Day 15: Gwoka and the Zoo

Last night and today ended up being quite productive!

As promised, last night I set out to a Gwoka contest (Gwoka referring to the traditional music and dance of Guadeloupe).  I had no idea what to expect, but I really enjoyed myself.  Apparently, this was the event of the year, as hundreds of people packed into the gym to watch.  I arrived at 8, the official start time, and waited about 35 minutes for the actual start time.  (I did find a great seat though!).  Then, the introduction took about 25 minutes.  At 9pm, the events finally commenced. 

Gwoka consists of a blend of dance types, with provenance in slave communes.  For the purpose of the contest, each contestant listened to the music (played by a live band) and then had to improvise their routine.  It seemed that improvisation played a large role in gwoka at this advanced level.  Younger students who performed in the interim demonstrated a choreographed, group routine.

Some videos to give you a better sense of gwoka:

 The contest ran until nearly midnight! Despite the energetic dancing, I could barely stay awake so I drove straight home and fell into bed.

This morning, I woke up and headed back to Basse Terre in an attempt to meet two poets whom I first encountered last Friday at a show.  I have been searching for their emails in vain ever since.  When I saw they would be selling and signing books today, I dropped everything and drove right over! When I finally found the store I suddenly became really nervous: what if it didn't go as I planned? if they didn't have time to talk to me or couldn't understand my french? Or thought I was a neo- imperialist meddling in the affairs of a small nation that history hadn't always treated well?

I walked up to the table, stood in line, then got nervous and browsed around the store. (I bought some Guadeloupean cookies to bring home with me!).  I went back outside and began looking through the books placed on the table.  A third author asked me if I knew what I wanted to buy. "Maybe something in Creole?" he suggested kindly.  "Actually I am American so I do not speak a work of Creole!" I explained, relieved to have struck up a conversation so easily.  He and I chatted for a bit as I continued to look at the books in front of me.  When the two authors who I had seen last week finished up the last transaction, they turned towards me and it was my moment of truth.  Facilitated by my conversation with the third author, I explained that I had seen their show last week and really enjoyed it.  They both seemed quite excited so I continued, outlining my research project as well as how I felt their works fit in.  They both said that they would love to speak with me! (And encouraged me to learn Creole!).  Please believe me when I say it was a perfect moment.  I am 90% certain the heavens opened, a ray of light was cast upon me, and the heavenly choir began to sing the hallelujah chorus.  One of the event planners came over and took our picture together ("This girl came all the way from the US just to see you! We must take a photo!" he exclaimed).  Once I reach out to the authors, they will hopefully send me the pictures, which will then hopefully make their way onto this blog! I purchased two books from them and then floated off to look around Basse Terre a little more. 

After I'd wandered a bit, I decided to spend the rest of the day at the zoo, which is situated just north of Basse- Terre.  Off I went, stopping at a viewpoint to eat a picnic lunch and take some stellar pics.

Once at the zoo, I quickly found parking only to balk at the very high entrance fee-- around 18 euro!! I ended up getting the ~nature pass~ which was only 5 euro more and would allow me entrance into the aquarium and some other site with water falls. (so stay tuned for those!).

After paying 23 euro, I had very high expectations.  The first animal, however, was a racoon:

My backyard or zoo in the Caribbean?

I can see these for free at home.  It's called my backyard! And my neighbor's yard! And on the side of the road! And in a trash can! (Proposal to improve Loudoun County's economy by charging admission to see racoons).  The little French girl behind me saw the racoon and cried "ooh la la mommy it's so cute! SO CUTE!!!! LOOK MOM"  The family then joked that they should keep a racoon as a pet instead of a dog.  I moved on to the next exhibit, hoping to find something that did not also reside in Algonkian Park.

Despite the rocky beginnings, the zoo's beauty merited the price.  It's a small location, but impeccibly maintained and situated in the heart of Guadeloupe's national park.  This afforded views like these:

 If you look in the second picture, you will see part of the network of bridges that allows you to walk over the zoo and see things from above (also known as my grandmother's worst nightmare).  It's all rope bridges- meaning you're swinging around while you walk-- but such a great idea and a cool way to see the zoo from above. 

The zoo housed some beautiful animals like black leopards and ocelots:

My admission included a free fruit juice at the cafe across the street, so I headed over and indulged.  By this time, it was nearly 4:30 and I had a considerable drive ahead of me, so I called it a day. A good day.  A day that left me feeling like :

Direction signs at the zoo.  I chose to interpret as praise of all my actions.

Who knows what tomorrow will hold-- Sundays mean that most things are closed, but I'm sure I can find something to do! I've exhausted many of the my "must- see" activites, giving me the luxury of choosing exactly what I want to do.