Tobago

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We arrived in Tobago during the evening and we were met by Cecilia’s dad’s cousin and his wife. Courteous and kind, they invited us to stay with them for our duration in Tobago.
We spent our first day looking around Golden Lane village and seeing the land that Cecilia’s family owned. The village was situated on a hilltop, which gave good views of the surrounding countryside. We also visited the village’s beach down below. It was small and mainly used by fishermen. The village is set in tropical forest, complete with an ancient tree where tails of local legend are as common as the plant life growing from this giant. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the scenic St George fort perched on a cliff edge in the island’s capital Scarborough and finding a pan yard. The pan yard visit was pretty interesting. It’s where craftsmen turn old oil drums into steel pans and where tuners tune them into the instruments we all know. Unfortunately we wouldn’t see any rehearsals for carnival as they hadn’t started yet. The pan yards were stacked to the ceiling and it was interesting to see how they were made. This island is so laid back, it’s small so most people actually know each other, so stopping while driving to say ‘alright’ is a regular occurrence. It’s a place that has its own pace of life which is about as relaxed as things get!
We spent a day travelling around the island (it’s that small), visiting the different areas and towns that are scattered around. It’s a very beautiful place with varied landscapes of hilly tropical regions, rocky bays, flat grasslands and magical palm-lined sandy beaches and coral-reefed shallow waters. At Englishman’s Bay we helped the locals pull in the fishing net and the morning’s catch. We got amazing panoramic views from Mt Dillon, ate fresh fish in Bloody Bay and relaxed in Speyside. We ate well during our visit, all fresh locally grown produce - fruit and vegetables rich in colour, flavour and texture. An island of ideological proportions!
Our last trip would take us to that beach that we all dream about. It’s a slice of Caribbean paradise where soft white sands are sheltered by flat coconut-palm fringed lands, where crystal-clear calm warm waters meet coral-lined bays and where the pace of life only just about ticks over - Tobago’s Pigeon Point. It doesn’t sound particularly idyllic but then you should never judge a book.....
We laid on the beach, cooled off in the tranquil waters and sought the shade of the palm trees. An afternoon trip over the vast coral reef in a glass-bottomed boat gave us the opportunity to admire the island from the water. Thoughts of Caribbean yachting adventures soon came to mind!!
We spent the evening atop one of Tobago’s many hills watching a perfect Caribbean sunset. We talked to Cecilia’s family (as well as other islanders of course!) about how you can leave doors/windows open and just go out. Sounds good hey?
The next day we had to leave at the crack of dawn and take the ferry back to Trinidad and Port of Spain. Cecilia had to pick up a new passport so I waited in a cafe with the bags. During this time I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with a local man who claimed he was from Canada. He was intent on getting my email address so we could start up a clothes/money/drug trafficking racket. One of those conversations that I’m glad to remember!

Armed with a new passport we tried to get back into the centre of town. This started to prove difficult and we found ourselves in the street with our bags trying to find transport back to the centre of town. Unannounced, a car pulled up and a sweet old lady offered us a lift. Slightly gobsmacked, we gladly accepted. She offered to take us whereever we needed to go. It was a big stroke of luck, because as soon as we got into the car did the heavens open! In her younger years the kind woman and her husband had gone travelling themselves. She said we looked like we could do with a favour and knew exactly what sort of situations you can end up in while away from home. We all chatted about ‘life on the road’ and found out she has children at university in England. It was one of those special experiences as well as a breath of fresh air.
After sourcing US dollars for our planned return to Venezuela we met more of Cecilia’s family and found ourselves being whisked off to another part of the country! We attended a local party, which gave Cecilia the chance to meet more family members for the first time, including her dad’s sister.
We were given a lift back to the airport to board our flight back to South America.
Full Photos on Flickr

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