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- The Carnival Doctor TNT 2015 Recap - Part 1 of 6 - "Make Love In The Bush"
The Carnival Doctor TNT 2015 Recap - Part 1 of 6 - "Make Love In The Bush"
- By Dr. Rhadi Ferguson aka The Carnival Doctor
- Published 23-Feb-15
- Prescription from The Carnival Doctor
-
Rating:
The Carnival Doctor TNT 2015 Recap - Part 1 of 6
As usual, on Tuesday night on the road, I cried. I was having such a fantastic time and I was enjoying myself and I looked at my friends on the road and all of the people in my crew and extended crew and just got so overwhelmed with joy.
I turned to my main man Winston and put my hand over my heart and screamed over the music, "I love you bro!" He responded, "I love you too" and that was it for me. I broke down so bad that I had to go on the sidewalk on the side of the road and put my hands on my knees and let it all out. Unknowingly, my friend Khalilah followed me and witnessed my moment when I was trying to hide. That certainly was not how I planned my emotional breakdown moment LOL.
I really, really miss my man Edgar Ter-Oganessian. We called him "T.O." Every time I do carnival, I wish he was doing it with me. He would have had a ball. He passed away in 2012 of cancer and every carnival as I celebrate life, I celebrate his. I loved him. He was a good dude man, a really quality dude. And when I try to get my friends to come to carnival and they are apprehensive, I'm like, you are MISSING an opportunity that we will never get again. But...... what can you do. Every man has to pour his own trouble. And I pour mine and drink it willingly.
Sooooo, here it goes.......
Today, I wasn't really sure if I was ready to write about carnival because it's tough to do without breaking down. I've lost some close friends over the years and even now as I'm writing I can tell you that the moment I got back from TNT and pulled into my driveway I was hit with another bombshell. One of my football teammates from Howard University passed away from a heart attack. My main man, Omar Saxon. He was such an awesome person and had a beautiful spirit and disposition. When I got the news I just grabbed a hold of my steering wheel and laid my forehead on my hands and bawled like a baby. The feeling from carnival had me so open and fresh from the extreme euphoric nature of the experience that the news of the dean of Omar cut me hard, swift, sharp and deep. It also sent me into a space and place of reflection and the celebration of life which we call carnival.
In this spirit, I write.
I this spirit, I will communicate to you.
And in the posture of love, respect and the honor to have moment of the most precious commodity that you have, time, I share... I share a portion of my experience with you.
I would like to begin by saying that I don't review fetes or jouverts in my recap. I only speak of my personal experiences. They are not made as endorsements but so that you can see carnival through the eyes of The Carnival Doctor.
So with that being said, I will start at the best place there is to start. I will start at the beginning.
================
Friday, February 13, 2015
and
Saturday, February 14, 2015
================
The countdown to carnival was vicious. I couldn't wait to leave. I really wanted to do 7 days but with a wife and two children, 7 days is pushing it. Really, pushing it. So I chose to do 5 instead of 7 and my wife chose to do 3 instead of 5. (Coverage for the kids is tough. And they ALWAYS fall behind on the school work when you leave town. ALWAYS. Just a thought..... About 10 to 15 mothers need to get together in the cities of Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and DC and start a Carnival Childcare Concierge Service. Where they pick up the kids, get the homework done, get them to their activities, etc.,.)
Okay… I’m back…
On Friday there was no if, ands or buts about it. I was going to do "Caesar's Army AMbush." And before I write about it, I will tell you this. I was convinced that I was not going to do TNT in 2016 until I did AMbush. After AMbush, I was SOLD on coming back next year. AMBush is the REASON why I want to come back in 2016.
I relayed this message to Caesars and his response was…. “BOOM!” LOL
I arrived on Friday.
My driver picked me up from the airport and I went to the Hyatt to meet with Safiya from Sauce Concierge to pick up my tickets and Jouvert particulars. I also had to pick up my TRIBE costume and SIM card from my main man Phil. After getting my stuff and grabbing a bite eat at the Hyatt, I hailed a cab with one of my fellow alums from Howard University to go to our domicile in Port of Spain, just blocks away from the Savannah.
After a long week of work and a long day of travel I couldn't wait for Ambush.
Caesars Army AMBush is always one of the hottest tickets of the carnival season and this year at TNT was no different and after going, I know why.
The theme for this year was #MakeLoveInTheBush since it was Valentines Day during this giant sized Jouvert celebration.
And……. there was love...... in the bush. LOL
==========
Bottom Line
==========
I would just like to say this about AMbush...... IT IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST TIMES ON THE PLANET.
Going into any more than that would not serve the event justice nor yield me any personal good LOL!
However I will say this….
Not doing this Jouvert fete is a violation. An extreme violation to oneself.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Ambush started off with the best warmup ever. I did the Fete-a-thon bus ride with Candy Coated events per the recommendation of The Bahamianista, Crista Strachan. I will admit, that the bus ride was RAMPAGE!!!! Some of my friends thought it was too long, but I had just reached TNT and was itching to get on bad and the bus ride was the PERFECT WARMUP. I would most definitely consider doing it again with the right group of friends. The bus ride got out of hand, in a good way :-)
Some people on the Feta-a-thon bus did not read my book. And I can tell that they didn’t because they TOTALLY and completely forgot to pace themselves and were SMASHED AND TRASHED before we even reached Ambush. Luckily the night and day is long and they were able to recover with some rest, food and water.
AMBUSH…….OH, SWEET AMBUSH!!!! LOL
Okay, I’m back. I just had to sit back in the chair and tilt my head back and pump my hips in the air two times. LOL!
When you get off the bus for Ambush, you walk. And you walk some more. And you walk some more. It's pitch black dark outside. You damn near can't see in front of you.
Then you walk through some gates and you see a truck. Food is being served as well as bottles of paint. And then as you continue, you hear the music. And as if the people just struck a virtual agreement, the party starts. It goes from ZERO to HERO very quickly. Most fetes have an evolution to them. Even jouverts. This one.... It goes from here to there QUICKLY!
As with all Jouverts the party really kicks into over drive that moment when the sun starts making its way through the darkness.
It's like a pre-dawn phase.
It's not sunny outside but its school bus time. You know the time when you would wait for the school bus in the morning, that time. It is at this moment where you body's clock is aware that it is time to wake up. Because this is the time you are normally up for work, but this time you are up for wuk.
The vibes at AMbush got so out of hand at this point that, even as a writer, I have no words to capture this moment.
And then.........
Just when you thought that the party could not turn up any more...........
They pulled out the water hose and started bringing the water.
And then...............
Machel Montano jumped up on the big truck and gave a 30 minute performance that included a 12 minute run of Like Ah Boss. And it seemed liked every time that chune started to play again, and again, and again and the horns started to sound off that the party was reaching newer levels of heightening.
It was VICIOUS!! Fantastic and phenomenal.
I wish I could just hit a rewind button in my life and drop myself right back there in that moment.
After AMbush was over.... I got back on that damn fete-a-thon and kept wining until like 12 noon.
Wait, please allow me to mention that the fete-a-thon bus with Candy Coated started at 11pm. We arrived at AMBush at 2:30. We partied until 8 am, we ate, we played on water slides, we limed and THEN got back on the fete-a-thon bus at 9:30 am and partied all the way back to Port of Spain.
It was bananas.
By the time I got back to my domicile it was about 11:45pm - 12 noon. I took a quick fresh and then readied myself for DJ Private Ryan's fete, Soca Brainwash.
I had NO SLEEP and was ready to do another 6 hours….. LIKE A BOSS!!!
=============
I apologize
=============
I know my recap for Ambush was vague but….. there are rules and levels to this ish. And unfortunately…… “What happens in the bush….stays in the bush.” I would not lie to you. It was actually too rampage for words and if I wrote about what I saw (not did, saw LOL) I would be in complete violation. So please accept my apology, and if you were there, I accept your gratitude in that I followed the rules. #MakeLoveInTheBush LOL #OhGosh
============
Big Thanks
============
Biggup to Caesar, Candace of Candy Coated, Crista "The Bahamianista", Roxanne Bartley, Jouvert Mike and Winston "The Ironman" Williams.
Next up.....Part 2 of 6... SOCA BRAINWASH!!!!!
=============
Closing
=============
It is the desire of TriniJungleJuice.com and The Carnival Doctor to get a ground level and grassroots approach to Carnival. For us to have you, not only get a feel for Carnival, but also a feel for the people that attend carnival. Behind every picture and video is a story but the story that you make up in your mind is not necessarily the truth. After all the jumping up, and winin' and bacchanal is done -- we all have real lives to return to. It is our desire for you to know the other people that you share the carnival community with.
Love, Peace and Soca.
(If you've enjoyed this, you will most certainly enjoy The Ultimate Road Ready Guide)
Blessings From Here To There,
Rhadi Ferguson, PhD
"The Carnival Doctor"
P.S. For the best information in the world concerning carnivals please visit www.TriniJungleJuice.com For the most comprehensive site available for fete tickets and masquerader costumes, please visit www.MyCarnivalBands.com
P.P.S. For more information on how to properly prepare for carnival like a true veteran, please visit www.CarnivalPrep.com
As usual, on Tuesday night on the road, I cried. I was having such a fantastic time and I was enjoying myself and I looked at my friends on the road and all of the people in my crew and extended crew and just got so overwhelmed with joy.
I turned to my main man Winston and put my hand over my heart and screamed over the music, "I love you bro!" He responded, "I love you too" and that was it for me. I broke down so bad that I had to go on the sidewalk on the side of the road and put my hands on my knees and let it all out. Unknowingly, my friend Khalilah followed me and witnessed my moment when I was trying to hide. That certainly was not how I planned my emotional breakdown moment LOL.
I really, really miss my man Edgar Ter-Oganessian. We called him "T.O." Every time I do carnival, I wish he was doing it with me. He would have had a ball. He passed away in 2012 of cancer and every carnival as I celebrate life, I celebrate his. I loved him. He was a good dude man, a really quality dude. And when I try to get my friends to come to carnival and they are apprehensive, I'm like, you are MISSING an opportunity that we will never get again. But...... what can you do. Every man has to pour his own trouble. And I pour mine and drink it willingly.
Sooooo, here it goes.......
Today, I wasn't really sure if I was ready to write about carnival because it's tough to do without breaking down. I've lost some close friends over the years and even now as I'm writing I can tell you that the moment I got back from TNT and pulled into my driveway I was hit with another bombshell. One of my football teammates from Howard University passed away from a heart attack. My main man, Omar Saxon. He was such an awesome person and had a beautiful spirit and disposition. When I got the news I just grabbed a hold of my steering wheel and laid my forehead on my hands and bawled like a baby. The feeling from carnival had me so open and fresh from the extreme euphoric nature of the experience that the news of the dean of Omar cut me hard, swift, sharp and deep. It also sent me into a space and place of reflection and the celebration of life which we call carnival.
In this spirit, I write.
I this spirit, I will communicate to you.
And in the posture of love, respect and the honor to have moment of the most precious commodity that you have, time, I share... I share a portion of my experience with you.
I would like to begin by saying that I don't review fetes or jouverts in my recap. I only speak of my personal experiences. They are not made as endorsements but so that you can see carnival through the eyes of The Carnival Doctor.
So with that being said, I will start at the best place there is to start. I will start at the beginning.
================
Friday, February 13, 2015
and
Saturday, February 14, 2015
================
The countdown to carnival was vicious. I couldn't wait to leave. I really wanted to do 7 days but with a wife and two children, 7 days is pushing it. Really, pushing it. So I chose to do 5 instead of 7 and my wife chose to do 3 instead of 5. (Coverage for the kids is tough. And they ALWAYS fall behind on the school work when you leave town. ALWAYS. Just a thought..... About 10 to 15 mothers need to get together in the cities of Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and DC and start a Carnival Childcare Concierge Service. Where they pick up the kids, get the homework done, get them to their activities, etc.,.)
Okay… I’m back…
On Friday there was no if, ands or buts about it. I was going to do "Caesar's Army AMbush." And before I write about it, I will tell you this. I was convinced that I was not going to do TNT in 2016 until I did AMbush. After AMbush, I was SOLD on coming back next year. AMBush is the REASON why I want to come back in 2016.
I relayed this message to Caesars and his response was…. “BOOM!” LOL
I arrived on Friday.
My driver picked me up from the airport and I went to the Hyatt to meet with Safiya from Sauce Concierge to pick up my tickets and Jouvert particulars. I also had to pick up my TRIBE costume and SIM card from my main man Phil. After getting my stuff and grabbing a bite eat at the Hyatt, I hailed a cab with one of my fellow alums from Howard University to go to our domicile in Port of Spain, just blocks away from the Savannah.
After a long week of work and a long day of travel I couldn't wait for Ambush.
Caesars Army AMBush is always one of the hottest tickets of the carnival season and this year at TNT was no different and after going, I know why.
The theme for this year was #MakeLoveInTheBush since it was Valentines Day during this giant sized Jouvert celebration.
And……. there was love...... in the bush. LOL
==========
Bottom Line
==========
I would just like to say this about AMbush...... IT IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST TIMES ON THE PLANET.
Going into any more than that would not serve the event justice nor yield me any personal good LOL!
However I will say this….
Not doing this Jouvert fete is a violation. An extreme violation to oneself.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Ambush started off with the best warmup ever. I did the Fete-a-thon bus ride with Candy Coated events per the recommendation of The Bahamianista, Crista Strachan. I will admit, that the bus ride was RAMPAGE!!!! Some of my friends thought it was too long, but I had just reached TNT and was itching to get on bad and the bus ride was the PERFECT WARMUP. I would most definitely consider doing it again with the right group of friends. The bus ride got out of hand, in a good way :-)
Some people on the Feta-a-thon bus did not read my book. And I can tell that they didn’t because they TOTALLY and completely forgot to pace themselves and were SMASHED AND TRASHED before we even reached Ambush. Luckily the night and day is long and they were able to recover with some rest, food and water.
AMBUSH…….OH, SWEET AMBUSH!!!! LOL
Okay, I’m back. I just had to sit back in the chair and tilt my head back and pump my hips in the air two times. LOL!
When you get off the bus for Ambush, you walk. And you walk some more. And you walk some more. It's pitch black dark outside. You damn near can't see in front of you.
Then you walk through some gates and you see a truck. Food is being served as well as bottles of paint. And then as you continue, you hear the music. And as if the people just struck a virtual agreement, the party starts. It goes from ZERO to HERO very quickly. Most fetes have an evolution to them. Even jouverts. This one.... It goes from here to there QUICKLY!
As with all Jouverts the party really kicks into over drive that moment when the sun starts making its way through the darkness.
It's like a pre-dawn phase.
It's not sunny outside but its school bus time. You know the time when you would wait for the school bus in the morning, that time. It is at this moment where you body's clock is aware that it is time to wake up. Because this is the time you are normally up for work, but this time you are up for wuk.
The vibes at AMbush got so out of hand at this point that, even as a writer, I have no words to capture this moment.
And then.........
Just when you thought that the party could not turn up any more...........
They pulled out the water hose and started bringing the water.
And then...............
Machel Montano jumped up on the big truck and gave a 30 minute performance that included a 12 minute run of Like Ah Boss. And it seemed liked every time that chune started to play again, and again, and again and the horns started to sound off that the party was reaching newer levels of heightening.
It was VICIOUS!! Fantastic and phenomenal.
I wish I could just hit a rewind button in my life and drop myself right back there in that moment.
After AMbush was over.... I got back on that damn fete-a-thon and kept wining until like 12 noon.
Wait, please allow me to mention that the fete-a-thon bus with Candy Coated started at 11pm. We arrived at AMBush at 2:30. We partied until 8 am, we ate, we played on water slides, we limed and THEN got back on the fete-a-thon bus at 9:30 am and partied all the way back to Port of Spain.
It was bananas.
By the time I got back to my domicile it was about 11:45pm - 12 noon. I took a quick fresh and then readied myself for DJ Private Ryan's fete, Soca Brainwash.
I had NO SLEEP and was ready to do another 6 hours….. LIKE A BOSS!!!
=============
I apologize
=============
I know my recap for Ambush was vague but….. there are rules and levels to this ish. And unfortunately…… “What happens in the bush….stays in the bush.” I would not lie to you. It was actually too rampage for words and if I wrote about what I saw (not did, saw LOL) I would be in complete violation. So please accept my apology, and if you were there, I accept your gratitude in that I followed the rules. #MakeLoveInTheBush LOL #OhGosh
============
Big Thanks
============
Biggup to Caesar, Candace of Candy Coated, Crista "The Bahamianista", Roxanne Bartley, Jouvert Mike and Winston "The Ironman" Williams.
Next up.....Part 2 of 6... SOCA BRAINWASH!!!!!
=============
Closing
=============
It is the desire of TriniJungleJuice.com and The Carnival Doctor to get a ground level and grassroots approach to Carnival. For us to have you, not only get a feel for Carnival, but also a feel for the people that attend carnival. Behind every picture and video is a story but the story that you make up in your mind is not necessarily the truth. After all the jumping up, and winin' and bacchanal is done -- we all have real lives to return to. It is our desire for you to know the other people that you share the carnival community with.
Love, Peace and Soca.
(If you've enjoyed this, you will most certainly enjoy The Ultimate Road Ready Guide)
Blessings From Here To There,
Rhadi Ferguson, PhD
"The Carnival Doctor"
P.S. For the best information in the world concerning carnivals please visit www.TriniJungleJuice.com For the most comprehensive site available for fete tickets and masquerader costumes, please visit www.MyCarnivalBands.com
P.P.S. For more information on how to properly prepare for carnival like a true veteran, please visit www.CarnivalPrep.com
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Article Series
This article is part 1 of a 5 part series. Other articles in this series are shown below:
-
The Carnival Doctor TNT 2015 Recap - Part 1 of 6 - "Make Love In The Bush"
Related Articles
3 Responses to "The Carnival Doctor TNT 2015 Recap - Part 1 of 6 - "Make Love In The Bush"" 
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said this on 23 Feb 2015 5:38:51 PM UTC
Great write up...and we all love the memories we make with FRIENDS and FAMILY during Carnival. When we are home...we miss those moments. Yes the soca and the fetes are always fun but it is the experience we share that brings us back.
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Author/Admin)|
said this on 23 Feb 2015 6:15:18 PM UTC
That description of going from zero to hero....I never experienced it as much in Trini AMBUSH, maybe because there are so many people it is difficult to take in what is happening around you all at once. But in AMBUSH Jamaica 2014, it was like that. I felt like I had missed the party, walking in to the smaller crowd is everybody wining, jamming jumping.....it was shocking, like you needed to catch up, and the fete had only just started!
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said this on 23 Feb 2015 10:28:02 PM UTC
Fantastic! AMBush made my short Carnival trip worthwhile. You are right it's the reason I'll be returning next year, please God!
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