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::ST. MAARTEN
CARNIVAL 2006::
April 26 - May 2, 2006
St. Maarten
– an island full of natural beauty, cultural diversity and modern
conveniences. What more could a person ask for?! The experience on this
island of two cultures, French and Dutch, attracts people from all over the
world because of it's multicultural charm and multilingual people, not to
mention it's stunning beauty and tax-free, duty-free shopping!
I stayed on the Dutch side at the
Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino -
a hive of activity in the centre of Maho with restaurants, clubs, casinos
and beaches.
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
The
Caribbean Vibrations crew were
there as well to also cover Carnival 2006 and we did most activities
together which was super! Caribbean Vibrations is
a 30 minute entertainment programme that regularly explores exciting new
community events – from carnivals to jazz festivals and culinary happenings
– from Canada and around the world on OMNI 1, Saturdays at 2:30 pm.
Good times! Many thanks to all the staff at St. Maarten
Tourist Bureau - especially Lisa Coffi and William Bell (who still managed
to escort us even though he was on vacation!).
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::WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006::
Dinner on our first night was at
Antoine by the Sea with it's classy appeal, good
food and stunning view.
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Caribbean Vibrations crew - Marissa, Royette, Scott and William Bell, St. Maarten Tourism Board
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Dinner at Antoine's with Tourism Board reps and Caribbean Vibrations crew
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Then we were
whisked off to Carnival Village, where most activities took place, for the
Youth Extravaganza
where many local acts performed. It is a show for the youth and by the
youth, hosted by one of St. Maarten's favourite prime time DJs,
G Money. Many of the acts were
talented and some were not but fun was had by all and we met some new
up-and-comers that are making their mark globally. One of the highlights was
meeting the infamous Johnny B from Under the Tree
- who makes the most incredible grilled ribs, shrimp, lobster and chicken.
Definitely a must, especially to balance the consumption of Presidentes, the
local beer!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Artists perform at local concert
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G Money hosts local concert
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Royette and Young Dow
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Young Dow
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Royette interviews Ziggi
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Johnny B (Under the Tree) and Royette
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Johnny B (Under the Tree) and Royette
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Johnny B, Royette and Scott
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::THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2006::
The next day
I spent recovering from jet lag and having to rise up at 4am in order to
catch my flights which landed me in St. Maarten at 2pm on Wednesday.
Translation: day at the beach to unwind and prepare for many busy days
ahead. Lisa Coffi then picked us up and took us to dinner at
The Wharf - a casual dining experience with live band
playing reggae, calypso and soka standards, which is owned by Elvis. We
dined with a crew from Aruba, including this year's King and Queen, Rodney
and Lisette. A good and fun night!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Proprietors Elvis and Bernard at The Wharf
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Dinner at The Wharf with reps from the Aruba Carnival, including the King and Queen, Rodney and Lisette
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Dancing at The Wharf
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Alain and Royette of Caribbean Vibrations dancing at The Wharf
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Lisa Coffi at The Wharf
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They we went to a local
concert
sponsored by The Sky is the Limit Foundation, held again at Carnival Village
with many local calypso acts. Another full night of entertainment!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Lisa Coffi, Fabiana Arnell, President of the Carnival and Royette
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Baker Jr. and Royette
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Fish the Boss performs backstage
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Odyssey performs backstage
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Odyssey (Dirty Dirty) with Royette backstage
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Royette interviews Master D
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Dancers
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Shadow Man promotes his CD
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::FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2006::
We started
the day at
Kangaroo Court for a good lunch in a
beautiful setting during the day on Friday. Then, I tagged along with
Caribbean Vibrations as they took shots from Philipsburg's shopping strip
(unbelievable!) where we were treated with friendliness and some nice
giveaways! Of particular note are the spectacular views and an amazing
ice cream shop on the Boardwalk named Vanilla et
Chocolat!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Lunch at Kangaroo Court
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Marissa of Caribbean Vibrations shows off some bling
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Royette and Scott on the Boardwalk
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Royette tries out a Segway on the Boardwalk
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Royette at Vanilla et Chocolat on the Boardwalk
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On Friday
evening we went to Philipsburg for a very special party on the Boardwalk.
Local artists perform in a street party fashion where there are marching
bands and free flowing drinks and party favours. Almost had a Mardi Gras
feel to it. We ate at a restaurant right on the Boardwalk, meaning facing
the ocean (just gorgeous) with excellent food, service and attitudes at
Oualichi Beach Bar. Special guests joining us for dinner was
our host,
Regina LaBega, the Director of Tourism for the St.
Maarten Tourist Board, the former Miss St. Maarten,
Angelique Martis-Romou and
G Money.
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Regina LaBega and Alain at Oualichi
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Dawn and Angelique Martis-Romou, former Miss St-Maarten at the Boardwalk Party
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Marching Band launches the start of the Boardwalk Party
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Alain and G Money at Oualichi
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Alain and Royette party on the Boardwalk
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Ziggi performs on the Boardwalk
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Crowd at the Boardwalk Party
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Maho Strip
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After a few
of us party poopers went back to the hotel, others continued on to celebrate
Sr. Calypso Finals into
Jouvert - an event that starts at 4:00 am!
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::SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006::
On Saturday we were slow to rise and had a relaxed
day. Saturday night dinner was at Paris Bistro,
the sister
restaurant to The Wharf where we soaked in appetizers in order to save room
for some of Johnny B's ribs!
We attended the
International Latin Concert
that night which seemed to be the best attended night of the
carnival, with performances by
Control Band and the hugely
popular Grupo Aventuro,
amongst others. The grounds at Carnival Village were packed and despite a
few heavy rain outbursts, the crowd danced to the music instead of running
for cover. I have to say that the band for Grupo Aventuro was off the hook
with the hottest percussionists and guitarists ever! Plus, they had actors
acting out one of their songs - great concept. And the crowds literally were
wild for them with girls screaming and carrying on. It was great to watch.
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Marissa, G Money and Royette backstage at Carnival Village
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Don Miguelo and G Money on Latin Night
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Don Miguelo does some promo on Latin Night
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Don Miguelo and group members
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Royette interviews Don Miguelo
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Grupo Aventuro's percussion section
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Grupo Aventuro
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Crowd responds to Grupo Aventuro
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Mega crowd on Latin Night
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::SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2006::
CARNIVAL!!
Royette from Caribbean Vibrations was lucky enough to score a carnival
costume from Brenda Wathey of
www.marry-me.com.
So, I accompanied her during the parade with the many costumes representing
many camps. The pictures are so colourful that I think they speak for
themselves. And the body paint on the paradees was flawless. It was an
exciting and exhausting day of 6 hours of walking, dancing, drinking,
partying. Probably the hottest day we were there as well! As soon as we
returned to the hotel, the group split up and flopped into our hotel rooms.
An exhausting and fun day!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Royette and Marissa ready to play!
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Brenda Wathey and Royette at Carnival
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Aruba Carnival King and Queen, Rodney and Lisette
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Royette and friend at Carnival
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Carnival participants
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Carnival revellers
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Carnival participants
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Carnival kids
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Carnival participant
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Carnival participant
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Carnival police keep the peace
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Carnival participant
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Carnival participant
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Carnival participants
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Carnival participant
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::MONDAY, MAY 1, 2006::
After taking in a gorgeous dinner at
Turtle Pier, we went to attend the
International Zouk/Kompa Concert. The Caribbean
Vibrations crew that covered the night said that they had a great time once
they were allowed to settle in. It was my last night in St. Maarten and I
decided not to cover the concert.
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::TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2006::
Time to return to Toronto ... Breakfast
on the beach with dear friends, catching that last bit of sun and last
minute packing took up the morning and before you knew it, I was on the
plane to return to Toronto, but not before we shared a couple more
Presidentes!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Lisa Coffi, William Bell and Dawn at St. Maarten airport
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William Bell, Lisa Coffi and Marissa at St. Maarten airport
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St. Maarten
is definitely a Caribbean destination to consider visiting - with it's
undeniable good weather, beautiful beaches and friendly locals, there's no
way you could go wrong. Definite pluses are the international flavour that
the island has adopted with two countries living in harmony which attracts
many global visitors from vastly different backgrounds. And lest we not
forget the tax-free, duty-free shopping. I've never seen so many diamonds
and beautiful jewellery in my life!
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::SPECIAL THANKS::
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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Royette, Alain and Marissa of Caribbean Vibrations
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::LANGFIELD
ENTERTAINMENT:: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADIAN TWIST::
