Trinidad
- the ferry from Venezuela to Trinidad is run by Trinidadians ... as we leave Venezuela behind, we also say goodbye to speaking Spanish ... we get hot dogs and they come with homemade pepper sauce ... things are good
- the upper level of the ferry is out in the open, and they have good music pumping out of big speakers ... we spend most of our time up there, watching some of the crew dancing with some of the female passengers (we´re assuming they already knew each other)
- night falls, and we approach Trinidad, getting a fantastic skyline of lights along the coastline of Port of Spain
- we then turn north and dock in Chaguaramas ... we have to do another customs check as we exit the boat ... thankfully, they don´t ask us for proof of departure
- we get off the boat, and form another line for a dog to come sniff our bags ... then we have to form yet another line, this time for bag inspection
- they go through our bags pretty thoroughly, and Isaac almost loses his sleeping bag in the process (it dropped and rolled away)
- finally we get out and head to the parking lot, where we are met by my mom´s friend Caramae and her friend Michael ... big hugs with Caramae - haven´t seen her in way too many years, after having spent time with her fairly often when growing up as a kid
- we get our bags in the boot of Michael´s car, and we´re off ... officially in Trinidad, and officially driving on the left side of the road
- we head to St. James, where Michael takes us to an outdoor night-time roti shop (turns out roti at night is practically impossible to get in Trinidad ... other than in St. James) ... he knows the people who run the shop, and he hooks us up with super delicious beef roti, and so begins sensory overload on all the amazing foods of T&T!
- Michael drives Caramae off to swap over to her car, and Isaac and I grab a Carib to wash down the food ("a beer IS a Carib")
- Caramae returns to pick us up, and we head to her house in Curepe ... there we are greeted by Caramae´s daughter Zoe ... great big hugs again ... and then we take our bags inside and get settled
- next, Zoe takes us out for late-night doubles in Curepe ... again, delicious!
- back at the house, it´s Royal Oak rum with Coke, while we all chat and eventually watch a movie before going to bed fairly late
- next day, we don´t get up until close to noon (was there a time change in there somewhere?)
- after a bit of Zoe´s homemade marcaroni pie and Caramae´s homemade calaloo (not to mention some spicy fried channa), we head out with Caramae and drive to Port of Spain to try to get visas for Suriname and Brazil
- on the way, we make a quick stop at a strip mall to hit a bank machine and get passport photos taken
- we find both consulates, but it turns out neither of them process visa applications in the afternoon (oops) ... we are at least able to get an application form for Suriname
- it´s too early to head back home (traffic out of Port of Spain is apparently ridiculous at the best of times), so we take a tour of Movietowne, which apparently is the place to be ... movie theatres, restaurants, bars, shops, etc.
- we head to the Fiesta Plaza section at the back, where there is a big courtyard with outdoor seating for several surrounding restaurants ... we settle on the Irish restaurant J Malone´s
- beers / drinks later, enough time has passed that we can head back to Curepe ... when we get back, Zoe takes us to KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) ... I remember their spicy chicken being better than any fried chicken I´ve had, and for many years, one KFC in Port of Spain was the top selling KFC worldwide!
- so we head to one KFC, but it´s packed ... so we opt for a different one and get some spicy chicken ... which turns out to be just so-so (the pepper sauce out of a pump bottle was very good though) ... Zoe is confident the reason the chicken wasn´t better is that we went to the wrong location ... either way, that was the beginning and end of our KFC experience
- no sleeping in the next day, so we had an early night
- next day, we get moving at a decent hour ... first stop is the Suriname consulate ... the people there are very nice, and even though we had been told the application could take up to 3 days, they process our visas right there and then ... only catch is that we have to pay for the visa at a specific Scotia Bank (and then return with proof of payment)
- we hit the bank and may our payment ... then we grab lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant that Caramae knew to be very popular
- back at the consulate, we gave them our proof of payment, and we left the building with pretty new visas attached to our passports
- we then hit the Brazil consulate again, knowing they wouldn´t take our visa applications, but we were at least able to pick up the forms, and get a few questions answered (like how long it would take, how much it would cost, etc.)
- turns out for the application, we absolutely need proof of entry into Brazil (and not exit??) ... since we planned to enter the country by some random boat from French Guyana, we needed to doctor up some fake itineraries, "prooving" we´d be flying into Brazil ... luckily, we were able to get help from Kate (same Kate that joined us for a bit in Colombia) ... she works at a travel agency, and she was able to create "authentic" travel documents for us ... fantastic!
- after the consulate, it was once again too early to head into that Port of Spain traffic ... this time we went to a mall, and Isaac found a new pair of much needed shoes at the Puma Store
- after shopping, we hit St. James again, this time for incredibly yummy and incredibly cheap homemade ice cream
- back in Curepe, Zoe then took Isaac and me to get (desperately needed) haircuts from a local hairdress she knows
- when we got back to the house, Zak (Caramae´s son) was there with his friend Talia ... big hugs and sorrel shandies later, Zak, Talia, Zoe, Isaac and myself go out to Ruby Tuesday´s for "one drink" (turns out if you aren´t at Movie Towne, you´re either at Ruby Tuesday´s or T.G.I. Fridays ... then again, there´s a Ruby Tuesday´s at Movietowne too!)
- one drink quickly becomes three or four, and suddenly it´s getting late, we Isaac and I still need to head south to San Fernando, because we´re going to be staying there with my uncle Gary!
- Caramae and Zoe drive us to San Fernando, and with a bit of cell phone direction from Gary, we´re able to find the house in Vistabella ... where we are greeted by my uncle and his girlfriend, Gabby (and an endless supply of some of the best mangoes ever, growing in abundance in their back yard)
- we say goodbye to Caramae and Zoe, crack open a bottle of Black Label rum, and sit and chat and listen to music outside, in a sitting area under the house
- next thing we know, it´s after 3am, and we´re all ready to go to sleep ... and that´s when Gary´s daughter, Denisha (visiting from Florida) comes home buzzing with energy from a night of clubbing at a place called Space (apparently has the look and feel of a spaceship) ... so a quick hello to my cousin, and then we´re all off to bed
- next day, we get up in time for brunch ... we all head to neighbouring Mirabella, where there´s a restaurant that has a great selection of Trinidadian foods ... I get curried potatoes and curried goat to go with bus-up-shut roti (and homemade pepper sauce of course ... always!)
- after the meal, we hit the grocery store to stock up on snack foods and beverages (Peardrax, sorrel, solo banana, etc.)
- back at the house, we chilled out unti the evening came ... then we all went to the Naparima Bowl for a dance performance (Gabby had scored us all free tickets) ... we were all hoping for some authentic local dancing, but we wound up getting mostly contemporary ballet (and not very good at that) ... at least the show was free! And we also got to meet a couple of Gabby´s coworkers (who were a riot) and their kids
- after the show, we headed to downtown San Fernando to the area with all the bars and popular restaurants ... there we got out at a long stretch of food stands, and we got super yummy bake and shark sandwiches
- back at the house, Gary hung out with us for a bit before we all called it a night and went to bed
- next morning, Gabby made us breakfast of eggs sausage and toast ... then she took us out to do some visiting
- first stop was to see my grandmother, who lives just a few minutes away ... granny was looking great, and we had a very nice visit on the front porch, and then later in the kitchen (with a snack and a drink) ... she also gave Isaac fold-up maps of Trinidad and Tobago, to help him with his bearings
- next stop was a short drive over to see my Tanty Kim (my grandma´s sister) ... Kim was also looking great, and completely full of energy
- Kim is blind, but you´d never guess it the way she gets along in her house ... Gabby needed Kim to sign a piece of paper, and Kim seriously has better handwriting than I do! (not that that´s saying much really)
- cousin Sheila was over helping with things, so I met her, and she made aloo pie for us to go with the freshly squeezed orange juice Kim had made that morning
- after another nice porch visit, we headed back to the house, where we didn´t do too much for the rest of the day, but I did clean up Gary´s laptop, while Isaac worked on Denisha´s ... they are both now happily able to download music via torrents
- for dinner, Gabby made pelau with pig´s tail ... tasty stuff ... the rest of the night was more time on the patio, chatting and listening to music
- next day, Gabby headed off to work ... but she left lunch already made for us ... super yummy ox-tail and dumpling soup
- Gary gave us a bit of a tour of all the renovations he´s done to the house ... the house looks amazing, and it sounds like it´s come a long way from how it was before the renovations began ... we also had a visit from Denissia, one of Gary and Gabby´s neighbours
- as evening approached, Lana came by to pick us up and take us out ... Lana is the neice of a good friend of my mom (and of Caramae) ... I´d never met Lana before, but my parents were quite insistent I call her and arrange to get together ... well good thing they did, because Lana is a beautiful and fun bundle of energy (who apparently never goes out)
- introductions are made, and we head off to pick up her friend La Toya (who is in town from Belgium, visiting her family)
- the four of us head to T.G.I. Friday´s (at least we never went to a Tuesday´s on a Tuesday, nor a Friday´s on a Friday) ... where we get drinks and eats and start shooting the breeze about anything and everything ... and everyone has a really great time ... and next thing you know, it´s late and we have to go, because Lana has to get up early in the morning to go to work
- so next day comes, and Lana comes by the house, bringing us roti for lunch (Gabby had also made cow-heel soup, which I liked, but Isaac wasn´t into)
- Lana visited for a while, then headed back to work for a fairly short afternoon ... when she was done, she came back to the house to pick us up to head up north ... she dropped us off at Movietowne, while she continued on to her night-time work meeting at the Radisson (two minutes away)
- Isaac and I headed to Fiesta Plaza, and got outdoor seats at Woodford Cafe ... there we were met by Zak ... we´d come to see his buddy sing later in the evening
- turns out Zak spends way too much time at Woodford Cafe ... he seemed to know everyone, including some of the staff (then again, I suppose the same can be said of Isaac and myself in certain bars in Portland)
- what Zak didn´t know is that Woodford Cafe has beer flutes / bongs (same idea as we experienced in Bogota) ... so we happily introduced him to the concept
- our devil-sent waitress kept coming up to chat with us, with the objective of selling us shots ... we kept saying no until Zak´s friend Zola joined us, and in a moment of group weakness, we caved in and regretted it for the rest of the evening
- eventually, the show started, so we all moved inside to hear Zak´s friend sing ... we were eventually joined by Zoe (who had been out with her uncle for dinner) ... and then later by Lana, after her meeting ended
- we watched the show for a bit, but we had a long ride home, and an early morning ahead of us, so we said goodbye to Zak and Zoe, and then Lana dropped us home at Gary´s
- the upper level of the ferry is out in the open, and they have good music pumping out of big speakers ... we spend most of our time up there, watching some of the crew dancing with some of the female passengers (we´re assuming they already knew each other)
- night falls, and we approach Trinidad, getting a fantastic skyline of lights along the coastline of Port of Spain
- we then turn north and dock in Chaguaramas ... we have to do another customs check as we exit the boat ... thankfully, they don´t ask us for proof of departure
- we get off the boat, and form another line for a dog to come sniff our bags ... then we have to form yet another line, this time for bag inspection
- they go through our bags pretty thoroughly, and Isaac almost loses his sleeping bag in the process (it dropped and rolled away)
- finally we get out and head to the parking lot, where we are met by my mom´s friend Caramae and her friend Michael ... big hugs with Caramae - haven´t seen her in way too many years, after having spent time with her fairly often when growing up as a kid
- we get our bags in the boot of Michael´s car, and we´re off ... officially in Trinidad, and officially driving on the left side of the road
- we head to St. James, where Michael takes us to an outdoor night-time roti shop (turns out roti at night is practically impossible to get in Trinidad ... other than in St. James) ... he knows the people who run the shop, and he hooks us up with super delicious beef roti, and so begins sensory overload on all the amazing foods of T&T!
- Michael drives Caramae off to swap over to her car, and Isaac and I grab a Carib to wash down the food ("a beer IS a Carib")
- Caramae returns to pick us up, and we head to her house in Curepe ... there we are greeted by Caramae´s daughter Zoe ... great big hugs again ... and then we take our bags inside and get settled
- next, Zoe takes us out for late-night doubles in Curepe ... again, delicious!
- back at the house, it´s Royal Oak rum with Coke, while we all chat and eventually watch a movie before going to bed fairly late
- next day, we don´t get up until close to noon (was there a time change in there somewhere?)
- after a bit of Zoe´s homemade marcaroni pie and Caramae´s homemade calaloo (not to mention some spicy fried channa), we head out with Caramae and drive to Port of Spain to try to get visas for Suriname and Brazil
- on the way, we make a quick stop at a strip mall to hit a bank machine and get passport photos taken
- we find both consulates, but it turns out neither of them process visa applications in the afternoon (oops) ... we are at least able to get an application form for Suriname
- it´s too early to head back home (traffic out of Port of Spain is apparently ridiculous at the best of times), so we take a tour of Movietowne, which apparently is the place to be ... movie theatres, restaurants, bars, shops, etc.
- we head to the Fiesta Plaza section at the back, where there is a big courtyard with outdoor seating for several surrounding restaurants ... we settle on the Irish restaurant J Malone´s
- beers / drinks later, enough time has passed that we can head back to Curepe ... when we get back, Zoe takes us to KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) ... I remember their spicy chicken being better than any fried chicken I´ve had, and for many years, one KFC in Port of Spain was the top selling KFC worldwide!
- so we head to one KFC, but it´s packed ... so we opt for a different one and get some spicy chicken ... which turns out to be just so-so (the pepper sauce out of a pump bottle was very good though) ... Zoe is confident the reason the chicken wasn´t better is that we went to the wrong location ... either way, that was the beginning and end of our KFC experience
- no sleeping in the next day, so we had an early night
- next day, we get moving at a decent hour ... first stop is the Suriname consulate ... the people there are very nice, and even though we had been told the application could take up to 3 days, they process our visas right there and then ... only catch is that we have to pay for the visa at a specific Scotia Bank (and then return with proof of payment)
- we hit the bank and may our payment ... then we grab lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant that Caramae knew to be very popular
- back at the consulate, we gave them our proof of payment, and we left the building with pretty new visas attached to our passports
- we then hit the Brazil consulate again, knowing they wouldn´t take our visa applications, but we were at least able to pick up the forms, and get a few questions answered (like how long it would take, how much it would cost, etc.)
- turns out for the application, we absolutely need proof of entry into Brazil (and not exit??) ... since we planned to enter the country by some random boat from French Guyana, we needed to doctor up some fake itineraries, "prooving" we´d be flying into Brazil ... luckily, we were able to get help from Kate (same Kate that joined us for a bit in Colombia) ... she works at a travel agency, and she was able to create "authentic" travel documents for us ... fantastic!
- after the consulate, it was once again too early to head into that Port of Spain traffic ... this time we went to a mall, and Isaac found a new pair of much needed shoes at the Puma Store
- after shopping, we hit St. James again, this time for incredibly yummy and incredibly cheap homemade ice cream
- back in Curepe, Zoe then took Isaac and me to get (desperately needed) haircuts from a local hairdress she knows
- when we got back to the house, Zak (Caramae´s son) was there with his friend Talia ... big hugs and sorrel shandies later, Zak, Talia, Zoe, Isaac and myself go out to Ruby Tuesday´s for "one drink" (turns out if you aren´t at Movie Towne, you´re either at Ruby Tuesday´s or T.G.I. Fridays ... then again, there´s a Ruby Tuesday´s at Movietowne too!)
- one drink quickly becomes three or four, and suddenly it´s getting late, we Isaac and I still need to head south to San Fernando, because we´re going to be staying there with my uncle Gary!
- Caramae and Zoe drive us to San Fernando, and with a bit of cell phone direction from Gary, we´re able to find the house in Vistabella ... where we are greeted by my uncle and his girlfriend, Gabby (and an endless supply of some of the best mangoes ever, growing in abundance in their back yard)
- we say goodbye to Caramae and Zoe, crack open a bottle of Black Label rum, and sit and chat and listen to music outside, in a sitting area under the house
- next thing we know, it´s after 3am, and we´re all ready to go to sleep ... and that´s when Gary´s daughter, Denisha (visiting from Florida) comes home buzzing with energy from a night of clubbing at a place called Space (apparently has the look and feel of a spaceship) ... so a quick hello to my cousin, and then we´re all off to bed
- next day, we get up in time for brunch ... we all head to neighbouring Mirabella, where there´s a restaurant that has a great selection of Trinidadian foods ... I get curried potatoes and curried goat to go with bus-up-shut roti (and homemade pepper sauce of course ... always!)
- after the meal, we hit the grocery store to stock up on snack foods and beverages (Peardrax, sorrel, solo banana, etc.)
- back at the house, we chilled out unti the evening came ... then we all went to the Naparima Bowl for a dance performance (Gabby had scored us all free tickets) ... we were all hoping for some authentic local dancing, but we wound up getting mostly contemporary ballet (and not very good at that) ... at least the show was free! And we also got to meet a couple of Gabby´s coworkers (who were a riot) and their kids
- after the show, we headed to downtown San Fernando to the area with all the bars and popular restaurants ... there we got out at a long stretch of food stands, and we got super yummy bake and shark sandwiches
- back at the house, Gary hung out with us for a bit before we all called it a night and went to bed
- next morning, Gabby made us breakfast of eggs sausage and toast ... then she took us out to do some visiting
- first stop was to see my grandmother, who lives just a few minutes away ... granny was looking great, and we had a very nice visit on the front porch, and then later in the kitchen (with a snack and a drink) ... she also gave Isaac fold-up maps of Trinidad and Tobago, to help him with his bearings
- next stop was a short drive over to see my Tanty Kim (my grandma´s sister) ... Kim was also looking great, and completely full of energy
- Kim is blind, but you´d never guess it the way she gets along in her house ... Gabby needed Kim to sign a piece of paper, and Kim seriously has better handwriting than I do! (not that that´s saying much really)
- cousin Sheila was over helping with things, so I met her, and she made aloo pie for us to go with the freshly squeezed orange juice Kim had made that morning
- after another nice porch visit, we headed back to the house, where we didn´t do too much for the rest of the day, but I did clean up Gary´s laptop, while Isaac worked on Denisha´s ... they are both now happily able to download music via torrents
- for dinner, Gabby made pelau with pig´s tail ... tasty stuff ... the rest of the night was more time on the patio, chatting and listening to music
- next day, Gabby headed off to work ... but she left lunch already made for us ... super yummy ox-tail and dumpling soup
- Gary gave us a bit of a tour of all the renovations he´s done to the house ... the house looks amazing, and it sounds like it´s come a long way from how it was before the renovations began ... we also had a visit from Denissia, one of Gary and Gabby´s neighbours
- as evening approached, Lana came by to pick us up and take us out ... Lana is the neice of a good friend of my mom (and of Caramae) ... I´d never met Lana before, but my parents were quite insistent I call her and arrange to get together ... well good thing they did, because Lana is a beautiful and fun bundle of energy (who apparently never goes out)
- introductions are made, and we head off to pick up her friend La Toya (who is in town from Belgium, visiting her family)
- the four of us head to T.G.I. Friday´s (at least we never went to a Tuesday´s on a Tuesday, nor a Friday´s on a Friday) ... where we get drinks and eats and start shooting the breeze about anything and everything ... and everyone has a really great time ... and next thing you know, it´s late and we have to go, because Lana has to get up early in the morning to go to work
- so next day comes, and Lana comes by the house, bringing us roti for lunch (Gabby had also made cow-heel soup, which I liked, but Isaac wasn´t into)
- Lana visited for a while, then headed back to work for a fairly short afternoon ... when she was done, she came back to the house to pick us up to head up north ... she dropped us off at Movietowne, while she continued on to her night-time work meeting at the Radisson (two minutes away)
- Isaac and I headed to Fiesta Plaza, and got outdoor seats at Woodford Cafe ... there we were met by Zak ... we´d come to see his buddy sing later in the evening
- turns out Zak spends way too much time at Woodford Cafe ... he seemed to know everyone, including some of the staff (then again, I suppose the same can be said of Isaac and myself in certain bars in Portland)
- what Zak didn´t know is that Woodford Cafe has beer flutes / bongs (same idea as we experienced in Bogota) ... so we happily introduced him to the concept
- our devil-sent waitress kept coming up to chat with us, with the objective of selling us shots ... we kept saying no until Zak´s friend Zola joined us, and in a moment of group weakness, we caved in and regretted it for the rest of the evening
- eventually, the show started, so we all moved inside to hear Zak´s friend sing ... we were eventually joined by Zoe (who had been out with her uncle for dinner) ... and then later by Lana, after her meeting ended
- we watched the show for a bit, but we had a long ride home, and an early morning ahead of us, so we said goodbye to Zak and Zoe, and then Lana dropped us home at Gary´s
- EoW
Tobago- next morning, we got up early, with our bags packed
- we said our farewells to Gary, and drove off with Gabby ... she took us to the San Fernando Water Taxi Terminal
- after big thank yous and goodbyes, Gabby headed off to work, and Isaac and I got on a water taxi to Port of Spain ... the boat was quite bit and comfortable, and the trip was fairly quick and uneventful
- in Port of Spain, the water taxi let us off at the Breakfast Shed ... an eating area surrounded by several different kitchens offering various local foods ... we got fresh juice, and I had a Jamaican patty, while Isaac got macaroni pie and calaloo
- after our snack, we walked a couple of blocks to the Port of Spain Terminal, where we checked in for the ferry from Trinidad to Tobago ... this ferry was much bigger, with an entire level available for cars, and then an upper level for passengers, with a bar and a restaurant, and tv screens all over the place
- the ride took more than a couple of hours, but it was enjoyable ... it only started to suck when we arrived in Scarborough and they wouldn´t let us off the boat! At first, we thought there was an issue with the ramp, but after standing in line for several minutes, the speakers came on, and everyone was told to go back upstairs ... after at least half an hour of waiting, the speakers came on again and simply said, "you can go now, just please make sure to check in with your local health authority as soon as possible"!!! ... we never did get full details as to why we were delayed, nor did we ever check in with any health authority
- we got off the boat, got our bags, and headed for the taxis ... after a lot of haggling, we finally settled on a so-so price, and we headed off to towards Crown Point
- we had reservations at Kia´s Across from the Beach, so we got the taxi to drop us off exactly where Karen (who runs Kia´s) instructed us ... however, we couldn´t find Kia´s!! After a lot of searching, we find a sign hidden by some trees that indicated that the private property in front of us was in fact the guest-house ... only problem was that no one was there to greet us (even though Karen knew to expect us)
- luckily, a local was also looking for Karen ... he called her, and she showed up a few minutes later, saying she had just stepped away for a moment, and we must have just missed her
- overall, the house is pretty, and Karen is very friendly, but we weren´t in love with our room ... mosquitoes were a problem, and the beds weren´t very comfortable (mine even fell apart the first night, forcing us to reposition the wooden boards under the matress)
- still, we settled in, and the walked down the main road, getting a good idea of the different shops around us ... I had a flying fish sandwich, and we bought a bunch of food and drink supplies from Jimmy´s Mini-Mart (across the street from us)
- we spent the rest of the evening in our room, watching movies we´d already seen but loved ... including Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which we then started quoting at length ... this lasted for the rest of our time in T&T)
- next day, we headed to the beach ... it took about five minutes to walk to Store Bay ... it wasn´t exactly as I remembered it from years ago ... no big waves for bodysurfing (apparently that´s seasonal), and most of the beach was covered in lounge chairs under umbrellas ... but the sand and water were still spectacular
- we haggled a bit and got two long chairs and an umbrella for pretty cheap ... then we settled in for a day of sun and water ... it felt like ages since we´d last been on a beach, now it felt like we were in paradise
- the day passed quickly, but we left the beach feeling like we´d had a great day ... especially since we had several more beach days to look forward to
- we had noticed there was pretty much nowhere to buy booze to take home with you (i.e. the mini-mart didn´t sell alcohol) ... but Karen told us where to go to find a real grocery store ... so we headed out to the Penny Savers ... the walk took a while, but we were able to find beer and rum (Old Oak this time) ... it only started to suck on the walk back when the rains came ... and then it started to pour!
- we got back to our room drenched, but we had food and booze, so we were good for the rest of the night
- next day, we went back to Store Bay ... this day was cloudier, but we were still able to enjoy a few nice hours at the beach ... until the rain came in the later afternoon ... this sent us home, and since the rain persisted for several hours, we again stayed in, after restocking on essential "gourmet" food items like sausages and other meats from a can, and bread, and tuna, and mustard, and pepper sauce, and kurma, and channa, and salt prunes, and pringles, and ... etc.
- next day, there is a knock on the window to our room at 6:30am or so ... it´s Lana and Zoe!! They decided to come join us for the weekend, but were only able to get the crazy early morning flight out ... we had a room booked for them at Kia´s, but Karen was still sleeping at her house (not close to Kia´s) ... she wasn´t going to be there for a couple of hours, so the girls made another phone call, and got a room a short walk away, at a place called Candles by the Wind
- I got up (Isaac wasn´t about to get out of bed), and walked with the girls to their guest-house ... their room was more expensive than what we had at Kia´s, but it was also way better (at that time, what we were spending at Kia´s was the most we´d spent for any room on the trip, but this was merely the beginning of expensive rooms ahead of us)
- we hang out in the room for a while, watching the women´s final for Wimbledon ... but it gets boring after Serena wins the first set ... so I head back to Kia´s and Isaac and I get ready for the beach
- the girls do the same, and meet us at Kia´s ... then we all head to Store Bay ... the weather is great again, and the local have started to learn we aren´t interested in tours, and our guy with the beach chairs and umbrellas is ready for us
- Lana buys mango chow and pineapple chow and tamarind balls, and we´re treated to other local delights ... and then we have dumplings and gravy (curry sauce) for lunch ... yummy, yummy
- we take turns watching the bags and being in the water ... the girls try to stay out of the sun, Isaac tries to stay in it, and I opt for a mix of both ... we eventually get Lana to join us for some frisbee action ... as well as a bunch of local guys who keep begging us to throw the frisbee into their group so that they can battle over it
- eventually, the chair guy tells us it´s packing up time ... signalling the end of our beach day ... we head back to our guesthouses and make arrangements to meet up later
- night comes, and we meet up with the girls, and we head to the "happening night spot", according to Karen ... turns out to be a club with a dress code, and it doesn´t even open for a couple of hours!
- we bail on that idea, and Lana decided to go to the Chinese restaurant that she has been to twice before, and has had bad food from them both times!?? She gets wantons, thinking it´s almost impossible to mess those up ... well, they tasted edible ... but Lana has (finally) learned her lesson and will never get food from there again
- next we stopped at a too-touristy bar and we all had a much too-pricey cocktail that was mediocre at best ... try as we might to have a good evening, the island just wasn´t cooperating ... until we hit our next step . WYSIWYG ... a little bar on Pigeon Point Road
- the atmosphere here is friendlier and the prices are better ... the music is also really good ... we settle in, get drinks and a bit of food, and start to have a good time
- then things get crazy when a big group of Colombians join us ... they are hammered on Puncheon (screech), and they want to party ... more than anything, they want to know how to "wine", so we coax Lana and (especially) Zoe to teach them how to move their hips properly ... this leads to much laughter, and a lot of dancing ... and this continued for the rest of our night (the Colombians wound up going to the aforementioned club)
- after WYSIWYG, we drop the girls off at Candles, and head back to Kia´s and call it a night
- next day we check out of Kia´s and get a room at Candles ... it´s not as good as the room the girl´s got (apparently they got a deal, because it was the only room left at the time) ... but the room is a noticeable upgrade from Kia´s, and worth the extra money
- we all watch the men´s marathon Wimbledon final, and then the girls celebrate while Isaac and I (especially me) cry over the wrong person winning
- we head over to Pizza Boys for lunch ... we split a pretty tasty Hawaian pizza ... of course, the pepper sauce helps
- then we all head out for a lengthy walk to Pigeon Point ... turns out it´s some huge international food day, so there are many tents, live music, and a gazillion people at the beach
- unfortunately, the beach here is nothing like I remembered ... apparently a reef was put into the water to try to prevent people from entering the area for free ... but this reef was ruining the rest of the beach ... instead of the beautiful clear water I was expecting, the water was all cloudy and full of plant life ... a big disappointment
- still, we made the most of the afternoon, getting some sun, and all four of us playing frisbeen in the sand (Zoe insisted she´d suck at all, but she wound up being pretty good)
- we walked through the food area to check out the action, but most things were already sold out ... we had a drink at the bar section, then packed up to walk back to Candles
- on the way out of the parking lot, Zoe found a very expensive looking phone ... she called the first number, and it went to a girl in Trinidad ... that girl was able to track down the guy who had lost the phone, and he called and arranged to pick up his phone from Zoe and Candles
- by the time we get back to the guest-house, it´s already dark ... we go our separate ways to shower, etc. ... then we reconvene and head out for dinner ... before we left, the guy shows up to get his phone (and tries to forget his friend´s phone in the process)
- we wind up at a very posh restaurant just off of Pigeon Point Road (on Andrew´s recommendation ... the guy who runs Candles) ... the prices are up there, but not too extreme, and we´re all feeling up to a bit of indulgence
- the service was a bit lacking (as in the norm for T&T, according to Zoe and Lana), but the food was pretty tasty, and the drinks were very strong ... more importantly, the company was stellar, so we naturally had a fantastic dinner
- after food, we head back to Candles and sit at a table just outside the girls´room ... there we spend the rest of the night sitting by the table, listening to various iPods through Isaac´s portable speaker, and drinking the last of the rum we have
- next day, we head back to Store Bay ... it´s the last day for the girls, but the weather is gorgeous, and we make the most of the few hours we have, sun, water, chairs, umbrellas, food, and good conversation
- we´ve barely blinked, and it´s time to go ... a quick trip back to Candle´s to change and check out ... then we all walk to the airport (gotta love being able to walk to the airport!)
- we stop off for a quick drink, and then we are forced to say goodbye to Lana and Zoe ... they enter the depature area, and Isaac and I are left to walk back to Candles, feeling like something is missing ... as soon as the girls left, our energy level dropped, and our desire to party disappeared completely ... things just weren´t anywhere near as "fun" without them
- we wind up making use of the kitchen in Candles, having macaroni and cheese for dinner ... then we spent the rest of the evening chilling out in front of the tv (Knocked Up was on, which helped life our spirits some)
- the next three days followed a very similar routine ... Store Bay during the day (the beach was still awesome, and we weren´t sick of it in the slightest ... daily doses of sun, water and frisbee), followed by a bit of internet at the cafe that Lana pointed out to us on our way to the airport, followed by cooking something simple and cheap in the kitchen for dinner (and/or snacking on the other mini-mart foods we´d grown accustomed to) and chilling out in our room, doing a bunch of nothing exciting ... overall, our last three days in Tobago were all about the beach ... so the days were good, and the nights were completely uneventful
- we said our farewells to Gary, and drove off with Gabby ... she took us to the San Fernando Water Taxi Terminal
- after big thank yous and goodbyes, Gabby headed off to work, and Isaac and I got on a water taxi to Port of Spain ... the boat was quite bit and comfortable, and the trip was fairly quick and uneventful
- in Port of Spain, the water taxi let us off at the Breakfast Shed ... an eating area surrounded by several different kitchens offering various local foods ... we got fresh juice, and I had a Jamaican patty, while Isaac got macaroni pie and calaloo
- after our snack, we walked a couple of blocks to the Port of Spain Terminal, where we checked in for the ferry from Trinidad to Tobago ... this ferry was much bigger, with an entire level available for cars, and then an upper level for passengers, with a bar and a restaurant, and tv screens all over the place
- the ride took more than a couple of hours, but it was enjoyable ... it only started to suck when we arrived in Scarborough and they wouldn´t let us off the boat! At first, we thought there was an issue with the ramp, but after standing in line for several minutes, the speakers came on, and everyone was told to go back upstairs ... after at least half an hour of waiting, the speakers came on again and simply said, "you can go now, just please make sure to check in with your local health authority as soon as possible"!!! ... we never did get full details as to why we were delayed, nor did we ever check in with any health authority
- we got off the boat, got our bags, and headed for the taxis ... after a lot of haggling, we finally settled on a so-so price, and we headed off to towards Crown Point
- we had reservations at Kia´s Across from the Beach, so we got the taxi to drop us off exactly where Karen (who runs Kia´s) instructed us ... however, we couldn´t find Kia´s!! After a lot of searching, we find a sign hidden by some trees that indicated that the private property in front of us was in fact the guest-house ... only problem was that no one was there to greet us (even though Karen knew to expect us)
- luckily, a local was also looking for Karen ... he called her, and she showed up a few minutes later, saying she had just stepped away for a moment, and we must have just missed her
- overall, the house is pretty, and Karen is very friendly, but we weren´t in love with our room ... mosquitoes were a problem, and the beds weren´t very comfortable (mine even fell apart the first night, forcing us to reposition the wooden boards under the matress)
- still, we settled in, and the walked down the main road, getting a good idea of the different shops around us ... I had a flying fish sandwich, and we bought a bunch of food and drink supplies from Jimmy´s Mini-Mart (across the street from us)
- we spent the rest of the evening in our room, watching movies we´d already seen but loved ... including Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which we then started quoting at length ... this lasted for the rest of our time in T&T)
- next day, we headed to the beach ... it took about five minutes to walk to Store Bay ... it wasn´t exactly as I remembered it from years ago ... no big waves for bodysurfing (apparently that´s seasonal), and most of the beach was covered in lounge chairs under umbrellas ... but the sand and water were still spectacular
- we haggled a bit and got two long chairs and an umbrella for pretty cheap ... then we settled in for a day of sun and water ... it felt like ages since we´d last been on a beach, now it felt like we were in paradise
- the day passed quickly, but we left the beach feeling like we´d had a great day ... especially since we had several more beach days to look forward to
- we had noticed there was pretty much nowhere to buy booze to take home with you (i.e. the mini-mart didn´t sell alcohol) ... but Karen told us where to go to find a real grocery store ... so we headed out to the Penny Savers ... the walk took a while, but we were able to find beer and rum (Old Oak this time) ... it only started to suck on the walk back when the rains came ... and then it started to pour!
- we got back to our room drenched, but we had food and booze, so we were good for the rest of the night
- next day, we went back to Store Bay ... this day was cloudier, but we were still able to enjoy a few nice hours at the beach ... until the rain came in the later afternoon ... this sent us home, and since the rain persisted for several hours, we again stayed in, after restocking on essential "gourmet" food items like sausages and other meats from a can, and bread, and tuna, and mustard, and pepper sauce, and kurma, and channa, and salt prunes, and pringles, and ... etc.
- next day, there is a knock on the window to our room at 6:30am or so ... it´s Lana and Zoe!! They decided to come join us for the weekend, but were only able to get the crazy early morning flight out ... we had a room booked for them at Kia´s, but Karen was still sleeping at her house (not close to Kia´s) ... she wasn´t going to be there for a couple of hours, so the girls made another phone call, and got a room a short walk away, at a place called Candles by the Wind
- I got up (Isaac wasn´t about to get out of bed), and walked with the girls to their guest-house ... their room was more expensive than what we had at Kia´s, but it was also way better (at that time, what we were spending at Kia´s was the most we´d spent for any room on the trip, but this was merely the beginning of expensive rooms ahead of us)
- we hang out in the room for a while, watching the women´s final for Wimbledon ... but it gets boring after Serena wins the first set ... so I head back to Kia´s and Isaac and I get ready for the beach
- the girls do the same, and meet us at Kia´s ... then we all head to Store Bay ... the weather is great again, and the local have started to learn we aren´t interested in tours, and our guy with the beach chairs and umbrellas is ready for us
- Lana buys mango chow and pineapple chow and tamarind balls, and we´re treated to other local delights ... and then we have dumplings and gravy (curry sauce) for lunch ... yummy, yummy
- we take turns watching the bags and being in the water ... the girls try to stay out of the sun, Isaac tries to stay in it, and I opt for a mix of both ... we eventually get Lana to join us for some frisbee action ... as well as a bunch of local guys who keep begging us to throw the frisbee into their group so that they can battle over it
- eventually, the chair guy tells us it´s packing up time ... signalling the end of our beach day ... we head back to our guesthouses and make arrangements to meet up later
- night comes, and we meet up with the girls, and we head to the "happening night spot", according to Karen ... turns out to be a club with a dress code, and it doesn´t even open for a couple of hours!
- we bail on that idea, and Lana decided to go to the Chinese restaurant that she has been to twice before, and has had bad food from them both times!?? She gets wantons, thinking it´s almost impossible to mess those up ... well, they tasted edible ... but Lana has (finally) learned her lesson and will never get food from there again
- next we stopped at a too-touristy bar and we all had a much too-pricey cocktail that was mediocre at best ... try as we might to have a good evening, the island just wasn´t cooperating ... until we hit our next step . WYSIWYG ... a little bar on Pigeon Point Road
- the atmosphere here is friendlier and the prices are better ... the music is also really good ... we settle in, get drinks and a bit of food, and start to have a good time
- then things get crazy when a big group of Colombians join us ... they are hammered on Puncheon (screech), and they want to party ... more than anything, they want to know how to "wine", so we coax Lana and (especially) Zoe to teach them how to move their hips properly ... this leads to much laughter, and a lot of dancing ... and this continued for the rest of our night (the Colombians wound up going to the aforementioned club)
- after WYSIWYG, we drop the girls off at Candles, and head back to Kia´s and call it a night
- next day we check out of Kia´s and get a room at Candles ... it´s not as good as the room the girl´s got (apparently they got a deal, because it was the only room left at the time) ... but the room is a noticeable upgrade from Kia´s, and worth the extra money
- we all watch the men´s marathon Wimbledon final, and then the girls celebrate while Isaac and I (especially me) cry over the wrong person winning
- we head over to Pizza Boys for lunch ... we split a pretty tasty Hawaian pizza ... of course, the pepper sauce helps
- then we all head out for a lengthy walk to Pigeon Point ... turns out it´s some huge international food day, so there are many tents, live music, and a gazillion people at the beach
- unfortunately, the beach here is nothing like I remembered ... apparently a reef was put into the water to try to prevent people from entering the area for free ... but this reef was ruining the rest of the beach ... instead of the beautiful clear water I was expecting, the water was all cloudy and full of plant life ... a big disappointment
- still, we made the most of the afternoon, getting some sun, and all four of us playing frisbeen in the sand (Zoe insisted she´d suck at all, but she wound up being pretty good)
- we walked through the food area to check out the action, but most things were already sold out ... we had a drink at the bar section, then packed up to walk back to Candles
- on the way out of the parking lot, Zoe found a very expensive looking phone ... she called the first number, and it went to a girl in Trinidad ... that girl was able to track down the guy who had lost the phone, and he called and arranged to pick up his phone from Zoe and Candles
- by the time we get back to the guest-house, it´s already dark ... we go our separate ways to shower, etc. ... then we reconvene and head out for dinner ... before we left, the guy shows up to get his phone (and tries to forget his friend´s phone in the process)
- we wind up at a very posh restaurant just off of Pigeon Point Road (on Andrew´s recommendation ... the guy who runs Candles) ... the prices are up there, but not too extreme, and we´re all feeling up to a bit of indulgence
- the service was a bit lacking (as in the norm for T&T, according to Zoe and Lana), but the food was pretty tasty, and the drinks were very strong ... more importantly, the company was stellar, so we naturally had a fantastic dinner
- after food, we head back to Candles and sit at a table just outside the girls´room ... there we spend the rest of the night sitting by the table, listening to various iPods through Isaac´s portable speaker, and drinking the last of the rum we have
- next day, we head back to Store Bay ... it´s the last day for the girls, but the weather is gorgeous, and we make the most of the few hours we have, sun, water, chairs, umbrellas, food, and good conversation
- we´ve barely blinked, and it´s time to go ... a quick trip back to Candle´s to change and check out ... then we all walk to the airport (gotta love being able to walk to the airport!)
- we stop off for a quick drink, and then we are forced to say goodbye to Lana and Zoe ... they enter the depature area, and Isaac and I are left to walk back to Candles, feeling like something is missing ... as soon as the girls left, our energy level dropped, and our desire to party disappeared completely ... things just weren´t anywhere near as "fun" without them
- we wind up making use of the kitchen in Candles, having macaroni and cheese for dinner ... then we spent the rest of the evening chilling out in front of the tv (Knocked Up was on, which helped life our spirits some)
- the next three days followed a very similar routine ... Store Bay during the day (the beach was still awesome, and we weren´t sick of it in the slightest ... daily doses of sun, water and frisbee), followed by a bit of internet at the cafe that Lana pointed out to us on our way to the airport, followed by cooking something simple and cheap in the kitchen for dinner (and/or snacking on the other mini-mart foods we´d grown accustomed to) and chilling out in our room, doing a bunch of nothing exciting ... overall, our last three days in Tobago were all about the beach ... so the days were good, and the nights were completely uneventful
- EoW
Trinidad
Trinidad
- the following day, we packed up our bags, checked out, and grabbed a taxi to Scarborough, where we got in line to check in for the ferry back to Trinidad ... coming from Trinidad, we thought the check in line was a bit slow, chaotic, and completely unnecessary ... that was heaven compared to the line-up procedure in Tobago! ... the line barely moved, everyone cut in, you had to spend the majority of the time outside under intense sun, and this was all after you had already purchased a ticket!
- eventually we get in, and shortly after we board and are on our way ... being familiar with the ferry this time round, we head straight for the bar area, where we proceed to compete with every table around us for most beers consumed (except each of those tables has three guys, and we´ve also downed a rum punch each)
- we win the competition anyway (well, we tied with one table, but the rum punch put us over), and we pull into Port of Spain without ever feeling like we were on the water for very long
- Lana picks us up at the terminal, and we head off to Movietowne (once again forced to avoid the traffic leaving Port of Spain)
- Lana also has a present for me, a book called Cote Ci, Cote La ... it´s full of Trini slang, along with corresponding definitions and explanations ... definitely useful when talking to locals!
- we grab tickets for a later movie (the early show is already sold out), and head up to Ruby Tuesday´s ... Zoe shows up not long after, and we all get drinks and food
- a bit later, Zak shows up and we move to a bigger table and have another round of drinks
- soon after, it´s time to head downstairs for the movie ... we go to see The Proposal ... a fun, romantic comedy ... everyone enjoys it ... save Zak, who seems like he is in hell from beginning to end
- after the movie, we grab drinks at Fiesta Plaza ... this time at Zanzibar (between J Malone and Woodford Cafe) ... we run into La Toya and her family ... and then some relatives of Zoe and Zak ... and then Talia shows up and joins us (so pretty much everyone we´ve met in Trinidad happens to be at Movietowne on the same night)
- we drink and chat for a while, and it gets late and we get tired ... we say goodbye to Zak and Talia ... big hugs to Talia, because we probably won´t see her again ... then Lana drives the rest of us back to Curepe, where we are reunited with Caramae (and our passports, which we had left with Caramae before we went to Tobago ... she had taken them with our applications and dropped them off at the Brazil consulate for us ... and now our passports had visas to Brazil in them!)
- the house is a little more full than before, with Caramae´s neice and nephew staying there, as well as Zak´s older daughter, Kristen (later joined by Zak´s younger daughter, Kloe)... Isaac and I return to "our" room (the one we had previously), and Lana takes the couches downstairs, pushing them togeher to make something of a bed
- next day, Zoe´s friend Kaye shows up, and she, Lana, Zoe, Isaac and myself pile into Lana´s car, and we head out on a windy yet scenic drive to Maracas Beach ... we entertain ourselves with the Cote Ci, Cote La book, with me picking random slang terms, and the girls either explaining what it means, or discovering a new word they´d never heard before ... they also really liked to laugh at my attempts at pronouncing the terms properly
- we get to the beach (after a viewpoint stop where we bought pineapple chow, kurma, and salt prunes), and immediately head to a shop for the best back and shark around ... next, we make our way to the beach itself, where we run into Caramae and the kids (they´ve been there already for a while, but they are just about to leave), as well as La Toya and her family
- we set up camp next to La Toya, and then we head for the water ... here the waves are plentiful and perfect for bodysurfing ... we spend most of the day in the water ... well, Isaac, Zoe and I do ... we have to coax Lana and Kaye to come in to play with the waves ... Kaye doesn´t last very long, Lana sticks it out a bit longer before heading in
- eventually, everyone is ready to call it quits ... we head back towards towards town, but stop off in St. James for dinner (i.e. street roti) and dessert (i.e. homemade ice cream)
- after food, we all head back to Caramae´s place to shower and change ... then we all pack back into Lana´s car again, this time to "take Kaye home to San Fernando" ... which simply translates to all of us going out for drinks in San Fernando!
- we start off at a place called Sweet Lime, but the atmosphere is lacking, so we wind up once again at T.G.I. Friday´s ... a couple of drinks later, it´s getting pretty late, and we´re all pretty exhausted from the long day ... so we drop Kaye off at her home, and head back to Curepe ... this time, Lana vetoes the couch downstairs, and instead shares a bed with Zoe
- next day is our last in Trinidad (sad)
- in the morning, Lana takes me to a doctor that she knows who works Sundays (Lana has all the good medical connections) ... my asthma has been getting worse as the trip has gone on, and it´s at a point that Lana describes as "out of control"
- the doctor sees me right away, and without any fuss, gives me a free one month sample of a long-acting asthma prevention inhaler ... he also gives me a prescription to buy additional months at a discount ... but there´s no need, because Lana then calls a coworker friend who happens to have a couple more samples on him ... so we arrange to meet, and I´m suddenly asthma free for at least the next three months!
- we head back to the house, pick up Zoe and Isaac, and head out to a couple of shopping areas, looking for a bookstore with a guide to Portuguese
- we don´t have any luck, but we do find ourselves once again suspiciously close to Movietowne ... so back we go to Ruby Tuesday´s! Food and drinks later, we head back to Curepe, where Zak shows up with his wife, Corinne
- we all hang out for a bit, trying to make it through Lana´s pirated copy of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (we´ve forced her to try to watch it after all the quotations we´ve been regurgitating) ... then final goodbyes to Zak, as he takes off with his wife and daughters
- most people head to bed, opting for an earlyish night, knowing that tomorrow starts at 4am ... I opt for the all-nighter alternative of blogging and not sleeping ... Zoe is somewhere in between, staying up late, going to bed for a little while, and getting back up again
- 4 am comes, and it´s time to get ready to head out ... Caramae wakes up to see us off ... big hugs goodbye to her and Zoe, and the Isaac and I pack our bags into Lana´s car, and we head off towards the airport
- a short drive later, Lana walks us to the departure gate, and it´s more big hugs goodbye ... she then leaves us and heads straight to an early morning work meeting
- Trinidad and Tobago have been amazing to us, and it´s tough to go ... but it´s also time to move on and start travelling again ... next stop, Guyana
- EoW- eventually we get in, and shortly after we board and are on our way ... being familiar with the ferry this time round, we head straight for the bar area, where we proceed to compete with every table around us for most beers consumed (except each of those tables has three guys, and we´ve also downed a rum punch each)
- we win the competition anyway (well, we tied with one table, but the rum punch put us over), and we pull into Port of Spain without ever feeling like we were on the water for very long
- Lana picks us up at the terminal, and we head off to Movietowne (once again forced to avoid the traffic leaving Port of Spain)
- Lana also has a present for me, a book called Cote Ci, Cote La ... it´s full of Trini slang, along with corresponding definitions and explanations ... definitely useful when talking to locals!
- we grab tickets for a later movie (the early show is already sold out), and head up to Ruby Tuesday´s ... Zoe shows up not long after, and we all get drinks and food
- a bit later, Zak shows up and we move to a bigger table and have another round of drinks
- soon after, it´s time to head downstairs for the movie ... we go to see The Proposal ... a fun, romantic comedy ... everyone enjoys it ... save Zak, who seems like he is in hell from beginning to end
- after the movie, we grab drinks at Fiesta Plaza ... this time at Zanzibar (between J Malone and Woodford Cafe) ... we run into La Toya and her family ... and then some relatives of Zoe and Zak ... and then Talia shows up and joins us (so pretty much everyone we´ve met in Trinidad happens to be at Movietowne on the same night)
- we drink and chat for a while, and it gets late and we get tired ... we say goodbye to Zak and Talia ... big hugs to Talia, because we probably won´t see her again ... then Lana drives the rest of us back to Curepe, where we are reunited with Caramae (and our passports, which we had left with Caramae before we went to Tobago ... she had taken them with our applications and dropped them off at the Brazil consulate for us ... and now our passports had visas to Brazil in them!)
- the house is a little more full than before, with Caramae´s neice and nephew staying there, as well as Zak´s older daughter, Kristen (later joined by Zak´s younger daughter, Kloe)... Isaac and I return to "our" room (the one we had previously), and Lana takes the couches downstairs, pushing them togeher to make something of a bed
- next day, Zoe´s friend Kaye shows up, and she, Lana, Zoe, Isaac and myself pile into Lana´s car, and we head out on a windy yet scenic drive to Maracas Beach ... we entertain ourselves with the Cote Ci, Cote La book, with me picking random slang terms, and the girls either explaining what it means, or discovering a new word they´d never heard before ... they also really liked to laugh at my attempts at pronouncing the terms properly
- we get to the beach (after a viewpoint stop where we bought pineapple chow, kurma, and salt prunes), and immediately head to a shop for the best back and shark around ... next, we make our way to the beach itself, where we run into Caramae and the kids (they´ve been there already for a while, but they are just about to leave), as well as La Toya and her family
- we set up camp next to La Toya, and then we head for the water ... here the waves are plentiful and perfect for bodysurfing ... we spend most of the day in the water ... well, Isaac, Zoe and I do ... we have to coax Lana and Kaye to come in to play with the waves ... Kaye doesn´t last very long, Lana sticks it out a bit longer before heading in
- eventually, everyone is ready to call it quits ... we head back towards towards town, but stop off in St. James for dinner (i.e. street roti) and dessert (i.e. homemade ice cream)
- after food, we all head back to Caramae´s place to shower and change ... then we all pack back into Lana´s car again, this time to "take Kaye home to San Fernando" ... which simply translates to all of us going out for drinks in San Fernando!
- we start off at a place called Sweet Lime, but the atmosphere is lacking, so we wind up once again at T.G.I. Friday´s ... a couple of drinks later, it´s getting pretty late, and we´re all pretty exhausted from the long day ... so we drop Kaye off at her home, and head back to Curepe ... this time, Lana vetoes the couch downstairs, and instead shares a bed with Zoe
- next day is our last in Trinidad (sad)
- in the morning, Lana takes me to a doctor that she knows who works Sundays (Lana has all the good medical connections) ... my asthma has been getting worse as the trip has gone on, and it´s at a point that Lana describes as "out of control"
- the doctor sees me right away, and without any fuss, gives me a free one month sample of a long-acting asthma prevention inhaler ... he also gives me a prescription to buy additional months at a discount ... but there´s no need, because Lana then calls a coworker friend who happens to have a couple more samples on him ... so we arrange to meet, and I´m suddenly asthma free for at least the next three months!
- we head back to the house, pick up Zoe and Isaac, and head out to a couple of shopping areas, looking for a bookstore with a guide to Portuguese
- we don´t have any luck, but we do find ourselves once again suspiciously close to Movietowne ... so back we go to Ruby Tuesday´s! Food and drinks later, we head back to Curepe, where Zak shows up with his wife, Corinne
- we all hang out for a bit, trying to make it through Lana´s pirated copy of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (we´ve forced her to try to watch it after all the quotations we´ve been regurgitating) ... then final goodbyes to Zak, as he takes off with his wife and daughters
- most people head to bed, opting for an earlyish night, knowing that tomorrow starts at 4am ... I opt for the all-nighter alternative of blogging and not sleeping ... Zoe is somewhere in between, staying up late, going to bed for a little while, and getting back up again
- 4 am comes, and it´s time to get ready to head out ... Caramae wakes up to see us off ... big hugs goodbye to her and Zoe, and the Isaac and I pack our bags into Lana´s car, and we head off towards the airport
- a short drive later, Lana walks us to the departure gate, and it´s more big hugs goodbye ... she then leaves us and heads straight to an early morning work meeting
- Trinidad and Tobago have been amazing to us, and it´s tough to go ... but it´s also time to move on and start travelling again ... next stop, Guyana
