I have had my head down recently and haven't been participating in the Carnaval countdown. It's not something I usually have to make an effort to pay attention to. The city makes long and thorough preparations for Carnaval, and I can easily gauge the nearness of the date by what is going on around me.
The first thing that happens is the lights start to go up. Miles and miles of colored lights are strung along the malecon from Olas Altas all the way to the Golden Zone. They also criss cross many of the downtown streets. That happened on schedule this year. They even added some new light sculptures to most of the poles.
About the same time as the light stringing, the horticultural spruce up begins. Palm trees and bushes are aggressively trimmed and neatened. Any traces of dead foliage are removed. New, colorful plantings go in to the medians. The plants are always planted too close together so they have no chance of surviving even a full season, but it looks good for Carnaval. That also happened right on schedule.
The next major thing that happens is the gates go up. Very sturdy metal gates are installed to block all of the streets that lead into the Carnaval area. This always amazes me. The gates are very firmly set and cemented into walls and streets – and then taken down at the end of Carnaval. They are the most permanent looking temporary constructs I have ever seen. Check.
The bathrooms and ticket booths go up starting about 10 days before Carnaval. The bathrooms are fully plumbed. All the buildings are painted whimsically and brightly to match the year's Carnaval theme. Check.
About 5 days before Carnaval, the beer booths go up. When I look around Olas Altas, it is a sea of Pacifico tents. I think there may be more space dedicated to beer than people down there. This morning, a Pacifico truck should be winding its way around dropping off cases and cases of beer, all secured snugly in temporary locking cages built next to each booth. Maybe they are running a little late? Later tonight, the ice trucks should make their way through. Hmmm.
Two days before Carnaval the stages start to go up. A dozen different marvels of modern technology should begin to reach for the sky, covered with speakers, amplifiers, and video screens. Uh. Not so much. I should be listening to Hotel California for the twentieth time right now as the stages are sound checked, and I haven't even seen so much as a power cable.
I am more than a little concerned. How can Carnaval happen without screaming Banda competing to see who can cause the most hearing damage until 6 o'clock in the morning? Something is amiss.
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How are the party preparations going?