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One of the very few things in life that can drag me out of my bed at 3AM!

Well rested after another great Vale Breakfast Party on carnival Sunday, I counted down the hours in my dreams to J’Ouvert 2011. I stand corrected, not J’Ovuert ... but Cocoa Devils J’Ouvert! This year Red Snowcone didn’t make down for carnival and Scorn Juice decided to pick up the slack and handle another j’ouvert band, so it was “Dre ... Army of ONE!”

**Start my theme music please --> Blaxx - Carnival Jumbie**

Alarm ... CHECK! J’Ouvert shorts and shoes ... CHECK! A TJJ Media t-shirt ready to see its last day in "Clean-land" ... CHECK! The band left from Fed Park @ 3AM, and by the time I cleared Maraval traffic and was about to get trapped in more j’ouvert mayhem by Long Circular Mall, I decided to pull a quick park on a safe side street. Safe meaning my vehicle would be paint, mud and oil free when I eventually got back to it!!

I walked around the street corner and lights come on ... gates open .... Angels start to sing ... I’m surprisingly standing at the very start of a massive Cocoa Devils band¬. Yes, the band was huge! I don’t believe I ever made it back to the very front of the band for the rest of the morning. At this point in time, the vibes were still pretty mellow as the majority of revelers hit the bar trucks, applied cocoa on their bodies and chipped down the street. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the route this year, but not keeping the same route year to year definitely keeps the stormers out.

This year the theme was "Rodeo Devils", and even though the cowboy hats were cool, even sexy on some revelers, it didn’t beat the traditional devil horns in my opinion. Especially when I think back to last year, watching thousands of blinking horns light up in the early hours of the morning... I never have to think twice about which j’ouvert band I’m in. Plus, the horns give female revelers that sense of sexiness with a touch of naughty! Love it!! Okay, I digress.

With the Doubles settled in nicely (stomach lining) and everyone’s power levels up as D Cocoa Crew bar staff kept the drinks (rum, beer, scotch, vodka) flowing right up until around 8:30am when the band headed back to its mas camp in Woodbrook, the anything-goes j’ouvert atmosphere filled the air. As usual, you had your men in dresses, stuffed bras, cooking aprons (yeah Kris, the ladies couldn’t get enough) and what not. The women kept it simple, yet appealing. Yes, “Less is definitely more!” when it comes to carnival.  And we definitely love the wigs in j’ouvert ladies ... especially those bright colours.

As the sun broke, so did the level of “Wotless-ness”. Cocoa baking and waistlines rolling ... So I knew it wasn’t much longer before Scorn Juice joined in on the action. And then there were TWO!

We all love j’ouvert for pretty much the same reasons. So take these reasons and add it to a band with the majority of your close friends and that sums up Cocoa Devils for me. A mature and sexy group of people having a good ole time (definitely not a teeny bopper band), DJs that hold down the musical selections keeping level vibes, FREE DRINKS and sweet cocoa (yes, the smell can get to you at times) that easily washes off your skin and leaves it feeling like you just got a spa treatment for $500.00TT ... sign me up for next year!

Ah feelin’ to take ah shot of rum,
Chooks aka The Carnival Jumbie

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