Courtyard By Marriott Port Of Spain

I decided to take advantage of my paid vacation and spend two weeks in Trinidad and Tobago. My good friend Kevin Fortune, who I met in college, is from Trinidad and was a phenomenal tour guide. I stayed away from computers, cell phones and any reading materials related to the economy and/or the environment.

... we moved on toward the beach. Arrival at the "Rustic Shack" and lots of pictures, everywhere, everyone, not wanting to forget the faces that I'm realistically certain I won't ever see again. And then the dark walk from the Rustic Shack to the beach, where the sound of human voices was replaced by the pound of the high-energy ocean. I was already exhausted, even before the trudge through the soft sand began this night, worn down by the shifty-wifty schedule, high seas rescues ...

... Lee were also plucked out of the water and back to safety. Whew! I offloaded my pile of paddles and other goodies and determined that I, along with Richard, would paddle myself into shore. So as the speedboat motored off, Richard and I cruised on the crests of the waves.....wahoo!!!! And as we came within 20 feet of the shore, my smug self and my smug kayak were suddenly hit out of nowhere by a rogue wave.

And I capsized. Everyone else already had, and I was ...

... and stood outside the Honda with beer bottles in hand. I saw them saunter up to the visitor counter and that was when the heat turned on. Now mind you, the only activity occurring on this protected beach at this time of night was turtle viewing. And I wondered in my own thoughts what possessed these four guys to make the drive through the Matura jungle, over potholed, muddy roads, to this secluded destination at 1:00 a.m. Turtle viewing? Ah, no. They began to cause a ruckus ...

... from continent to continent. I'd already been struck twice by the crushingly muscular front flippers, and deeply regretted it both times. Chris was struck by a flipper, as well, and Peter had spent the entire night covered in sand that the various girls had flung at him. At one point, I was near the head of one scanning for a microchip while Peter and Chris were tagging her rear flipper. She had apparently just emerged from her mental-trance, gained ...

... told to be sure to try "doubles". These are two soft fry breads slathered with mixtures of HOT sauce, channa (boiled chick peas), shadow benny (cilantro sauce) and tamarind sauce. We were warned that they look awful, but taste great. We agree. One local at our first event said to be sure to try the "Bake and Shark" and the "Corn Soup". After we ate those, she assured us, we'd be practically "Trinni". As I waited for my order of "Bake and Shark", I asked the young ...

... planned. Maybe it'll just get better. Maybe this is nothing compared to Guyana, and Suriname will put them all to shame. Maybe the dollar will re-gain ground against the euro and I'll go on to French Guiana also. Maybe 'Good Morning America' will invite me on the show to tell all about it. Maybe Trinidad is a revelation. Maybe it'll be a Merry Christmas just five days from now. Maybe it'll rain all day and I can just keep on dreaming...

... is usually only on a casual scale since the main Mas is on Carni Tuesday. The revelers wear only parts of their costumes, and the purpose of the day is more one of fun than display or competition. So after watching a few of the bands, we met up with a bunch of other friends that ...

"Don't go!!!" Caracas shouted with a smile. The Venezuelans and I toasted to my despedida (going-away party). We'd come again to club Pier-One's Latin Night Thursday party. Here, the drinks are free with a miniscule paid entry, and the familiar faces of good-looking girls rarely say "no" to a salsa. Many of my best times in Trinidad were spent on this outdoor dance floor between the fancy, white Pier-One building and the sea. Swaying to the latin rhythms, for ...

... fans to continue heckling. The game went on. And on. The West Indies bowled out the Indian batsmen four hours into the day. And on. The West Indies began batting, aiming to try and match the high 300-plus run total India had amassed. Since any cricket player on any cricket team dresses equally - in loose white pants and a white long-sleeved shirt - the only way to tell the home was now batting was because the stadium's music session heated up. Not to take anything ...