It was my pleasure to introduce Yati this year to the famous Notting Hill Carnival. It's Europe's largest street festival, and the second largest in the world after the Carnival in Rio De Janeiro. I've always had a good time there which is odd, considering media coverage of the event is largely negative, focussing only on the heavy police presence(4000 police) , how many people were arrested (208), stabbed(1), shot (2), robbed etc
It's a really colourful event. I just love the floats. Soca, Calypso and Samba music blares out from huge speakers. If you get close to them, you can feel the Bass vibrating through your body! There are the Steel drum bands which are a personal favourite. Though there was strong competition this year from a large group of drummers - must have been about 100 of them, in a 'batteria'. The crowds just loved them
Then there's the brightly coloured, garish and outlandish costumes - women wearing the skimpiest bikini's ever. What always gets me is the larger women, who have probably been persuaded by their skinny friends to wear the same outfit. The amount of confidence these women exude is amazing. I wouldn't be caught dead in any one of those costumes. There's one woman whom we couldn't quite figure whether she was pregnant or was that just a large stomach? 
All over the place is the lovely aroma of Caribbean cooking. Barbeques going with Jerk chicken and Curry goat! I bought myself a large portion of Jerk Chicken and washed it down with tasty rum punch.
It was nice to see other nationalities represented at the Carnival including this Chinese one - not as colourful or as lively as the other floats that had thumping music and crowds 'WIIIIIINDING!!!!'
Being me, I never pass up the opportunity to scout for good looking men in London (and some not so good looking hehe) 
Definitely a great time and looking forward to next year's one.
