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. <br><br> <br>

... not only which ones I liked the most, but why I liked them. I showed him a rectangular, clear glass bead that caught my eye, and explained its appeal. So on the morning of our departure, Michael was in the glass studio and told me he was going to make a necklace for me before I left. He did..a cool vertical piece of clear glass capped with an amber bead, and in no way resembling macaroni.<br><br>Now let me tell you about our last night on the beach. Christopher Mitchell picked us ...

... all of our teammates had disappeared. We assumed that Rodger and the guide had simply looped out of our sight to the far side of the island...but where were the others? I looked back and far off in the distance, between the rise and fall of the swells and the glints of sun bouncing off the water, I made out the shapes of two kayaks. But I didn't see any people. And the kayaks looked strange. I squinted and squinted and realized that was I was looking at was ...

... that evening, she never mentioned it. In fact, she invited us all in to the living room to watch a DVD slideshow of her and Baptiste's wedding. I watched her when she didn't see me, and she smiled and smiled at the photos of her happy day streaming across the television screen.<br><br>There's something rough about this place with a strange beauty that meets you in most moments, but with a violence that's underneath the surface, swirling about, waiting to explode.<br><br>love,Q<br><br>

... 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 ...

... here, more than I think I have ever seen in a single location before. This made searching out my preferred Indian food a little tougher. Also noticing that the variety of digital cameras here is far superior to Venezuela, I replaced my now buried mobile phone camera here, and picked up a Caribbean travel guide! The next day I aquired the US cash that I needed for Venezuela (black market exchange rate for US$ is 30% better than the oficial rate in Ven). With the ...

... defense, then run between the wickets, scoring runs. But, the bowlers have the task of scoring wickets, or "outs," which can happen - among other, more baseball-like ways - when a bowled ball strikes the wicket behind the batsman. There are plenty more rules that make the game indecipherable to outsiders and lead to newspaper articles reading, "Habib Tashikiwan was ducked out on a left-seamer slipper-in-the-gully short-of-a-length elbow hanger that would've been bunt ...

... a sunny beach to pronounce their words effortfully. And like the other Trinis, they were people you could count on - who just wanted everyone to have a good time - which is why I came to Trinidad. If ever there was a guy who knew how to have a good time, it was Dexter. He keeps his head shaved for low maintenance. He's witty. And his two favorite shirts read "I'm not an alcoholic:" and "AA:" on the front, and "I'm a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings." and "Alcoholics Always" on the ...