Blogs from Trinidad & Tobago, Central America Caribbean - page 6

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“No one moves, nobody gets hurt” No, this isn’t a robbery; it is what we hear on the VHF (radio) every time a storm is upon us while in our current location. We aren’t sure who in the area is saying it, but it gives us something to smile about. What does the message mean? Well, those of you that have been at anchor in a busy anchorage will understand. When the wind picks up just before a rainstorm, everyone first battens down the hatches (literally we close the hatches) but we also keep an eye out to be sure that we don’t drag anchor or get too close to any other boats located in the anchorage. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when the storm has passed and “no one moved and therefore no one ... read more
A closer look
Our view
The dominoes at play


It was a very busy week. Wednesday, Oct 26th we went to the village of Felicity to participate in the Hindu Festival of Lights (Divali). Friday we went to the Queens Hall in the capital city of Port of Spain to listen to 7 steel pan bands compete for a 150,000 TT prize (6TT= $1). Queens Hall is an excellent auditorium with great acoustics that opened in 1969. The audience was dressed to the nines with their elegant evening wear for this evening of music. The cruisers that attended stood out a little because as you might imagine we don’t carry evening wear on our boats – some did better than others, but luckily that didn’t make a difference. The evening was filled with talented musicians of all ages. It was great to see many of ... read more
The symbol says it all
Steelpan Jazz Competion
A great musician


Just a quick note to clarify an earlier blog. We talked about our trip to learn about Angostura Bitters, but due to a very astute blog follower we realized that we never told what it was!! This is what happens when you become familiar with something - you forget that others may not know. In learning the history about this product we found that it was first developed by a German doctor as a medication for stomach troubles. Soon after its development some people found that they actually enjoyed the taste of bitters. It then started to be marketed for use as a flavoring for many dishes. The most commonly known use is by bartenders in adding it to punches and other alcoholic drinks. It is also known to be used as a flavoring in cakes, ... read more


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
The "factory"
Tools of the Trade
Note Templates


According to the great Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’, Denali is believed to be the time when Lord Rama defeated and killed the evil King Ravana and after passing a period of fourteen years in exile returned to his capital Ayodhya on a new moon day of the Kartik season with wife Sita and brother Lakshman. This homecoming of Lord Rama is celebrated with lights, fireworks, and merriment. The tradition continues to this day where huge effigies of Ravana are burned symbolizing Lord Rama's vanquishing of the demon king. The idols of Goddess Lakshmi, the symbol of wealth and prosperity and Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, are worshipped in most Hindu homes on this day. “Denali or 'Deepawali',as it is known is the Festival of Lights. The people light up the ... read more
The same entrance later that night
Hindu view of women
Dressed for the occasion


A Taste of Trini Eating our way around the island, what a novel approach to touring. Thanks to Jesse James, our guide and a world-class eater in his own right, we had a fabulous day. We left on our trip at 9AM and when we returned to the marina at 7PM we determined that we had tried approximately 24 new foods (give or take 1 or 2). It was a great introduction to some of the local foods while still learning lots more about this great country. The day was full of laughs, great food and all of our purchases supported local vendors. We started the day with Jesse asking who had not tasted doubles. Bob was the only “doubles” virgin in the whole bus, and Jesse was amazed. This is quite messy to eat, but ... read more
Satellite TV is everywhere
Inside the cocoa bean
Coffee Beans fresh on the tree


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
What was being grown here?
The main house
Asa Wright Mission Statement


It is Wednesday, October 12th and we are back in the water as of Monday, Hooray! What a great feeling it is. It is hard to believe that we have been back in Trinidad for a couple of weeks already (time flies when you’re having fun). We had work done on the boat while we were away in the U.S.A. but most of the work was not complete. That was not a bad thing as we were here to see some of the work being done and get to know the workmen. We were fortunate to be able stay in an apartment at the boatyard while waiting for the work to be completed. We were only going to stay for a day or two, but found out that it was open for the time we had ... read more
What an Operator
Crabs or Sugar Cane Anyone?
Buying Live Crabs


A rainy day at home. The sound of rain on the deck, the gentle rocking of the boat, time to read. A time to relax. then at quickly as it started, it ends. Now it is time to continue putting away those things we brought from the US, get re-acquinted with our home and try to scratch off some of those items on the "to do list". The rainy season has its benefits!... 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
Trini food in NYC
Returning to Trinidad
Port of Spain - easy entry




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