Whirlwind vacation
Capt Mike and I just got back from a bit of a whirlwind vacation. We went to visit his parents in Trinidad and Tobago. It was such a whirlwind, in fact, that we neglected to take a single picture while we were there! Which I suppose just means that we will have to go back again some day.
There seems to be a rather large Canadian presence in Trinidad. The school where Capt Mike's dad works in run by Canadians, most of the teachers are Canadians, and quite a few of the people I encountered in passing had lived in Canada at one time or another in their lives. The ferry boat that goes between Trinidad and Tobago each day is the same one that operates between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia during the summer months. It has both the Canadian and Trinidadian flags painted on the side.
While Tobago is pretty much the stereotypical island paradise kind of tourist destination, Trinidad is a much more industrialized island. It has some nice beaches and rain forests, apparently, but Port of Spain is a loud, busy, crazy, sprawling, urban mess. Driving is to be done at your own risk. As I was reminded numerous times during our short stay, the stop lights are merely strong suggestions. Trinidad also has a fairly high crime rate, and the news media are not shy to report on it. Gruesome accounts of the previous night's most shocking murders or assaults are the headlining stories on many morning papers. The crime stems largely from the huge divide between the ridiculously wealthy and the unbelievably destitute. Despite vast natural resources (oil) that are the envy of the other Caribbean nations, the wealth doesn't trickle down much past the top layer of Trinidad's political elite. There is also a pretty large drug problem, and it would appear that the only people more bent than the drug lords and politicians are the police.
Tobago is only a few kilometres to the northeast, but it's a world away. Few of the crime and drug problems have been exported to Tobago as of yet, and Tobagonians would like to keep it that way. In Trinidad, many stores on the street require you to be buzzed in by the staff. In Tobago, the owner of a record stand left his shop unattended to go back home to get a copy of the CD Capt Mike was looking for.
I just wish we'd remembered to take some pictures.
Comments