Palm's Hotel Trinidad

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.

... Several days ago, a new couple arrived...Frank and JoBean, American ex-pats who live on the island of Saba. Frank is a retired optical surgeon, but JoBean still works and has a glass jewelry design studio on Saba. JoBean came to Trinidad as part of a joint project with Nature Seekers to design and manufacture local handmade jewelry, using materials recovered from Matura Beach. Specifically, discarded glass bottles....blue, green, amber, and clear...trash that's all melted ...

... the seven of us that set out to sea that day, only two of us had ever actually kayaked in the ocean...I was one of the two. So we set sail from the safety of the Salybia River, paddling calmly as the river met the sea. Things looked good. Things looked great, in fact, and Ronald and I, being in single kayaks, shot ahead of the group and up and over the swells. And there were great big swells, several of which I hit just as they were breaking. Foam and white water ...

... were not consistent with net entanglement or other fishery-related activity. These animals had large holes in their shoulders and crushed carapaces and one even had skull damage. And every night there were footprints leading out across the sand in places were Nature Seekers had not yet gone. And many times, it appeared there were sticks standing vertically in the sand in the exact spots where Leatherbacks had laid their nests. On our nightly walks on the beach, we ...

... was released and happy. When we said goodbye to the police the next morning, they were so eager to make sure we had a better time in Trinidad that they are going to find us cheap accommodation and will be our personal guides to see the leather-back turtles laying eggs. The police were very sure that Wren had set the theft up from the off and suspected the girls' involvement aswell. We aren't so sure as it seems pretty dumb to steal from a place where only you have the key and ...

... and DJ's - blasting music and most important a truck that has porta potties. The music is so loud - everyone wears ear plugs. Check out some of the pictures of the costumes.

Another event is the steel drum contest. Imagine over 100 steel drums playing at one time. The contest consists of neighborhood steel drum bands, each with at least 100 players playing an original selection. It is awesome!

... or something but because it wasn't for the new kids. The new kids (who are mostly foreign exchange) were instructed to wear something "comfortable" and specifically a white t-shirt. Thankfully nothing was dumped on us, but I did find out that it was to signifiy our seperation from the "milnerites." The new kids are called "grubs" "grubettes" or "it." No matter who is talking, each comment is met with a sustained amount of laughter from all the Trinis ...

... for a good 10 minutes or so. Their light-without-heat technology is almost as fasinating as the amazing visual effects that appear when you have a field full of them. I had seen fireflies before in Mexico, but that was just one here and another over there. This was HUNDREDS of fireflies all over. It was definately something that has to be experienced. Words don't do it justice. A perfect end to the day. February 1 The job continues into February, we are all starting to get short with ...

Have recieved a few emails from ya'll saying the video diarys don't work. This site won't allow you to stream them, you have to download the whole file. They are big files so set it up and be patient. They are worth the wait. We sailed out of St. Lucia and headed South, back to where it all began, Trinidad. The sail took around 40 hours and we split the crew into three watches. Three hours on watch and six hours off. Rotating like this ...

... What? I don't see no rings," he said. I went to play in the waves and pretend my bum wasn't there. By the time I came back, Tony had pan-handled enough beers to get himself drunk, plus one for me. After we decided to go back to town, he also got himself a plate of chicken, potatoes, and rice from some barbecuers. "I know how to get myself taken care of," he said. (What he meant by this was: "I'm a worthless slug.") Getting transportation into town was also ...