Wallilabou, St Vincent

My head hurts. This, courtesy of some rum punches at this little shack on Wililobhy, St Vincent. They taste like sour fruit juice, but we found later they’re made using original St Vincent ‘Real Strong Rum’. It’s 87.5% alcohol. Goodness me.

Still, the proprietor, an elderly Vincey, danced to the latest reggae hits and sang over the top or provided background vocals from a microphone he’s installed behind the bar, and it was real good and fun. Before we knew it, the place was pumping with dancing and laughing (lubricated, no doubt, by the RSR). The highlight however was the launch of a new music video that had been filmed in this bay (it was also where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed) and we had an advanced copy to preview. It was by a local reggae gangsta called Bomani, and the song is called Shake Your Booty.

Now, many of you have probably heard something about this particular fascination. I had thought it was more of a South American thing, but I can assure you at this point that the Caribbean islanders do appreciate some good booty. Indeed – good gracious me! – they may be the most focused aficionados out there – stand aside Brazil – and the booty they like is voluminous, and being jiggled at an apparently random yet rapid pace and within a sort of circular motion provided by the hips. It’s harder than it looks, and requires coordination and physical fitness beyond that able to be achieved by Greg and I.

The chorus (remembering this is like trying to think through a good Maine fog) goes something like this:

Shake your booty, shake shake
Shake your booty, shake shake
Shake, shake, shake

So it’s not that difficult to learn.

Especially, being a new release, and as I mentioned, ahead of it’s musical release, we had to watch it a lot of times. I mean a lot of times. The prop was very proud that he’d managed to get a copy. At the start of the video there was a nasty, high volume beep – penetrating and excruciating – and each time it occurred we mirrored the owner’s comment “a necessary evil”.

Rum punching with us were some cheerful and funny Norwegians (another stereotype shattered). They were a poker club, that instead of gambling for money, seemed to gamble for mojo. Still, the money they would have lost they put into a kitty, and at the end of the – what do you call it? – poker season I suppose – they spent the money on a yacht charter in the Grenadines. The funny thing is the losing half have to do all the work and the winning half just chill out and demand another icy cold Hairoun. All good fun.

We have a VIP showing up this week – Kady in from London.

10 January 08 (running a bit behind given very poor access to the net)

Much later (in fact in a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur 30 Aug 08): this may link to it....