Viola's Place Tobago

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Last week my parents came to visit me. It was very nice to see them again as it was the first time in over 8 months. Dad didn't believe it was me when we met because of my bleached hair and 'castaway' beard. Mum could finally relax and I could finally go to a restaurant again. I was very pleased to be on easy street again. We ate out (spending a week's budget on a meal), hired a car, and went on two boat trips. The boat trips were my highlight of the week. I'd never done ...

Tobago celebrates Easter by holding their famous (to them) goat races. When we got there i was worried to hear that the goats had jockeys. Fortunately for the goats though, the comical image of a full grown man on a goat was left to my imagination as the jockeys had to run alongside their goat to steer them and spur them on. It was all very fun after a few beers and the comentators ...

... next day was interesting but mainly because my guide kept pointing out the obvious the whole time. "this road is very wavy" as we dip in and out of pavement seemingly inspired by laffy taffy. "do you see the water? that's the ocean" umm, yeah. i would imagine it would be seeing as we are surrounded by it. he was very sweet though and kept telling me to eat more oranges, which he then slammed to stop in the middle of the ...

... not ripen until we have left. We were looking for some limes for drinks and discovered that not only do they not have limes as we know them, but "lime" more often means "party." When you hear liming, or lime it is always referring to a party or get together and not a fruit. As for double double...in Canada to patrons of Tim Horton's it means one thing...in Trini and Tobago it means ...

... dezue cho sind, haemmer au no chli gschlafe. Es isch scho schoen, waemmer mal de Alltag chan vergaesse und eifach nur chan gnuesse und mal wiit weg sii vo dihei. Jetzt verzell ich oi chli vom Carnival. Mir haend ide Tanzband vo minere Tante mitgmacht zum Thema Traumfaenger/Indianer. Also de CArnival fangt am Maentig Morge a, mitem "j'ouvert-Morning". Da gaht mer am Morge frueh am 3 uf d'Strass und fahrt is Zentrum, wo ...

... and would be even moreso if there was sun! However, this notion that Englishmens' is one of the best in the whole Caribbean is a bit much...it's not even close to Vieques and many other Virgin Islands for example... We are trying to remain up beat but we're soggy and mosquito bitten!

3 Taeg haemmer ois am am Carnivalstress welle entzieh und sind z'Tobago an Strand. Das isch wie scho gseit d'Nachbarinsle vo Trinidad. Det gits luuter paradiesischi Sandstraend, viel Sunne und feins Aesse... mmm.... Aber lueged doch d'Bilder saelber ah...

... somewhere we could afford - Nature View Apts, high above the canopy of mango trees a few streets back from the beach. Owned by Wolf, a german guy who vas very cool, Ja? made ourselves at home with a bottle or so of kick ass Fernandes Black label rum and strolled about the town for a couple of days. Beautiful place, again all centred on the wonderful beach, everybody friendly and happy. Some fire and brimstone preachers came into town one night, screaming at the top of ...

... that meal. The night that followed was our last in Tobago. We went ashore to a grassy plateau for yet another sailing function. My goal for the night was to speak with the prettiest sailor there. I stopped her, as she held a drink and walked through the crowd. She had caved-in cheeks, and her skin bore a delicate, cappucino tint. Her head grew larger from bottom to top, with a square smile and dark-outlined, rectangular eyes. And - whew! - was she ...