Everyone knows about the famous Rio Carnival where samba schools vie for first place in a competition of floats and parading dancers. Tickets for seats in the Sambadrome where the parade culminates cost up to $200 and the crowds of revellers attract the seedier element of the city – scam artists, thieves and drug dealers. Luckily, I’m not in Rio for carnival. In fact, I’m not even in Brazil. However, I’m fortunate to discover a much more local carnival in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana.

Prior to the main event, the streets are deserted and most of the businesses in the city are closed. This is mainly as the parade will pass along the narrow streets which will become crowded with families and a few foreigners. I walk the short distance from my hotel to the central park which has been surrounded with metal barriers and can only be…