Blogs from Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago, Central America Caribbean - page 4

When you think of Trinidad, 2 of the things that will most likely come to mind are steel pan music and Angostura aromatic bitters. So what better way to spend a day then learning the secrets (well some of the secrets) of these 2 truly Trinidadian things. Our day started with Jesse picking us up and taking us to a steel pan factory. This factory consisted of a 4 posted pavilion about 10’x 10’ covered with corrugated tin connected to a shipping container. Tony, the owner and operator of this pan factory, was very informative not only about the actually making of the pan, but the history of how the pan came to be. Between 1838 and 1883, the beating of skin drums was an integral part of Carnival celebrations. When a ban on all drum-beating ... read more

Magnificent, lush, green, wet, alive, elegant, relaxing, serene, and vivid are all words that could be used to describe our trip to Asa Wright Nature Reserve in Trinidad. We signed up for an overnight trip to stay at the Asa Wright Nature Reserve. The trip began on Saturday, October 15th at 9:30 AM when we climbed into a van driven by Jesse James, Trinidad tour guide supreme. We heard Jesse’s name from other cruisers hundreds of miles before we even got to Trinidad. For the cruising community he is Trinidad’s number 1 ambassador. His business, Members Only, caters predominantly to cruisers. His primary business is providing transportation to shops but he also is a source of information and assistance - everything from where can I get this part for my boat to emergency medical assistance. The ... read more

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we made it back to Trinidad safe and sound. We left the Albany airport by van operated by Premiere Services with our trusty driver, Joseph. It was great leaving the driving to him. We had a great time visiting with Sonja, an Argentinean. She is a biologist who works in a government lab testing drugs. Our discussion covered politics, education and life in her home, Buenos Aries. Due to our flight being very early the next morning, we stayed overnight in a hotel near JFK. Neither of us had lunch on the trip down so went for a walk and to our amazement found a restaurant that specialized in food from Trinidad. At 3AM Wednesday morning we took the hotel shuttle to the airport for our 5:40AM ... read more

Port of Spain is basically closed on weekends but took advantage of low crowds to tour city centre; Brian Lara Promenarde and Queens Park, Savanna, a huge green space that dominates Port of Spain. Tried the local foods, Roti, Doubles and reputedly the best Bake and Shark from Richards at Macarus Bay. In retropect shouldn't have sampled as many of the sides/sauces on offer; hot hot, hot; but very good.... read more

Suddenly I am that young man of 21 again, who travels on the cruiseship 'Oranje' from Amsterdam to Paramaribo. The humid flavors of the Caribbean Sea, the flat water, orange coloured by the sun, disappearing behind the green mountains and the soft cool wind evoke strong feelings from 42 years ago. It is one of those rare moments in life that you submerge in time, meanwhile knowing what is still to come: the lucky moments but also the disappointments. But I am not on the Oranje and I am not on my way to Suriname. I am on the boat of Pier 1 Cruises, which cruises the sea from Guiria in Venezuela to Chaguaramos on Trinidad. The land we see is not the coast of Suriname, but the most western part of Venezuela, the peninsula of ... read more