That’s it, the main carnivals on Tenerife are over for another year and all I’ve got left to show for it is a face that’s still slightly blue from an over enthusiastic application of face paint, an exhausted body and a whole load of photographs, many of which are probably too risqué to include here.
If you were unlucky enough to miss out on carnaval on Tenerife this year, here’s a brief selection of images to give you a flavour of the fun. In the interest of decency I’ve omitted any shots of the numerous fake genitals that were thrust my way over the course of the week ““ at least I think they were fake.
A contestant in the outrageous Mascarita Ponte Tacón (High Heels Marathon) in Puerto de la Cruz ““ either that or a swallow who’s wandered up from the beach. Presumably the rubber ring was to save him from drowning in the gallons of beer that the contestants downed before taking part in the race.
Amongst the hordes of men dressed as women at carnaval there were actually some real women as well. This girl just looked enchanting and represented the more elegant face of carnaval.
“¦whereas I’m not sure you could say the same for this girl. This is what carnaval is all about – an overdose of outrageous imagination. Expect Madonna to be sporting this look on her next tour.
But no matter how hard the “˜ladymen’ try, they can’t overshadow the carnaval queens. A carnaval dame with a smile bright enough to chase away the storm clouds.
The beauty of carnaval is that it’s for everyone ““ from grannies in costumes which border on indecent exposure to tiny tots desperately trying to remember their dance moves. Cue lots of cute moments.
Carnaval wouldn’t be carnaval without a healthy dose of South American Latino spirit which means tribal drum beats and flamboyant dancers galore. Viva Carnaval ““ I can’t wait for next year’s.
