Blogs from Trinidad & Tobago, Central America Caribbean

Tobago Blog 17th January 2020 The island of Tobago is part of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the most southerly and our next port of call after our extended stay in Bridgetown, Barbados. Sailing overnight we arrived for a short stay on this idyllic island. Tobago has had a chequered history since being discovered by Christopher Columbus, after much fighting mainly between the Dutch and French the island was eventually ceded to Britain in 1814. In 1888 Tobago was joined by its larger island of Trinidad and independence was achieved and in 1962 the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was borne. Tourism is the islands main income and this is apparent in the capital city of Scarborough where we berthed. There was a lot of competition for our custom at the port gates whether to ... read more

Saturday August 3 - I woke up before 6am, thought about going back to bed, and then remembered that I could check-in for my flight at 6:20. I decided to do that to make sure I could get the best seat for my flights tomorrow. After that, there was definitely no going back to sleep. It was also raining, and I had seen that today was likely the rainiest of the days I would be here. We were supposed to leave at 9am, but postponed until 10am to see what happened with the weather. Luckily it got better and we decided to leave at 10am. Our first stop was Mt St Benedict’s Monastery. It has good views, and was interesting to see, but I’m glad I didn’t make a whole day trip of it on my ... read more

Wednesday July 31 - I went to bed too late last night, chatting with my friend Niki, and did not sleep well all night. I finally got up at 6:30, despite setting my alarm for 7:00. I had breakfast, chatted with Jeroen and got ready for the day. Ally and I were supposed to leave at 8:00 but she was running a bit behind and we left at 8:30. We drove up to Asa Wright Nature Center, and on the way Ally showed me where I’ll need to get out of the bus when I head to another destination on my own in the near future, which was really handy. It took a while to drive there, and we had a good chat along the way. When we arrived, we both changed our shoes, and I ... read more

Monday July 29 - The flight to Trinidad was only 30 minutes, so I barely got any reading done. Immigration was fast and then I had to walk to baggage claim. This is the largest airport I’ve been in in the Caribbean. I stopped to change money, but felt their rate was crap, so skipped it for a future date with an ATM. I also stopped in a bathroom, and by the time I got to baggage claim, I figured I’d still have to wait a bit, since the conveyor belt wasn’t moving. But then I noticed there was no one standing around, and then I saw my bag sitting next to the conveyor belt. That must have come out lightning quick. The customs line was a bit long, but it went quickly. Then I was ... read more

T n' T - sounds like an explosive combination? Well, rest assured that after the multiple hi jinx of Trinidad carnival, the smaller of the two islands Tobago may well provide just the ticket when it comes to that soul-soothing comedown which will set the pulse rate back to something resembling normality. Tobago is famed for having the nation's greatest beaches, friendly inhabitants, and a couple of features which attempt to slot it into the paradise category which residents and visitors alike can easily associate it with. The main cluster of hotels and tourist-oriented hubbub can be found in the airport's neighbouring settlement of Crown Point which, although not coastal, is a convenient enough area to be based whilst enjoying the fruits of the amenities the island has to offer. The island's only town of any ... read more

Listen up y'all, what we have here is an extraordinarily special public event for which the entire nation is famed. It takes place once in the annual calendar, but preparations for it occupy the main bulk of time in between, and by the time the event is upon us, nobody has any right to hold back on the celebrations - folks, it's time to usher in the multiple tropical-coated delights of Trinidad carnival! Needless to say, flight and hotel bookings need to be made as far in advance as possible in order not to fall into the trap of inflated prices and limited selection, and then, for all the budding up-for-anything participants, it is time to go online and take your pick from the variety of mas(querade) bands on offer so as to be able to ... read more