It was my first trip to the Caribbean and I was really looking forward to the sunshine! It was going to be a big transition from the snow and hail in Scotland to sun and sand in Tobago. Tuesday night we flew from Edinburgh to Gatwick and stayed the night with Kim’s cousin’s (Mike, Jeannie, Zoe and Kwazi the dog). It was a lovely evening. Early the next morning Kim, Bex (Kirsty’s good friend) and I flew with Monarch Airways. The 11 hour flight including an hour and a quarter stopover in Grenada seemed to take forever! We passed the time, reading, watching movies (Timeline) and doing crosswords on the plane. The heat and humidity hit us like a freight train as soon as we stepped off the plane in Tobago. The welcoming party of Alan, Jane and Kirsty were ready with drinks and food in hand. But before that I had to negotiate getting into the country by paying an unexpected Visa waiver fee, of $57 USD. And I thought being a fellow commonwealth country I would get in no worries... . First impressions of Tobago, very very laid back, friendly people, bass pumping music, crazy driving and souped up cars. When things didn’t go quite to plan the turn of phrase “It’s Tobago “ was used quite a lot. We drove from Crown point through the town to Grafton beach. Within ten minutes of arriving at the apartment I had my new togs on and I was straight into the warm clear waters of the Caribbean sea. The Jet lag (Tobago was 5 hours behind the UK) was taking its toll and I think I had my eyes half closed as we enjoyed Lobster for Dinner. My head hit the pillow at 9 p.m. Tobago time, 2 a.m. UK Time.
We managed to sleep until 2.30 a.m. then I was wide awake! At 5.30 we eventually got up and went for a walk/run with Kim along the mile long Grafton beach. This was followed up with a swim and a Tobago styled breakfast on the balcony. Breakfast usually consists of Papaya + Lime, Pineapple, Toast and Tea. The rest of day was spent somewhere between the beach, pool and apartment. We had a late lunch at Buccaneers, 200 yards down the beach. That evening the Stone-Wiggs hosted locals/expats over for a BBQ. The setting was very chilled on the balcony, with gentle light of the candles and the bats flitting around the sugar water feeder. They seemed a really nice crowd and the conversation flowed with the drinks. I brought some of my “Kiwi BBQ’ing skills” to the fore that evening.
Good Friday morning we were up at 05:30 and off fishing with Local guide Kester. Conditions were perfect first thing in the bay and large schools of small fish brought in the Tarpon. With live bait I quickly managed to land two fish, a good sized Snook and a small Tarpon. Both fish were fun to pull in. We kept the Snook. Later in the morning we went fishing on the flats for Bonefish and Alan managed to hook one, albeit briefly. It was relaxing fishing. We also spied some illegal Conch shellfish poachers who were approached by the patrol boat. We came back for Lunch and had leftovers from the previous nights BBQ. We spent the afternoon body surfing the large shorebreakers, it was like being in a washing machine! SeaWe went out for Pizza at La Cantina that evening followed by Drinks at the crown point hotel. We played some Table tennis and watched the large swells smash into the cliffs. At around 11 p.m. we headed out to a local night club known as “the shade”. The club initially was quiet but soon picked up and everyone had a good “bump and grind” Caribbean style.
Easter Saturday we had a good lie in. Then after a Tobago breakfast, I went with Alan to pick up some supplies and meet his good friend Hollis. Hollis was a local fisherman who enjoyed his garden, rum and the company of women. We walked around the garden and he kindly offered us plantain and Csava. Back at the apartment we had a late lunch and this time I was out picking up more supplies with the girls for Jane’s Mothers Day dinner. The meal was a real feast with three different types of fish and other local produce fresh from Hollis’s garden. Hollis and his friends “Merve the swerve” and Dillis the air hostess came round for drinks and dinner as well.
Easter Sunday, we were up early for another walk/run/swim. At 8 a.m. we went up to the local bird sanctuary in the heart of the rainforest for the morning feeding session. We saw the pretty Motmot bird as well as the noisy Chukaluka birds. Lizards scurried around the rafters as well. Sunday was a pretty lazy day on the whole, although we did go for a BBQ on the beach with some friends. 3.30pm I tee’d up a surf lesson with local instructor, “rasta man George”. He gave me some good pointers in the small swell, which was more my kind of size! A couple of days ago the swell was huge. 9ft waves, triple overhead barrelling, Waay too big! Sunday evening we went out for dinner to the Bamboo Mile, the service was served at Tobago pace, but It was very nice and we witnessed the local cars pimped to the max with lights and beats driving by on the strip. After dinner we went to Sunday School! Not the religious kind, far from it! A huge party in the suburb of Buccoo, with alcohol, bass music and drugs thrown into a large tobagonan melting pot. The steel drums were definitely the highlight for us with the band doing a great cover of Bruno Mars’s “millionaire”.
Easter Monday, Alan arranged a couple of Jet Ski’s for 10.30, and we had great fun for an hour zipping around. Afterwards Bex and I went snorkelling around the rocks at the right side of the bay. The diversity of coral and tropical fish was a sight to behold. In the afternoon I spent most of the day sunbathing and relaxing which culminated with a massage from Swiss resident Chris, he was very very good! That evening a number of restaurants were closed, so we picked up takeaways and went back to the apartment and played Mexican trains.
Tuesday, Kim and I got up early and went for a road trip, exploring some of the sights in Tobago. Tobago being Tobago is not well sign posted and after a wrong turn, we eventually found Plymouth. We stopped to visit a tombstone with an unusual inscription “She was a mother without knowing it and a wife without letting her husband know it, except by her kind indulgences to him”. We also stopped briefly at Fort George. We carried on along the windy roads through dense rainforest atop ridges with hundred foot drops either side. Somehow people lived on these ridges, their houses perched perilously. We took a few mystery turns and we were lost all of a sudden, the road deteriorated too more like a dirt track, and we saw a few abandoned cars which Kim loved photographing. It was an exciting adventure and the rental car handled the road rather well (or at least I thought it did!) We followed our nose and popped out on the coast on the Atlantic side of the Island. We drove through the Capital Scarborough and went for Ice cream’s in the mall. We headed back home and the day was going swimmingly well until I met CRAZY COCONUT MAN, as we pulled up to the apartment there was a man in the middle of the road holding 2 coconuts, I slowed and he came along side the car, he was drunk, a few slices short of a loaf and determined to sell me coconuts! So much so that he launched himself through my window. At this stage I panicked and tried to reverse hurriedly into the secure parking complex, then CRUNCH! I had backed into the gate damaging the gate, rear light and bumper! Crazy coconut man ran off! And I had a terrible feeling in my stomach! Worst of all was there was an audience to this whole episode! I tried to put the calamity to the back of my mind; needless to say I was not the most popular person that day. After lunch we went to the once a year event in Tobago which was the famous goat race. We drove but parked 10 minutes away to try and avoid the traffic. We walked though a heavy shower of rain, but fortunately this cleared by the time we reached the “purpose built” goat racing stadium! The concept of the race was the goat and the jockey would run an 80 metre sprint. It was very very entertaining. There were 14 races in all, including a crab race and beer drinking race but we only stayed for a few as the beach beckoned. I was hanging out for “happy hour” and when it arrived I tried some of the local rum’s. Wow! That evening we went out for a delicious meal at the fish pot. I had the grouper, it was superb. Again we had a typical Tobago service speed; however it didn’t seem to really matter! Kim and I walked back home along the beach.
Wednesday, our last day in Tobago, and we were determined to soak up as much sun as we could! We attempted to go out for breakfast at a Pancake restaurant, however unbeknown to Jane it had shut down! We headed back to the apartment and picked some sleeping pills for the plane at the Pharmacy. Then we finished up packing and we checked in early at the airport. We drove back to the apartment, time for one last swim and a BBQ lunch. We were back at the airport by 4 p.m. and we picked up some souvenirs. It was an awesome beach holiday! Thank you Jane and Alan for your amazing hospitality. I can’t wait till the next Tobago adventure!
Before I go, have to mention the funniest quotes of the trip! Kim was commenting about the appearance of a one legged bananaquit bird, a regular visitor to sugar water feeder on the balcony, however Bex mistook this sighting as being a sighting for a one legged dog. The mental image was hilarious!
