"For a woman, you sure act very manly," Dotun laughed and whispered in my ear. I slapped him on his arm again and shushed him for the umpteenth time in the taxi on our way to see the birds. I was making him go to…Read More

"For a woman, you sure act very manly," Dotun laughed and whispered in my ear.

I slapped him on his arm again and shushed him for the umpteenth time in the taxi on our way to see the birds. I was making him go to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary with me for a couple good reasons other than my wanting to go. For one, he had never gone bird-watching in Trinidad the entire time he's lived there, and second, Caroni is the roosting site for thousands of scarlet ibis. The scarlet ibis is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, and the sanctuary a perfect place for gawking at them. It's a nature and wildlife lover's peaceful refuge away from the gritty, yet lively, streets of the capital.

After a brief ride through the outskirts of Port-of-Spain, our taxi driver found our way into Caroni. He admitted that he had never gone to see the ibis either, and that he might visit one day. We got out by a row of swamp tour guides lined up and ready for business. Dotun and I hadn't really planned much ahead of time, but we had heard of one guide that was said to give pretty good tours and found his services quickly. Nanan's Bird Sanctuary Tours was the one we decided to go with and signed up.

We waited under the cool shaded docks for other bird lovers to flock to the swamp before the tour began. I tried reading what little information my Lonely Planet guidebook provided about the birds and other swamp wildlife, but was disturbed by Dotun's teasing and playfulness yet again. Switching up from my reading, I then decided to see what discoveries could be found before taking off, what unique pre-bird watching pictures could be taken, and found some crabs playing along one of the dock posts. They blended in well and were hard to see along the wood, but I wanted to snap a few photos of them. I called Dotun over to hold my bag, and he peered down on the little guys.

"I think they are scared of your manliness," Dotun rang as a few of them shuffled out of view from my camera.

I laughed with him. He was going to tease me this entire trip whether I liked it or not. If traveling to Trinidad as a 22-year-old woman alone, knowing only my pen pal I had been writing to for 11 years and a handful of people I met from the Internet (including Dotun) made me aggressive, bold, adventurous, crazy, or plain manly, I had to accept it.

The boats were finally ready, and the tour was to begin shortly. Our boat loaded up quickly with anxious, avid bird-watchers hungry to spot ibis! I was just a newbie to all of this, but excited all the same. They handed out life jackets before pushing off, though they weren't really needed. Alas, it was time to open our eyes and ears to the swamp. Our guide was clearly of East Indian descent with a thick West Indian accent. He walked up and down the sides of the boat barefoot as he spilled out details on the mangroves and other vegetation surrounding the swamp. He could hear and spot various wild inhabitants with ease, and we had the opportunity to see an alligator, some snakes, many more crabs, and various birds before making it deep into the swamp.

We started seeing many more ibis flying above as we approached the roosting site. Our motorboat slowly came to a stop as our guide explained that this would be the farthest we could go. I was really wishing I had bought binoculars, as my camera's zoom wasn't enough to capture or see the real beauty of one single bird, yet with so many flying into their roosting area, it was easy to notice their brilliant scarlet color dotting the trees. The boat sat there for a while, giving everyone the opportunity to take pictures or catch more incoming ibis getting ready for the night. I was disappointed I wasn't going to go back home with National Geographic photos of the birds, but thankful that I had the chance to spend time in one of Trinidad's most prized ecological destinations.

The boat started up again and we began to head back. Our guide took us through a new set of waterways out of the swamp. With the sun setting and white puffy clouds here and there, I took the opportunity to cloud-watch as well as soak in the natural beauty of Trinidad. Dotun was pretty relaxed at this point and happy I had made him tag along.

It had gotten dark pretty fast, and when we made it back to the docks, we hadn't really planned for our taxi driver to take us back. Seeing that Caroni is located a little ways off the highway and a little ways into nowhere, it would be hard catching a ride on the roadside. Our guide was nice enough to ask some of the other tourists if they were heading the same way as we were, and they agreed to drop us off in POS.

Though he was still absorbed somewhat by our day trip to Caroni, it must have been the numerous people limin' on the streets of Port-of-Spain and the blaring soca that bounced off it's corner's that made Dotun's joking return. And I continued to laugh, pout, and shush him.

The most popular beach destination in Trinidad is Maracas Beach. The road to get to the beach curves through the mountains, with nice views of Port of Spain, the country's capital, lush green landscape, and the blue Caribbean. Be sure to stop at the lookout…Read More

The most popular beach destination in Trinidad is Maracas Beach. The road to get to the beach curves through the mountains, with nice views of Port of Spain, the country's capital, lush green landscape, and the blue Caribbean. Be sure to stop at the lookout along the way for some good photographs and a visit to the shacks that have been set up there.

Trinidad's charm is the social gathering. Visits to the beach generally involve several carloads of participants, along with a picnic lunch. At Maracas, bake and shark shops dot the landscape. Be sure to enjoy a cold Carib beer. The prices are inexpensive if you do the conversion from $6TT to $1.

The beach itself is attractive, stretching along a cove, populated with coconut trees, and kissing the warm coastal waters. Be careful while walking on the sand. I recommend sandals. With the beach being a popular destination, debris such as glass can pose a hidden danger beneath the white sands.

There is a magnetic phenomenon that occurs on the road to the beach. You can experience rolling up a hill! With the car in neutral on a hill, one would expect to roll backwards, but because of the proximity to the equator and other magnetic forces at work, the car miraculously starts rolling up the hill.

A visit to Trinidad would not be complete without a visit to Maracas Beach.

The Caribbean beaches of Tobago are nesting sites for several species of marine turtle, including the Hawksbill, Green and Giant Leatherback. All of these are endangered, and the Hawksbill and Leatherback have recently been reclassified as critically endangered due to a decline of 95%…Read More

The Caribbean beaches of Tobago are nesting sites for several species of marine turtle, including the Hawksbill, Green and Giant Leatherback. All of these are endangered, and the Hawksbill and Leatherback have recently been reclassified as critically endangered due to a decline of 95% in their numbers over the past 20 years. The main threat to these magnificent animals is poaching on the beaches, hunting, to suppport the Tobagonian demand for 'wild meat' at traditional celebrations. Poachers patrol the beaches at night and attack the turtles with machetes. Turtles are often still alive when the poachers leave.

Once the juvenile turtles leave the beaches where they hatch they spend the next 25 years at sea, with some species undertaking epic journeys across the Atlantic Ocean. All species face the threats of predation and accidental tanglement in fishing nets. They return to the waters around Tobago when they reach maturity, but only the females will go ashore, to lay their eggs. Males never return to the land. This means that the turtles killed on the beaches are all female, which severly compromises the ability of the population to reproduce. This year only 50 leatherback turtles made the nesting beaches at Mount Irvine Back Bay, Grafton Beach and Turtle Beach.

Turtleshell products and complete shells (usually Hawksbill turtle) can be found for sale in markets aimed at tourists. These are ILLEGAL under the CITES trade in endangered species convention, to which Trinidad and Tobago is a party. People found to be in posession of turtle products face a severe penalty.

Ecotourism has the potential to be the lifeline the turtle population of Tobago needs. Even if the main purpose of your holiday is to relax on the beach rather than take part in deep ecotourism, you can help. If you visit Tobago, give your support to SOS Tobago, a local conservation charity working to educate tourists and Tobagonians about the importance of conservation. Take part in a patrol on a beach to deter the poachers. Report any turtle products you see on offer. Write to the Government, as tourists you have the political clout to make the Tobago House of Assembly realise the value of a live turtle, in terms of tourism revenue, far outweighs that of a dead turtle.

Some websites of interest:

www.sos-tobago.org

www.seashepherd.org

The Gilpin Trace is part of the Tobago Forest Reserve, the oldest protected area of rainforest in the western hemisphere. It was given protected status by British scientists in 1776, at a time when much of the land was being cleared for sugar cane and…Read More

The Gilpin Trace is part of the Tobago Forest Reserve, the oldest protected area of rainforest in the western hemisphere. It was given protected status by British scientists in 1776, at a time when much of the land was being cleared for sugar cane and coffee plantations. It is one of the main tourist attractions on Tobago, and the first part of the route is overused and quite muddy as most visitors only cover this section of the trail, turning back after the hut. It is possible to continue on to the Parlatuvier road (4 miles) or down into Bloody Bay (5 1/2 miles). We took the Parlatuvier route and did the trek in around 2 1/2 hours. Once you pass the more popular stretch the route can get quite hard going in places, and is very overgrown towards the end.

Keep a look out for wildlife along the track, many species of birds are found in the forest, manacou crabs patrol the undergrowth and pose like ninjas when they feel threatened, and leaf cutter ants form lines criss-crossing the way. We spotted a giant beetle, and almost missed a huge boa constrictor snoozing on the path. I stepped over it before the girl behind me saw it! It was perfectly camoflaged like dry leaves, about 5 feet in length and looked quite thick as if it had recently fed. The plants are also just as spectacular, from massive bamboo groves to spiny gru-gru palms to scarlet heliconia and fragile lace-like fungus. The forest smells sweaty and humid, like decomposing leaves, but it is a smell of adventure!

Guides can be hired for the route and wait by the entrance to the forest trail. They have welly boots available but I would recommend wearing sturdy walking boots, especially if you plan on walking the whole distance. Long trousers might also be useful, especially if not being able to see below your knees in the undergrowth is worrying to you. Take a water bottle with you as the humidity in the rainforest will make you sweat buckets, and some insect repellent as there are loads of mozzies hidden along the trail.

During our stay in Trinidad, we became good friends with a girl living above us who happened to be a lesbian. I say this with a view to describing gay Trinidad as best I can from the viewpoint she gave me. Gays and lesbians are…Read More

During our stay in Trinidad, we became good friends with a girl living above us who happened to be a lesbian. I say this with a view to describing gay Trinidad as best I can from the viewpoint she gave me.

Gays and lesbians are still widely unaccepted in Trinidad -- my friend herself had not come out to many people as she felt she would be ostracised from work colleagues and had a "cover boyfriend" who went to any work functions with her. Having said that, there are bars that apparently are acknowledged to have a mainly gay customer base (though that doesn't hide the underlying attitude towards homosexuality). I remember on arrival to the country being shown a viewpoint where couples parked and where unfortunate gay men (in the main) were apparently beaten up. My friend told me that she found her country's opinions as such stuffy and backdated and, in a lot of ways, had to hide many aspects of her lifestyle.

On the slightly more positive side, monthly gay parties are held and my night at one was one of the best nights out I had. The tickets were bought weeks in advance (expensive if I remember rightly, around $100tt), but the location of the party was only disclosed about two hours prior to the start "to avoid any trouble." The atmosphere was amazing, the music was great, the drinks were free, and the party went on all night! For the first time, our friends didn't worry about us venturing to the toilets without an escort and I have to say it was a night I will never forget.

Sadly, I have a somewhat hazy memory of the names of some of the establishments I frequented in the evenings, probably due to my rum consumption (a bargain at $6 tt a go). But here are some places with names that come to mind! I have…Read More

Sadly, I have a somewhat hazy memory of the names of some of the establishments I frequented in the evenings, probably due to my rum consumption (a bargain at $6 tt a go). But here are some places with names that come to mind!

I have to start off by mentioning the legendary Smokey & Bunty's, run by Smokey himself and based on Western Main Road in St James. Everyone in Trinidad seems to know where Smokey's is at and its reputation proceeds itself. Having said that, I found the hype left me disappointed and meeting Smokey himself (a character by all means) didn't help! The bar is very small and has the looks of a rum shop you'd find along a main road. The staff were miserable and I was advised to watch my drink being poured (never figured out why, but did as I was told all the same!).

On the way to the Savannah from Cascade is the Pelican Bar -- this seems to be a kind of traveller bar. Every visit here ended in a conversation with another Brit, Canadian, Australian, or American. If ever I felt homesick, this is where I came! It's a good thing to bear in mind (especially when drinking on a budget!) that many places will offer you free drinks (normally rum, vodka, or whisky with a mixer) when paying an initial entry fee -- this tends to be on specific nights, though. Many a planned night was scuppered by an eager friend dragging us somewhere whilst shouting $50tt all drinks free -- how could we refuse?!

Possibly the worst nightspot I had the true boredom of visiting was The Zoo. For some reason, our friends thought we might like to be around "white people" more, all that transpired were dirty looks aimed at both our friends (because they weren't white) and us because we were English. The ridiculously low music is due to the fact that the bar couldn't get a license allowing it to play music and this, along with the attitude of patrons, leaves an atmosphere with much to be desired.

There are two Jenny's Bars in Trinidad one based in the south and one nearer the Savannah. I visited both, which are set out the same, as you walk in seating is based around a rectangular bar in the centre of the room. Jenny's en route to Port of Spain has a restaurant upstairs that specialises in excellent Chinese food. The bar overall has a nice feel about it. Attention is paid to service and it tends to be where a lot of business people go to drink (which makes it slightly more pricey). All I will say is if you're dressed up ladies, be prepared of the possibility of being leered at as you make your way to the toilets -- it can be annoying, but I found that a deadly glance back tended to get the message across!

Finally, rum shops! Visit one, any one, just for the uncomfortable but authentic feel – you’ll think you're a Trini after one trip!

Tobago is a beautiful island, not just in the scenery, but the people also. Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful. Leroy from Sandy Point was quick to describe the difference between American and Tobago citizens. Americans walk fast and talk slow,…Read More

Tobago is a beautiful island, not just in the scenery, but the people also. Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful. Leroy from Sandy Point was quick to describe the difference between American and Tobago citizens. Americans walk fast and talk slow, but in Tobago, they talk fast and walk slow. To go at island speed is to get it done - well, sooner or later, most likely later. Just because the sign says starts at 7pm doesn't really mean 7pm. It means 7-ish.

They party all night. I'm not real sure how they manage to get up the next day. Saturday night is a slow night at the nightclubs because everyone is still recovering from Friday night. Then Sunday night is Sunday School, so Monday morning shops/vendor stands tend to open a little later than normal.

Sunday School is not really Sunday school, but rather a street party with merchandise vendors, food vendors, and music, music, music. We had been advised to be very careful at Sunday School - don't wear jewelry, take too much cash, and stay in groups. We did not see any incidents of trouble. The nightclub scene seems to pick up again around Wednesday and continue on Thursday and Friday.

One week is not nearly enough time to see this beautiful location and still have time to chill out and relax.

Several people in our party had a problem with insect bites. OFF pretty much took care of keeping the bugs away. Just remember to reapply if you’re sitting outside for long periods at night.

Definitely bring home a few locally made CD's to remember the gentle breezes, the reggae music, the lighthearted spirit, and the friendliness of this island. We should all come home having learned a lesson from these people. Politeness and friendliness DO count.

Full day on a trimaran with only 9 people on board under the able command of owner/skipper Scott and his right-hand man Martinu, further added to our enjoyable experience of this island.We sailed along the west coast of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea, stopping…Read More

Full day on a trimaran with only 9 people on board under the able command of owner/skipper Scott and his right-hand man Martinu, further added to our enjoyable experience of this island.We sailed along the west coast of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea, stopping at a desereted small cove for great snorkeling. Had a very tasty BBQ lunch aboard prepared by Scott,(chicken, fresh fish, salads,etc,) with unlimited drinks throughout the trip. I can wholeheartedly recommend Natural Mystic (both the name of the operating company and the boat) for a relaxing, scenic, uncrowded soft adventure at sea.Close

Mr.Davidson, our private driver and guide,who is always on hand at Coconut Reef offering his services , gave us the grand tour of the island. Harley, as his friends affectionately called him,turned out to be a very amiable gentleman,in spite of or perhaps even…Read More

Mr.Davidson, our private driver and guide,who is always on hand at Coconut Reef offering his services , gave us the grand tour of the island. Harley, as his friends affectionately called him,turned out to be a very amiable gentleman,in spite of or perhaps even because of his charming exaggerated concern about his vehicle: we were gently requested, for example, not to drag any sand into the car after our visit to the beach, and to sit on our towels, as our bathing suites were not completely dry. Very reasonable requests, I'm sure. And by the way, please try to close the doors gently, his "baby" should not be subjected to slamming the doors. The tour first took us to Scarborough, although it was not on our list of things tosee. But Harley weaseled his way into showing us the dug-up streets with some heavy equipment moving dirt around, proudly explaining that a major reconstruction is under way to beautify and "up-date" Scarborough in general, and the waterfront-cum-docking facilities in particular, making it more inviting as a cruise ship destination, as very few would make this a port-of-call nowadays. The town, the one-and-only in Tobago, also serves as the capital of the island, but I would skip it altogether, at least until all this reconstruction becomes a reality. Estimated date of completion unknown. Overlooking the town and harbor is Scarboroughs probably only tourist attraction at this time (perhaps the botanical garden is another one), Fort George, an old colonial fortification from the British era with the mandatory cannon scatterred around still aimed at would-be besiegers long passed into history. The view from the ramparts in one of the grandest: one can see as far as Trinidad. After the fort we wound our way through some hills back to the Caribbean side snapping pictures of one breathtaking view after the next of lovely beaches below. After expressing some concern for getting his car's tires muddy, Harley agreed to drive down to one of these secluded hideaways. We took a dip in Englishman's Bay,one of the prettiest with lovely soft white sandy beach lined with palm trees, calm warm water, almost deserted. Simply ideal.Driving through Tobago's National Forest, claimed to be the oldest in the western hemisphere dating back some two hundred plus years , was a bit of a disappointment, expecting to encounter some really fantastic tropical rainforest scenery. It was, instead, nothing out of your ordinary rain forests seen on many of the other islands of the Caribbean. Before reaching the Atlantic side again, we took a refreshing dip in the cool pool of Argyle Falls. On our l5-minute walk to the falls we enjoyed the company of our young guide who was quite knowledgable about the flora of the surrounding area. Some more beautiful vistas opened up on our way to Speyside, known for great diving and birding. We enjoyed a very delectable lunch at Jemma's tree house restaurant, right on the bay with a lovely view of Little Tobago Island not too far in the distance. On the way back we stopped at the funky Historic Cafe, with its walls covered with invaluable bits of information, both important and trivial, of island history. This small wooden structure was built on stilts nestled in a small horse-shoe shaped gorgeous bay which became even more spectacular as we watched a tropical sunset dipped in crimson. Overall, it was a great day, definetely worth Harley's fee of US$70.Close

This is an amazing place, full of life. Port of Spain is the capital and full of life and business, there are a lot of nice things to see like the beach which is beautiful white sand beach...they have great calypso music as well. In…Read More

This is an amazing place, full of life. Port of Spain is the capital and full of life and business, there are a lot of nice things to see like the beach which is beautiful white sand beach...they have great calypso music as well. In the rural areas, you can view some beautiful hillsides and mountains. It is a rather big island and full of friendly people. The nightclubs are awesome. If you're single, you may meet your life partner here. Great place.Close