to get into, and it showed.

The first event was called "Divide and Conquer".  Every team had to split in half and send two people to a mental challenge and the other two to 'get wet'.  My team consisted of me, Nick, Charlie, and Tara (a friend of ours from ultimate frisbee who filled in for another friend at the last minute when he found out that he was going to be traveling for work.  Tara only trained with us for about 4 days.).  We decided that Tara and Charlie would do the mental challenge and Nick and I were going to do the 'wet' leg.

The whistle was blown and we were off in opposite directions.  Nick and I started running up the road and within about 5 minutes were directed into the woods, where we were immediately greeted with someone passing out life vests.  At this point I thought "oh crap!" and apparently Nick was thinking "YES!".

The trail was pretty straight...downhill.  The ground was wet from some early morning sprinkles and I slipped a handful of times.  It was a little worrisome because I really didn't want to start out with losing my balance so much.  And I'm sure that Nick was rolling his eyes as well.  We wound our way down the hill and hit a shallow river.  Fortunately this isn't anything too bad now that we've started hashing.  However, the shallow river got deeper and deeper and the life vests started to come in handy, especially if you have every tried to swim with shoes on.

We kept going, slowly passing people and we hit a checkpoint where they gave us a red rope to signify that we got to the checkpoint and told us to go back to the starting line.  So back up the river we went and up that long, steep, wet hill that was so slippery coming down.  It wasn't much easier going up either, especially with this guy who was running by us, constantly yelling at his partner, telling him to hurry up, this is what we trained for, where are you boy? etc.  The last statement was probably the most accurate, because the only people in sight were me and Nick.  Fortunately, this guy finally figured out his partner was no where to be seen and went back for him. 

Nick and I soldiered on, running down the road and as it turned out, we finished in 4th place out of everyone who went on our leg.  And then, as it turned out, Tara and Charlie were the first to finish their puzzle and second to finish their leg.  We were quite shocked that we finished so well.  All in all, this first leg took us about 1:30.

After about an hour rest, waiting for the other teams to finish, they sent everyone on their way to the next starting point, about 45 minutes away at Las Cuevas beach (actually it was on a road above the beach, but anyone looking at a map can now orient themselves a bit).

This next leg was the hard leg.  It was basically a hike up a mountain on the north coast called El Tucuche.  Apparently this mountain is the second highest peak in Trinidad, with a summit height of 3071 ft.  Giving a rough estimate that our starting point was bout 70 ft above sea level, we hiked up 3000 ft in this leg.  Now to give you some perspective, a story in a building is generally 10-12 ft.  So this would mean that we were about to hike roughly 250 stories (and it felt like it).

This leg started with a "burn" (a steep climb that makes your legs work so hard that the lactic acid buildup feels like it's burning in your legs), followed by a long climb, followed by a flat river run to a checkpoint where we would have to answer some puzzles/mind benders, followed by another burn, another shorter climb and then a 3-4 mile flat run to the end of this leg of the race.  It was not pretty and it was a little intimidating.

Since we all didn't have this great gear, like hydration packs, we had to put all our water and some trail mix into a backpack and trade off from person to person throughout the hike.  Keep in mind that unlike marathons, mini-marathons and what not, there were no water stations in this race.  You had to provide everything for yourself.  And considering that it was around 90 degrees and we were carrying water for 3 grown men, we had the odds stacked against us because someone was going to be carrying all this extra weight.  

We started out and our goal was just to keep a steady pace.  We jogged along until we got to the first burn and just kept going at a slow-to-medium pace.  We slowly passed teams and after about an hour and 15 minutes, we came across the quiz checkpoint. 

Here the questions each had a time penalty attached to them.  If you got a question wrong or skipped a question, the time penalty would be added to your finishing time.  There was one question that consisted of finding the next letter in a sequence, a logic question sorting out information about people's names, ages and places that they got playing chess and scrabble, a question about a ladder during high tide, and a fill in the blank to write out a word.  We felt very comfortable about all except the logic chess/scrabble question.  They all had 9 minute penalties and the logic chess/scrabble had a 7 minute penalty.  We thought we would spend more than 7 minutes on that question, so we just filled in an answer and were on our way.

After the questions, the burn and the steady climb were tough, but not as bad as the first burn and climb.  Then before we knew it, we were on a flat straightaway.  As we were going, we had to occasionally take 5-10 seconds to stop and look at the view, which was just incredible.  We looked out onto valleys of trees surrounded by mountains, on a clear day.  It felt like the valleys went on forever even though they were surrounded by mountains.  The colors were so rich and vivid.  I haven't seen constant shades of green like that since I arrived on the island.  The sky was cloudless and was such a rich blue.  Nick had said at one point that 'it was nearly a religious experience' and I would tend to agree with him.  I wish I had my camera with me.  Maybe I'll find the trailhead and try to hike back there some day.

So after taking the moment to take in the view, we were back on our way.  Fortunately, it remained a nice flat path and we quickly approached a bend.  As we rounded the bend, we started a slight descent.  Then before we even knew it, we heard clapping and cheering.  There had to only be 30 people waiting for us, but it sounded like a thunderous applause.  It reminded me of finishing a marathon, with the feeling of incredible accomplishment, pushing myself harder and farther than I have before.  And to top it all off, we again came in 4th place.

We went straight back to the car and were talking with Tara and Katie (she didn't run for her team on this leg) and they were shocked at how quickly we finished.  They were the ones to tell us that we finished 4th and that they had only arrived to the finish line about 30 minutes earlier (our finish time was about 2:27 minutes or there about).  

As we were chatting, we made note when the next team came across the finish line and it was more than 7 minutes after us.  So we were thinking that if the first 3 teams were not the first 3 teams from the first leg, that we would actually be in 3rd place overall.  Only time would tell.  The other teams came rolling in, some strong, some looking quite tired and weakened.  But everybody got a lot of applause, cheering and support.  It was definitely a challenge to remember.

After a bit, we were told to meet at the savannah for the final leg of the race.  This last leg would be a run around the savannah (a little more than 2 miles) and then down a few streets of Port of Spain, to finish at the port authority offices. 

As we were waiting to start, we killed the time by stretching and discussing the questions on the quiz during the second leg of the race.  The other team of my friends answered one way (the same way we originally answered - but then we changed our answer).  So now the question was who was right and who would get the time penalties.  Also, as we were waiting the organizer of the race was walking around from team to team, telling them the standings.  He didn't give out times or anything of the sort, but confirmed that we were in 4th place.  He pointed out the team that we needed to beat in this last leg if we wanted to take 3rd and also told us that 2nd place was out of the question for us.  So we set our sights on that 3rd place team.

This leg our entire team ran together and they told me that this was "my leg" since I was the road runner and that I was to bring us home.  They told me, "set the pace and we'll be there."  So that was my job - to have us finish strong, but not burn us out.

The horn was blown and we were on our way for the final leg.  We started out a couple people behind the 3rd place team and I noticed that one of their team members was already falling behind their front runners.  So I increased the pace just a bit, but not too much, knowing that we would get them in the long run.  We quickly passed their slowest person and were slowly gaining on their fast team members.  Nick kept pushing me to go faster, but I had to hold him back because I knew we would lose Charlie and Tara as well as the 3rd place team. 

About one-third of the way around the savannah, we passed the 3rd place team.  After we got to approximately the 2/3 mark, the 3rd place was no where to be seen and we were still holding strong as a team.  We rounded the savannah and started down the final stretch on the streets of POS to the finish line.  We stayed fairly close as a group and we rounded a couple corners and there was the finish line.  Nick and I turned around and started running back to make sure that we all finished together.  Charlie and Tara were with us in a matter of seconds and we all sprinted to the finish.  Our eyes were focused on the finish line and our friends and family waiting for us and our ears were filled with cheers and clapping from the crowd.

We finished 3rd out of all the teams in the race.  The 3rd place team that we had passed came across the finish line about 4-5 minutes later and now it was just a matter of whether we cut down the time difference enough to make it into 3rd place overall.

After a short bit, Aaron, Katie, Mark, and Karen came running across the finish line and they too were greeted with great fanfare from the crowds and friends and family.  We filled them in on the finish situation and we all anxiously awaited the final results.

So here we are...the moment of truth.  The race results began with Team Spirit and the the winner of the all female teams and then they started the slow countdown from 9th place on up, each of which received a prize package for their efforts.  So it comes down to the 4th place team announcement, and at 4 hours 37 minutes, the 4th place team was...The Ultimate Frisbee Players (my team).  It was kind of a bummer, but we felt like we did really well considering this was our first time.  They then announced the 3rd, 2nd and 1st place teams, all of whom received not only a trophy, but also one of those big checks like they always show on game shows and Publisher's Clearing House commercials.  How cool would it have been to actually get one of those big checks?

Anyway, as we were listening to them announce the top 3, Mark leaned over and said that if he heard correctly, we only lost by a little over 1 minute.  WHAT!?!?  That can't be!!  So after all the announcements were done and everyone was on their way, I went up to the organizer and asked him the times and he said that we finished in 4:37:57 (hrs:min:sec) and that the 3rd place team finished in 4:29:21, which was a difference of 8:36.  Ok, that wasn't as bad as 1 minute.  But wait a minute...that question from the second leg of the race that we were discussing...we got that wrong (actually both our teams got it wrong).  So that means we had a 9 minute penalty tacked on to our final time, which also means that if we did not miss that question, we would have made 3rd place by 24 seconds.  24 SECONDS!!!  Nick reminded us that there are olympic athletes are beat by fractions of a second, but I'm no olympic athlete and this was a hard pill to swallow.

So this little rag-tag group, thrown together at the last minute almost pulled off a decent upset.  We learned a lot from this experience and all of us have ranked it in the top of all experiences since we have moved here.  Next year though, watch out.  Because we're going to train hard and we'll get that big check.

Oh, and here is a picture of our 4th place prize basket.

Yes, those are boxes of Uncle Ben's rice, aluminum foil and cake mix (along with outdated warm yogurt, canned sausages, and Nutella - at least we got Nutella).

Modern Marvels

I believe that I have stated in the past that Trinidad driving is something a little different from other places.  You need nerves of steel and have to have a lightening quick reaction time to avoid potholes as wide and as deep as your tires or to avoid cars swerving into your lane to avoid potholes in their lane.  And on top of that, many of these cars are driving at excessive speeds.

With all of this also comes an incredible amount of traffic and congestion in the streets.  The rules of the road are really just guidelines.  Cars will cross into the oncoming lane, in traffic, to park on the wrong side of the street because they see a parking spot.  On streets where there is a steady flow of traffic and cars are driving along at 50 km per hour, someone will come to a complete halt, nearly causing a pileup, so another car can cross the street, even though there will be a break in traffic in a matter of seconds.

While I'm becoming adjusted to it, and just accept that this is the way that it is, there are still times when you get completely frustrated and there are times when you have to take a look at around and realize what is going on.

On May 1st, Trinidad completed what I believe is the first flyover in the country.  For folks in the states, a flyover is basically an overpass on the highway.  There is one point going from Port of Spain to San Fernando, a city south of POS, where there is always backed up traffic.  To alleviate the problem, the government started building the flyover.  I believe that it took 5-7 years to build (I have not confirmed that timeframe), but do know that it was extremely over budget and 2 years past the initial deadline.

Here is a picture of this incredible feat of modern engineering, taken from a video that I found on YouTube of someone driving on it.  That's how big a deal this is.

So some friends and I were going to a hash near Chaguanas, which is between POS and San Fernando, and we had the pleasure of driving on this new modern marvel for Trinidad.  We approached the flyover and expected to continue to zip along to our destination.  However, once we actually got on the flyover, the traffic came to a screeching halt.  

What caused this?  Well, along the shoulder, there were a string of cars pulled over with everyone out taking pictures.  And then we saw the flashing lights.  We approached a police car, which was also pulled off on the shoulder and a big black, tinted SUV stopped in the left lane.  We were all diverted into the right lane and as we passed, we saw that the police were also standing on the shoulder looking around at the view, and the SUV had a police light on the top of it, with no one in it.  

So in a nutshell, this great innovation of traffic flow was stopped so people could take pictures, including some police officers, who couldn't be bothered to pull onto the shoulder, but instead decided to park in the middle of a lane on a highway.  Only in Trinidad...

I love me some Canadians

Let me tell you about the weekend I had last weekend.  I do realize that I'm going out of sequential order, because I still need to tell you about the great weekend I had diving with my students, but last weekend was so much fun and so chill, that I wanted to get some pictures out of where I stayed.

I guess it all starts with a (non-student) diving weekend about 4 weeks ago.  The usual crew, plus one - our friend Roshan who works for the Clinton AIDS Foundation down here, went back to the Manta Lodge to see what we could see underwater.  When you are not diving, you are basically hanging out in the dining area, near the pool, because there are no TV's or internet access at the Manta Lodge.  After dinner, we met a couple teachers from the Maple Leaf Academy (the Canadian International School here in Port-of-Spain) who were there with one of their students from their school's SCUBA Club.  We were playing cards after dinner and Christal, one of the teachers, tells us that a whole group of them are going to Toco (northeast corner of Trinidad) to see the turtles lay their eggs (a natural phenomenon that occurs here).  Aaron, Katie and myself have all been wanting to do this, so we jumped at the offer.

Christal told us they all rented a house up there that sleeps 25-30 people, so we thought it was going to be a big guest house, which aren't always the greatest accommodations - usually a bed, a small sitting room and maybe someone there cooking for you.  If you get a fan in your room to keep you cool, you're kind of lucky.  As it turns out, we were the lucky ones, but not because of getting a fan.

Here is what we rolled up to...This giant corporate guest house that was built by some company to entertain it's employees (or executives) on the weekends, which is also rented out to the public.

It rests on about 9 acres of land and is on the edge of a cliff looking out to the Atlantic ocean.  It has access to two small private beaches as well as a larger public beach that is within walking distance.

Here is the view of the backside of the beach house.  On the right of the picture (not shown) is a large manicured lawn with a large open BBQ pit.  On the left is another small field and the paths to the private beaches.  Behind me is an outdoor, covered dance area, complete with sink, a place to serve drinks and bathrooms.  This was not really used, but it's nice to add to the impressive list of things that this place had to offer.

Here's the picture of the inside of the beach house.  The backyard/pool is out the doors on the right.  There is obviously enough space to sit and feed the entire group and there is a pool table just peeking out of the corner of the picture.

So it's obvious that the amenities were great.  But what made the weekend one of the best weekends since I arrived in Trinidad was the people that I was around.

Just like when I first met my ISPS family, there was a lot of bonding and everyone was welcoming with open arms.  And meeting another large group of people like that just made the weekend so great.

We did get to see one turtle laying it's eggs, but that was actually the most depressing part of the weekend.  We had a large group with us (20 people went) and we were merged with another group of about 10 people.  But then there was another group of 20-30 people out on the beach also looking to watch the turtles lay their eggs.  So the only one we saw had close to 60 people surrounding it and the magic of mother nature was lost amongst a bunch of people not so in awe of what was happening around them, flashing pictures that was more like paparazzi than capturing memories, and just inconsiderate people.

So I choose not to remember the weekend as the weekend of watching turtles, but rather the weekend of meeting some more incredible people.  

Oh, and also some good times playing Super-Spectacular-Catch in the pool.  Here's my favorite shot of one of my catches.  A great shot, but let me tell you, the landing was not so great and it ended my afternoon of catches.  

Here's a quick video of Aaron and Katie trying to do a double catch.  They never quite got it, but it was fun watching them try.

This video also reminded me of one of the other really cool things that happened during this weekend.  The woman floating on the purple noodle, Pierett, didn't know how to swim, but she had a waist floatie on while she was in the pool.  She also played Super-Spectacular-Catch, but that wasn't the cool thing. 

Before we went to see the turtles, we hiked up to this waterfall.  It was around 5:00, which gave us sunlight, but when we got to the waterfall, the tree cover was making it kind of dark (hence no pictures).  You could climb to the top of the waterfall, maybe about 20 feet up and jump into the pool, which I did a couple times - it was so much fun.  But the really cool thing is that Pierett really wanted to join in on the fun.  So she climbed up and with myself and one other person waiting in the pool below the waterfall, jumped in.  She landed right between us and we took her back to dry land.  It was really cool being a part of her literally taking this leap of faith.  In hindsight, this may not have been the wisest thing to do.  But then again, life is about taking risks and trying to overcome fears and I think Pierett did that this weekend.

More Excuses

I realize that I have been shirking my duty of posting lately, but I am hoping that over the course of the next week or two, that I will get myself all caught up.  Pretty much since Carnival, I have been going non-stop again.  But not in a bad way.

The weekend after Carnival was a weekend of catching up with my rest.  The next two weekends I was in Tobago diving, once with friends and once with the SCUBA Club that I helped with at school.  Then last weekend I was in Toco (the northeast part of the island), hanging out with the teachers from the Maple Leaf School, the Canadian international school and seeing some leatherback turtles lay their eggs.  I feel like I've been on vacation for the last month and a half, and in a mere two weeks, I will officially be on vacation, back in the states. 

I have lots to show and tell, but I need to get it all sorted out first.  So keep an eye out.  Hopefully a few more posts will start popping up a bit more frequently.

Carnival Tuesday (long overdue)

I realize that this is now quite outdated, but I also realize that I owe people some pictures of me in my Carnival costume.

First off, I want to try to explain what Carnival Tuesday is really like. However, my friend Nick put it best when he posted to his experiences on his Facebook page, “no matter what I say, you will never fully understand what Carnival Tuesday is like until you experience it for yourself.”  There are no truer words than those.  But let me try.

On Tuesday, everyone comes out in his or her full costumes and one of the highlights is when they pass the stage.  The stage is basically a big set of bleachers set up facing the road on the Savannah that we all walk by.  We were supposed to be at the starting point at 6:30 Tuesday morning.  But after a long day Monday, Andrea and I decided to try to get there about 8:00 or so, figuring that we wouldn’t miss much.  As we drove in, we got a call from some of our other friends and ran into even more looking for parking.  I guess all our bodies felt the same way.We found out where the band was at and we started walking in that direction, when we got word that Harts (our band) had just crossed the stage.  So there we have it, we missed the biggest event of the day.  Who would have thought that it would happen so early?  But then again, now knowing what came next, it did make some sense.  Because as everyone started drinking and dancing, the extravagance of the costumes was slowly stripped off to essentially what we were wearing on Monday.

Even though we missed crossing the stage, we still got there to see everyone in their costumes.  The music that is played all day long is called “soca” which is a mix between dance and calypso, and they tend to play the same 10 songs over and over and over again.  By the end of Carnival, I had had my fill. Yet oddly, by Thursday, Andrea and I were both looking for a little soca music on the radio.  I guess it just gets in your blood a bit.  The music was starting to pick up and got progressively louder.  The alcohol started flowing a little more and the dancing was starting to pick up.  At this point, it was about 9:00 AM.  So here are a few of those pictures that everyone was looking for.

So what is Carnival Tuesday?  It’s a day filled with drinking.  Some to excess, although most people realized that it was a marathon and not a sprint and paced themselves accordingly.  I saw very few people completely sloppy drunk, even at the end of the day.  But more than drinking, it was a day filled with dancing, laughter, smiles, and some of the most beautiful people in all of Trinidad.

 

It’s also a time where people let go of all their inhibitions and there is incredible safety in numbers with that.  In these skimpy, tiny, ridiculous outfits, there were all body types.  There were tall, short, thin, not so thin, and those that would fall in the “overweight” category.  There was every skin color under the rainbow and everyone was dancing with everyone.  So while we may look like total tools in these pictures, you didn’t feel that way walking through the streets because everyone was dressed up.  Actually, those people not dressed up stood out and looked more awkward then we did.  And really, if this is a ll I have to do to see and dance with all those beautiful women, I’m ok with it.

So here is me and Andrea in our gear at the beginning of the day and then more what I looked like as the day progressed.  Although the best part may be that we are wearing our trainers with this get up.

And I have a bright, shiny quarter for anyone (who wasn't in Trinidad for Carnival) who can guess who this guy is with Andrea and my friends Gina and Rebekah.

Oh, I almost forgot, if you want to see some more, really cool pictures from Carnival, my friend Sam (one of the English teachers at ISPS) is also an amateur photographer and she took some great pictures, which are posted on her blog.  On the right side of my blog, under my Profile, there is "My Blog List".  Under that is a link for "3Limes".  That's her.  Just click on the link and then look for the posts with Carnival in the title and you'll see her pics.  They're great.  You'll love them.

Update: The bright, shiny quarter has been claimed by one of my former students in Indianapolis.  The man in the photo is Lennox Lewis, a retired heavyweight boxing champion (41-2-1), who had defeated the likes of Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield, and Mike Tyson.

Carnival Monday

Yesterday, I picked up my cousin Andrea from the airport.  She's been teaching in Brazil for 5 years and decided that she wanted to see how to really celebrate Carnival.  Ok, maybe she didn't say that.  But it will be interesting to hear her comparison of Carnival in Brazil versus Trinidad.  I know there are some differences that make each one unique, but it will be cool to hear from her after all is said and done on how the compare and contrast.  Maybe I'll have her write a 2 page report that will be due by the time she leaves.  If we can dish it out every day, we should be able to take it too.  (She's a former teacher and current co-principal for those who don't know her).

FYI - the things that were most exciting for Andrea since she has arrived is the fact that we drive on the left side of the road (complete with the steering wheel in cars on the right side) and all the things that we have in our grocery stores that they don't have in Brazil.  I've never seen someone so excited to see Ragu before.

Anyway, today was the first official day of Carnival, although the celebrations have been going on for weeks.  We didn't don our full costumes today, so it was really more like a dry run.  I just wore my shorts and she only had her sequined top and bottom on.  The full headdresses, hats and other accessories come out tomorrow.  So no pictures today, but definitely some for tomorrow.

We basically walked up and down the streets of Port of Spain with incredibly loud music being played.  There are about 5 tractor trailers pulling flatbed trailers with stacks and stacks of speakers.  And as you would probably expect, they are turned on full blast.  But that doesn't really bother anyone too much because everyone is busy dancing in the streets and enjoying lots of water and various adult beverages.

The temperature was probably in the upper 80's and it was overcast for the first half of the day.  It did rain for a bit, but that was actually quite a relief because it was so hot, the rain was actually quite refreshing.  However, with heat and sun, there comes sunburn.  We cut our afternoon a little short because the skin was starting to get a little too red and we wanted to be able to participate the entire day tomorrow.  

But here's a little tidbit for the family members who are probably rolling their eyes at us.  We had sun block on before we left and reapplied 2-3 times throughout the day.  The other thing that I feel I should point out, is that I was NOT the one one to get sunburned this time.  Maybe I built up a bit of a tolerance or my skin has become some kind of thick, leathery substance.  Or maybe Andrea is just not quite used to the sun a bit closer to the equator.  Either way, even though I know she's hurting just a little bit, I am still gloating a bit that I didn't succumb to the sun and that I don't have funny tan lines the shape of my hands.  Of course we all know that I've just sealed my fate for tomorrow.  Oh well.  It was nice while it lasted.

Kings and Queens

As previously mentioned, probably the one thing about Carnival in Trinidad that stands out from the rest is the costumes that the revelers wear.  But that is just for the commoners; the peasants.  The REAL costumes come out for the King and Queen competition.

I still haven't figured out exactly what makes a contender for King and Queen.  I believe that each band competes.  Bands are the different groups that you sign up to walk with in the parade - which is what most people believe is the only way to celebrate Carnival.  But I also think that there is a competition open to the public to submit their costumes for judging as well.  However, as with most competitions, those entrants with deeper pockets and sponsorship from bands are over the top and tend to take the top prize.

Here are a few of the highlights...

Believe it or not, this is one of the individual costumes which are much smaller than the sponsored costumes.  This particular one had an underwater theme.  She was dressed as a fish and there is a giant fish on her head, with very large fins.

Here are a couple more of the smaller costumes that I liked.  Not sure what their themes were.

The sponsored costumes also consist of things worn by the individual, but they are also usually wrapped or pulling some kind of cart which brings the rest of the costume.  Some of these bigger costumes range in size from 20' x 20' ft to the biggest that I recall from the night, 30' x 35'.  Here is one of the smaller of the sponsored costumes, also an underwater theme.

This last one was one of my favorites.

Aaron, Kate, Meredith, and I went to the semi-finals for the kings earlier in the week and are hoping to make it to the finals tonight.  Kate took all of these pictures except for the blue one, which I took.  She asked if she could go up to the front of the stage and take pictures with the rest of the press photographers, and they let her.  That's why all of her pictures don't have heads in front of them.  She was standing with this group when she took all her pictures...