Ms. Alida Pageant – Free At Last in Suriname, South America

Written by Carolyn Proctor


Ms. Alida Pageant – Free At Last in Suriname, South America

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Before a slave woman ran away intorepparttar jungle from an eighteenth-century Suriname sugar plantation, she wove rice into her hair so that she would have something to plant. Under her breasts and her skirts she hid a piece of cloth, a kitchen knife, some thread or a spoon -anything of practical use that she could successfully carry away into an unknown new life fraught with uncertainty and danger. (Photo above: Miss Alida 2003 is Joan Dogojo.)

This was a time referred to by historians as "the golden age of Suriname" because ofrepparttar 133665 wealth exported inrepparttar 133666 form of sugar, coffee, cotton, tobacco and timber. Plantation life under Dutch colonial rule was hideous for black men, women, and children. The Dutch were such cruel slave masters that, to keep their own slaves inline, American planters threatened them with sale to a Dutchman. Slaves who fled intorepparttar 133667 jungle were known as Maroons, fromrepparttar 133668 French word marronage, or runaway.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863. Today, on July 1,repparttar 133669 descendents of these Maroons celebrate their independence. This day of dancing, eating, parading and dressing inrepparttar 133670 traditional koto, is called Keti Koti, fromrepparttar 133671 Sranan Tongo words for "cutrepparttar 133672 chains".

The koto is a voluminous form of dress designed by slave women to hide their figures fromrepparttar 133673 attention of lustful white planters. A wide tube of cotton fabric is hardened with starch made fromrepparttar 133674 casaba root. It is lowered overrepparttar 133675 head, and gathered underrepparttar 133676 breasts where it is tied. The portion of fabric aboverepparttar 133677 tie is rolled down towardsrepparttar 133678 waist. Sometimes additional gathered cloth is worn underrepparttar 133679 back ofrepparttar 133680 skirt. Overrepparttar 133681 shoulders is worn a short cape, tied in front. Matching fabric -repparttar 133682 anisa - is tied aroundrepparttar 133683 head in various styles, sometimes signifying a message or personal statement. A woman wearing such a koto dress is referred to as a "koto misi".

San Juan Islands Friday Harbor Inn

Written by Pam


San Juan Islands Friday Harbor Inn

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If you're looking for a getaway, an island is always a great place to start. On rural islands, there is a thing that I call "island time." I'm sure someone else coined that phrase, but it basically means thatrepparttar frantic pace ofrepparttar 133664 city gets left behind as soon as you step ontorepparttar 133665 ferry. In Friday Harbor, Washington on San Juan Island, it's a little harder to sense island time because Friday Harbor is touristier than other places inrepparttar 133666 San Juan archipelago. There's even a movie theater and a shopping district.

But if you wantrepparttar 133667 best of both worlds -- a bit of island time while still having things to do when rusticity and quiet get to be too much for you, then Friday's Historic Inn (built in1891) might be a good place to start. It's quiet and tranquil while still being only two blocks fromrepparttar 133668 ferry terminal and next door to restaurants and shops.

The owners have menus from allrepparttar 133669 local restaurants and can point you torepparttar 133670 best restaurant for your mood or diet. Since I was on a high protein diet that week, they sent me to a place calledrepparttar 133671 Back Door Kitchen, which not only had wonderful food, but helped me figure out what I could order and how I could swap things around on their menu to get a nice meal without too many carbs forrepparttar 133672 same price.

Here you'll find rooms from $90 to $255 a night -- all decorated with handmade furniture from driftwood found on local beaches. My room had a driftwood headboard, but other rooms had more elaborate touches. The lobby/parlor is decorated with a hand-stamped tin ceiling (reproduction) and boasts a book and movie lending library as well as a fireplace and comfy couches.

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