Caribbean Beat — 25th Anniversary Edition — March/April 2017 (#144)

datebook
If you’re in . . .
BELIZE
BARBADOS
GRAND CAYMAN
jcariddi photography
La Ruta Maya River
Challenge
3 to 6 March
larutamaya.bz
If you think the Olympics are a
challenge, consider this arduous
four-day river race, where only the
fittest survive. With participants
coming from around the world,
approximately one hundred teams of
three cut along the Belize Old River,
paddling 175 miles from San Ignacio,
Cayo District, to downtown Belize
City. It’s the longest canoe race in
Central America, and there can be no
substitutions.
Translated, La Ruta Maya means
“the Maya Trail,” and it recalls the
journey of ancient Maya travellers
who paddled to the sea to trade
with cities up the coast of Belize. As
a tribute to these ancestors, the river
challenge has been going steady for
nineteen years. There’s rapid pace
on the river, and in villages along
the route, fairs, markets, and local
music bands entertain the onlookers.
The adventure mellows during
three-night stops at the Banana Bank
Lodge, Double Head Cabbage, and
Old River Tavern. And on the last day,
which coincides with National Heroes
and Benefactors Day (previously
called Baron Bliss Day), the canoes
flow into the celebratory fanfare in
Belize City.
MAT/shutterstock.com
Sandy Lane Gold Cup
4 March
Garrison Savannah
In other islands, Carnival may have
finished, but its atmosphere is
still alive in Barbados at the most
prestigious horseracing event in the
eastern Caribbean. Thirty-six years
ago, in its debut year, people climbed
onto roofs near the historic Garrison
Savannah to get a vantage point for
the pre-Gold Cup entertainment and
the race itself. The weight of the
spectators caused one of the roofs
to collapse, sending people helterskelter.
The Gold Cup isn’t just for racelovers
— it’s traditional to have pomp
and pageantry, and loads of family
entertainment. There are activities
preceding the race day, too. These
include polo matches, celebrity golf
tournaments and dinners, a Broadway
show, and a street parade. Some of
the world’s leading investors enter
their horses for the race, drawn to
the prestige of winning the coveted
title. All this excitement leads to the
main event: one race spanning nine
furlongs (1,800 metres), and filled
with cream-of-the-crop jockeys and
horses. Maybe for race time you could
become a member of the Barbados
Turf Club’s Grand Stand Posse? “And
they’re off!”
Kaibo Kitefest
17 April
Kaibo Beach
The beautiful kites above Kaibo dive,
swirl, and soar like birds. As flighty
and carefree as they may seem, some
of the kites are actually performing a
good deed. Not just bringing families
together or making children smile: the
entry fee for Grand Cayman’s annual
kite competition goes directly to the
Acts of Random Kindness charity,
an organisation that assists people
throughout the Cayman community.
Now in its eighth year, the
competition includes categories like
most creative and original kite, best
kite flyer with the steadiest kite, oldest
kite flyer, youngest kite flyer, best
dressed (matching kite and costume),
and most environmentally friendly
kite. You’re free to build your kites
beforehand, and if you need assistance
you can head over to a kite-making
workshop.
Kite tricks and demos by kiteboarders
are also in the mix, while live
music floats on the wind. The event
usually runs from 1 to 5 pm, with
an exciting array of attractive prizes
distributed at a ceremony beginning
promptly at 4. Kite flying is one of the
Caribbean’s cherished Easter traditions,
and on Kaibo Beach it’s free for all
(unless you enter the competition).
Event previews by Shelly-Ann Inniss
Gelpi/shutterstock.com
18 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM