<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago | World Capital Confidential</title> <atom:link href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/category/port-of-spain-trinidad-tobago/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2022 23:47:21 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <image> <url>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cropped-castle-32x32.jpg</url> <title>Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago | World Capital Confidential</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Going Down the Islands to Chacachacare</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/going-down-the-islands-to-chacachacare/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2022 08:19:23 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chacachacare]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chaguaramas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Former Leper Colony Chacachacare]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gasparee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain Travel Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Bocas]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/?p=8240</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>I’ve come to terms with the fact that I often find myself going against the grain when I travel. Even though being a backpacker and staying in hostels is hardly outside the norm these days, to many vacationers who want nothing more than a “holiday,” the idea of roughing it (hardly!) seems antithetical to the […]</p> The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/going-down-the-islands-to-chacachacare/">Going Down the Islands to Chacachacare</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_8234" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8234" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8234" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain17-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8234" class="wp-caption-text">Approaching the abandoned medical superintendent’s house on Chacachacare</figcaption></figure> <p>I’ve come to terms with the fact that I often find myself going against the grain when I travel. Even though being a backpacker and staying in hostels is hardly outside the norm these days, to many vacationers who want nothing more than a “holiday,” the idea of roughing it (hardly!) seems antithetical to the very reason this type of traveler is attempting to “get away from it all” in the first place. But even within the backpacking community, you will find numerous subsets of travelers: there’s the party-hostel animal; the person won’t go anywhere unless it’s “off the beaten path;” the hiker/camper/nature enthusiast; the gap-year youngster who is trying find him or herself amongst others.</p> <p>And then there’s me. I’m not looking to fill my Instagram feed with some carefully curated photos of sunsets or laze around the hostel common room all day waiting for the next pub crawl or trivia night. I love urban travel and prefer the museums, architecture and art that most cities have to offer over a trek into the wilderness. Even when I do venture out, I would much rather, I don’t know, visit an <em>abandoned former leper colony on an uninhabited island(!)</em> than sip margaritas on a beach.</p> <p>As soon as I read about Chacachacare, I knew I had to visit, no matter the roadblocks or weird looks my against-the-grain decision would inspire. Earlier in my travels, I may have buckled under the peer pressure to do something “normal,” but I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin these days and incredulous reactions just don’t phase me anymore. Now, off on an adventure we go!</p> <p><strong>From Port of Spain to Chaguaramas</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8231" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8231" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8231" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain14-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8231" class="wp-caption-text">The dock at Island Property Owner’s Association Marina</figcaption></figure> <p>Trinidad’s capital is located in the northwest corner of the island; extending 16 km(10 mi) farther west of Port of Spain is the peninsula of Chaguaramas, a weekend sanctuary, providing the residents with a forest, waterfalls, caves and a bevy of beach-soaked islands where they can decompress and lime the day away. Chaguaramas, which comes from the Amerindian word for palm trees, is not officially a part of the capital, but city buses do run up and down Western Main Road, the only thoroughfare leading into and out of the peninsula. Taking public transportation here is easy: simply search for the parking lot full of buses one block south of Independence Square and next to the Museum of the City of Port of Spain. Ask one of the drivers which of buses are headed for Chaguaramas and you’ll end up paying about $1-2 dollars each way. (There are some official bus stops along the route, but it’s better to tell the driver exactly where you want to go and they’ll stop right in front of your destination.)</p> <p>In 1941, owing to World War II, the British allowed the United States to build an army base on Chaguaramas. This cut off access to the forest and beaches for most Trinidadians, much to their irritation. Although the Americans did improve the infrastructure on the peninsula and create civilian jobs on the base for many locals, tales of racist behavior quickly spread throughout Trinidad. The most common story was that of the “paper bag party,” where a marine stood at the entryway with a brown paper bag and if your skin was darker than the bag, you weren’t allowed in.</p> <p>In the ensuing decades, not only were citizens in Trinidad & Tobago organizing to oust the British and end colonial rule, but when the US Marines were still operating the base out of Chaguaramas a decade after World War II ended, protestors gathered to bemoan their presence. In 1961, one year before independence, the US handed the base over to the Trinidadian army (who still use it for training exercises to this day), and the peninsula was once again open for the people to enjoy.</p> <p>Today, much of Chaguaramas has been declared a National Park, including Tucker Valley, a dense forest that is home to several species of monkeys, ocelots, armadillos and other small animals. There are countless marinas along the coast, as well as a recently-built water park and boardwalk halfway into the peninsula. The city buses will take you almost to the tip of Chaguaramas, but guards at the military base will turn you away from continuing down the final stretch of road. That’s ok, because the most popular reason to go to Chaguaramas is to visit the Bocas, a group of small islands stretching out from Trinidad’s mainland towards Venezuela.</p> <p><strong>The Bocas</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8233" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8233" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8233" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain16-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8233" class="wp-caption-text">The Island of Monos</figcaption></figure> <p>When someone in Trinidad says they’re “Going down the islands,” what they literally mean is they’re going to the Bocas, but “Going down the islands” is just as much a mood as a physical place. You’re going to the Bocas, which exist on a higher plane of chill and fun.</p> <p>These islands are not connected to the mainland by any roads or bridges; you can only reach them by boat. They have low permanent populations, but to own a vacation home on one of the Bocas is a prized possession for many in Port of Spain. The islands are separated by raging channels called Bocas del Dragón, or the Dragon’s Mouth. The four Bocas del Dragón, starting closest to mainland Trinidad, are Boca de Monos, Boca de Huevos, Boca de Navios and finally, spanning the small gap between the last island and Venezuela, Boca Grande.</p> <p>The first two Bocas, Gaspar Grande (often called Gasparee) and Monos, are the only two connected to Trinidad’s power grid by means of electric lines that run under the channels. After Monos, the islands run on generators only. Gasparee appeared to be the most popular of the Bocas: there are several eco-hotels, spa retreats and restaurants on the island, as well as a spectacular system of semi-underwater caves, a portion of which opened to the public in 1981. The harsh currents of the Bocas del Dragón have acted like an artist’s hands, sculpting the limestone base of Gasparee over the millennia. Blue Grotto is the largest cave, descending 35 m (114 ft) into the island’s base. The National Park Service offers daily tours into the caves (you can’t visit unsupervised).</p> <p>Monos, the second island after Gasparee, is covered with a thick, dense forest that was once home to a cotton plantation and whale hunting operation. Monos felt like the most residential of the Bocas, but visitors are welcome to enjoy the sandy beaches that can be found there. The third Boca, Huevos, is privately owned and you should probably obtain the necessary permissions before attempting to visit. Of course, there are smaller islands and outcropping throughout the Bocas, like the so-called “Madame Teteron’s Tooth,” but the four main islands are Gasparee, Monos, Huevos and Chacachacare, the last of which was why I was drawn to the Bocas in the first place.</p> <p><strong>Going Against the Grain to Chacachacare </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8229" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8229" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8229" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain12-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8229" class="wp-caption-text">On the shores of Chacachacare</figcaption></figure> <p>Visiting Trinidad & Tobago in and of itself is not really “going against the grain.” The two islands see plenty of vacationers who are looking to soak up the sun at resorts and luxury hotels in both destinations. To the “average” tourist, being a backpacker (not necessarily a hiker/camper, but someone who only travels with a backpack) and staying in hostels might feel like a punishing way to travel, but there are countless backpackers who travel all over the world every year, COVID notwithstanding. Being a backpacker in the Caribbean <em>is</em> going against the grain. You’re more likely to find this type of traveler in Amsterdam or Bangkok, but it’s not unheard of to meet a backpacker here, especially if they’re attempting to visit every country in the world. But going to Trinidad & Tobago and only staying in Port of Spain and Scarborough, respectively, is probably going to raise a few eyebrows. There is nary an all-inclusive resort in either capital and despite the cultural offerings in both cities, they don’t see an influx of tourists during a typical year.</p> <p>So here I am, a backpacker in Port of Spain, who has spent my time visiting museums and checking out the local architecture, when I announce to my host that I want to visit the Bocas. “Oh, you’ll love Gasparee,” she said. “The caves are lovely.” (Beat) “Well, I was thinking about bypassing Gasparee and visiting Chacachacare instead,” I hesitantly put forth. “Really? Well that won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap. You might not even find someone willing to take you out there. Best to see if your cab driver knows someone with a boat in the area,” she replied. “Oh, I’m not planning on taking a cab. I’m excited to try out the public buses!” Realizing that she was dealing with a truly crazy person, she simply instructed me to tell the bus driver I wanted to be left off at the Island Property Owner’s Association Marina and wished me luck.</p> <p>The bus ride there was a breeze and everyone was chatting me up as we made our way deeper into Chaguaramas. They too were surprised I wanted to go to Chacachacare (no one in the bus had been out there before), but they were happy to hear how much I had been enjoying Port of Spain.</p> <p>When I got to the marina, I approached the information window and the woman working asked me if I was looking to see the caves on Gasparee or go to the beach on Monos. (A bus load of British tourists from an all-inclusive elsewhere on the island had just arrived for a tour of Gasparee and she indicated that I could join their group.) “Actually, I was wondering if it would be possible to visit Chacachacare,” I said with a hopeful smile. There I was, going against the grain again. She gave me a look as if to say, there’s always one. There’s always that one person who just can’t be easy and go see the caves.</p> <p>I knew ahead of time that a trip to Chacachacare would cost a pretty penny- I was estimating US$100 for someone to take me there and back. (Lonely Planet recommends a tour company who can arrange an expedition to the island, and when I emailed them, they quoted me a price of $400!) But it’s not just about the price. You first have to find someone even willing to go out there. Remember how the channels between the islands are called Bocas del Dragón? Well, dragons aren’t exactly known for being cuddly and cute on account of all that fire coming out of their nostrils! The channels are indeed choppy and rough, and the farther out you go towards Venezuela, the choppier and rougher each channel becomes. It’s not uncommon to see dolphins in any of the Bocas del Dragón, but the channels around Chacachacare are also home to some pretty nasty sharks as well. If your boat capsizes and the currents don’t drag you under, Jaws just might come along and finish you off.</p> <p>After asking several boat owners, I finally met John, a grizzled older gentleman with a smile that revealed a few missing teeth and a Trinidadian accent so thick, it took my ear a good 10 minutes to become acclimated to it. I instantly liked John and he agreed to take me out to Chacachacare in his little green motorboat for US$80 (a bargain), telling me I could explore the island as long as I wished. It turned out John was born in Chaguaramas and had lived his whole life either on the peninsula or one of the Bocas. He knew every story Chacachacare had to tell, and I made for an avid audience member. John told me to hold on tight as we began the 30-minute journey from the marina to the ghost-filled, completely-abandoned former leper colony on Chacachacare.</p> <p><strong>The Leper Colony</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8225" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8225" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8225" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8.jpeg" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8.jpeg 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8-500x667.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain8-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8225" class="wp-caption-text">The Sander’s Bay Jetty leading to the former intake office</figcaption></figure> <p>The boat ride to Chacachacare was as advertised. Each time John’s boat crested over a wave, the tiny vessel was sent airborne, suspended in midair for what seemed like an eternity before slamming back down into the water once again. I didn’t necessarily think I was going to die, but I started to second guess my decision not to take the quick five-minute ferry ride over to Gasparee! Chacachacare is shaped like a horseshoe, and luckily the enclosed bay created by the island’s prong-shaped sides is refreshingly docile and serene.</p> <p>Our first stop was Sander’s Bay, home to the doctor’s office where all patient records were stored and the intake of new patients was performed. But before I start talking about the current state of the leper colony on Chacachacare, let’s go back to why the hospital was built here in the first place. In the mid-19th Century, a strain of leprosy began spreading through colonial Port of Spain. In 1845, the 300th patient was diagnosed and the British feared an epidemic would overtake the capital. An order of French Dominican nuns was tasked with caring for those afflicted with the disease in an institution on the mainland.</p> <p>The nuns arrived in 1868 and after two years they approached the government, asking for a medical complex in a more isolated area. Leprosy is highly contagious and although the patients had not committed any crimes, they were confined in rather prison-like conditions. Some would escape and ultimately would infect more people in the general population. The British set their sights on Chacachacare, the largest and farthest Boca from the mainland. The name is believed to have come from chac-chac, the Amerindian word for cotton; Spanish families established cotton plantations on the island as far back as 1807.</p> <figure id="attachment_8236" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8236" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8236" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain19-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8236" class="wp-caption-text">Sander’s Bay on Chacachacare</figcaption></figure> <p>Construction of the leper colony began in 1870, but the work was challenging and the facilities were not completed until 1922. The nuns did not tell any of the patients about Chacachacare for fear it would cause a revolt. The night before everyone was transferred, the police surrounded the hospital and escorted each patient onto a boat that would take them to an island they would never leave for the rest of their lives. The nuns also knew they would be condemned to this same fate of hard work and permanent isolation.</p> <p>The nuns were strict and ran a tight ship. During the first few decades of the institution’s history, male and female patients were forbidden from commingling. When the ban was lifted, if a female patient became pregnant, the baby was instantly taken from the mother upon giving birth and placed in an orphanage on the mainland. During World War II, one thousand US Marines built barracks on Chacachacare and brought with them massive generators. This was the first time Chacachacare had a power source and conditions at the leper colony increased tremendously.</p> <p>By 1950, the nuns were experiencing a recruitment problem. Fewer and fewer women worldwide were joining nunneries, but you can imagine that those willing to sign up to work at leper colony for the rest of their days were few and far between. After over eighty years of running caring for patients in Trinidad, the Dominican nuns turned over the keys to the facilities on Chacachacare to the state, putting local nurses and doctors in charge of their wards. Treatments for leprosy greatly improved during the 197os and by the early 80’s the disease had practically been cured. The colony closed its doors in 1984, as the final eight patients and remaining staff returned to the mainland for good.</p> <p>A lighthouse had been erected on Chacachacare back in 1870 and at the time of colony’s abandonment, two brothers were in charge of keeping the lighthouse running. They became Chacachacare’s sole inhabitants until the lighthouse’s services were no longer required and they too left the island around 2010. Two of the Dominican nuns contracted leprosy while performing their duties on the island; one of them was so tortured by the disfigurement that she committed suicide. Her ghost is said to be the only remaining being left on Chacachacare today.</p> <p><strong>A Ruined Past</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8224" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8224" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8224" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7.jpeg" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7.jpeg 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7-500x667.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain7-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8224" class="wp-caption-text">The decaying buildings of the former leper colony</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8237" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8237" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8237" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain20-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8237" class="wp-caption-text">The windows are all long gone on Chacachacare</figcaption></figure> <p>There has been much talk about what to do with Chacachacare in the present day. Preservationists want to turn the crumbling structures into a living museum, documenting what happened on the island for so many decades. Others have suggested tearing down the old buildings and developing vacation homes and hotels like they have on Gasparee and Monos. At one point, Donald Trump offered to buy the island, flatten it and construct a gaudy casino attached to an all-inclusive resort, but this was swiftly shot down.</p> <figure id="attachment_8226" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8226" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8226" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain9-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8226" class="wp-caption-text">Former living quarters of the leper colony</figcaption></figure> <p>One thing to be very aware of are the manchineel trees that surround the island. Not only is the fruit extremely poisonous, but the sap that oozes down the branches can cause death as well. As legend has it, once during a rainstorm, some early Spanish colonists sheltered under a manchineel tree, but their would-be protector turned out to be a killer. The water droplets caused the sap to fall on their skin, burning the flesh and poisoning them instantly.</p> <figure id="attachment_8239" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8239" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8239" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain22-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8239" class="wp-caption-text">The medical superintendent’s residence</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8230" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8230" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8230" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain13-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8230" class="wp-caption-text">John’s boat docked at the jetty</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>La Tinta Beach</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8219" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8219" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8219" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8219" class="wp-caption-text">La Tinta Beach</figcaption></figure> <p>John told me that he does encounter locals looking to get away from it all asking to be dropped off at Chacachacare on a Friday night with their camping gear in tow. They usually crash at La Tinta Beach, named for its inky-colored sand, before requesting to be picked up again on Sunday afternoon. Without electricity, WiFi or running water, it is a place where you can escape modern life and reconnect with nature.</p> <figure id="attachment_8238" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8238" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8238" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain21-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8238" class="wp-caption-text">Venezuela in the distance</figcaption></figure> <p>A mere 11 km(7 mi) away is Venezuela, which I was easily able to see on this clear day. How often do you get to stand on one continent and see a different continent on the horizon?! North and South America- separated by a tiny stretch of sea. Even John, who no doubt has looked out at the mountains in the distance thousands of times in his lifetime, stood in silent awe with me for a few minutes before we moved on.</p> <p><strong>St. Catherine’s Church</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8227" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8227" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8227" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain10-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8227" class="wp-caption-text">St. Catherine’s Church and the nuns’ quarters</figcaption></figure> <p>On the other side of the horseshoe, across from the infirmary and intake station, sits St. Catherine’s Church, the nuns’ quarters and a cemetery where the sisters were buried. It is here that the ghost of nun who committed suicide most often appears and John refused to even get out of the boat to show me around. He told me to take all the time I wanted, but he was eager to remain as far away as possible from the chapel and cemetery. I would have to complete this last leg of my journey alone.</p> <figure id="attachment_8228" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8228" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8228" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11.jpeg" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11.jpeg 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11-500x667.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain11-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8228" class="wp-caption-text">Gingerbread trim in the chapel</figcaption></figure> <p>The leper colony was quite a large complex at its height. There was a hospital, infirmary, housing for the patients, nuns and medical staff, a sports center, a cinema and even a jail. All food and supplies had to be transported from the mainland by boat, including fuel for the generators. John makes a living not only by taking visitors like me to the Bocas, but by making grocery runs for people living on Gasparee, Monos and Huevos.</p> <figure id="attachment_8222" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8222" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8222" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5.jpeg" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5.jpeg 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5-500x667.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain5-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8222" class="wp-caption-text">Inside the former chapel</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8218" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8218" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8218" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8218" class="wp-caption-text">The pews have all been removed</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1993, several historians were exploring the island when they unearthed a buried crate of diaries written by the nuns (in French), dating back to their earliest days on the island. The writings were published and revealed every hardship they endured living on Chacachacare. Some have been quick to criticize the decision to isolate the patients on the island for what was essentially a life sentence under questionable living conditions, but the diaries portray the nuns as absolutely devoted to providing the best care possible and much sympathy was cultivated in the public eye for their suffering as well.</p> <figure id="attachment_8220" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8220" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8220" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8220" class="wp-caption-text">I braved the stairs to the second floor, even though they might collapse at any minute</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8221" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8221" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8221" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4.jpeg" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4.jpeg 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortofSpain4-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8221" class="wp-caption-text">The path to the now overgrown cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Goodbye to Port of Spain</strong></p> <p>Perhaps it was fitting that Chacachacare brought me so close to Venezuela, as the following day I was to take a flight to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, which would mark my first time stepping foot in South America. I had originally approached my trip to Trinidad & Tobago with trepidation. I bought into the travel industry’s propaganda that the only things one could do in the Caribbean were to stay at all-inclusive resorts and while away the hours on the beach or in a mud mask at the spa. I lacked faith in the destination, but I also doubted myself. Did I really believe I wouldn’t find a way to go against the grain in Scarborough and Port of Spain? There <em>is</em> so much to see and do in each capital city, but even if there weren’t, I should have never doubted my ability to march to the beat of my own drummer.</p> <p>I’m sure the caves on Gasparee would have been perfectly lovely, but visiting Chacachacare and the former leper colony with John was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I will never be able to replicate anywhere else in the world. Don’t be afraid to do the different of weird thing on your travels. If everyone is going to the beach, don’t be afraid to check out the modern art museum. If everyone is eating at McDonald’s, don’t be afraid to to take a chance on the hole-in-the-wall cafe. If everyone else at the hostel is staying out late on a pub crawl, don’t be afraid to go to bed early and wake up for a sunrise walk through the empty streets of a city. If everyone is going to Gasparee, don’t be afraid to say take me across the raging channels, through shark-infested waters to an island with fatally poisonous trees to visit a leper colony haunted by the tortured soul of a Dominican nun.</p> <p>As cliche as this quote has become, Robert Frost was really onto something when he wrote:</p> <blockquote><p>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —</p> <p>I took the one less traveled by,</p> <p>And that has made all the difference.</p></blockquote>The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/going-down-the-islands-to-chacachacare/">Going Down the Islands to Chacachacare</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Examining Port of Spain’s Past Through Exhibitions & Architecture</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/examining-port-of-spains-past-through-exhibitions-architecture/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 11 Jun 2022 08:00:39 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NALIS Port of Spain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain Travel Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Queen’s Park Savannah]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Public Library Port of Spain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Red House Port of Spain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Woodford Square]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/?p=8177</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>But what happened after 1962? If it’s not abundantly clear by now, I’m a big fan of visiting museums wherever I travel. Whereas other travelers may quickly write these institutions off as “boring” and “stuffy,” I find them fascinating gateways that weave the historical, social and artistic threads into the tapestry of a culture and […]</p> The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/examining-port-of-spains-past-through-exhibitions-architecture/">Examining Port of Spain’s Past Through Exhibitions & Architecture</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_8110" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8110" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8110" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-1-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8110" class="wp-caption-text">Let’s talk about it! The daily forum is open to everyone at Woodford Square</figcaption></figure> <p><b>But what happened after 1962? </b></p> <p>If it’s not abundantly clear by now, I’m a big fan of visiting museums wherever I travel. Whereas other travelers may quickly write these institutions off as “boring” and “stuffy,” I find them fascinating gateways that weave the historical, social and artistic threads into the tapestry of a culture and people I’m encountering for the first time. Museums have given me context for the current political and economic climates of a nation; they’ve helped me understand the architecture and street art I’ve absorbed during an afternoon of wandering the thoroughfares of a capital city. I’ve seen exhibits about national cuisines where the dishes have later popped up on a restaurant’s menu or listened to traditional instruments that have gone on to serenade me near markets and public squares.</p> <p>But what do you do when a museum warns you upfront that there will be gaps in the information it will present? How do you go about filling the holes in the knowledge provided? As I paid for my ticket to the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port of Spain, I was handed a map/brochure that stated: The National Museum and Art Gallery traces the Social and Economic development of Trinidad and Tobago up to Independence in 1962.</p> <p>This was sounding great until that last bit. The National Museum will just stop telling Trinidad & Tobago’s story at 1962? But that’s sixty years ago! Not only has A LOT happened since then, but so much of it informs the daily lives of the modern Trinidadian citizen. The National Museum might be a good starting place to learn about the nation’s history, but with decades worth of narrative still to cover, I was going to have to get creative with how I would uncover Trinidad’s post-independence story.</p> <p><strong>The National Museum and Art Gallery</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8117" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8117" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8117" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-8-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8117" class="wp-caption-text">The National Museum and Art Gallery</figcaption></figure> <p>Trinidad’s National Museum opened in 1892 as part of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebration. The building was appropriately tailored in the Victorian Colonial-Style and is an historical landmark in its own right. No doubt, when the museum first opened it extolled the virtues of the British Empire’s role in the development of its crown colony, but nowadays the Brits have been recast in the role of the villain, as the museum charts Trinidad (& Tobago)’s path to independence from their many colonial oppressors.</p> <p>Trinidad is believed to be the oldest inhabited island in the Caribbean. The original native peoples came in boats from South America, and their earliest found settlements date back to 5000 BC. Christopher Columbus never landed on Tobago, but he did “discover” Trinidad in 1498. His men made so-called slaves runs, snatching natives from other Caribbean islands and transporting them to Trinidad, but native Amerindians fought back and it wasn’t until nearly a century later in 1592 that the Spanish were able to establish their first permanent fort in San José, declaring it the capital of this new Spanish colony.</p> <p>In 1687, Spanish monks arrived with two goals in mind, the first of which was to build missions and convert the Amerindians to Catholicism. This didn’t go over well with the native population, but their second directive was met even fiercer resistance. The monks set up an encomienda, or labor system, that basically turned the Amerindians into slaves who would work the fields and build the churches where they would later (attempt) to be converted. By 1699, the Amerindians led a rebellion killing three priests and the Spanish governor. The Spanish responded by slaughtering thousands of Amerindians in the Arena Massacres; by the following century, the Amerindians were entirely wiped off the island.</p> <p>Fast forward another century to 1783 and the population was floundering. The capital had been moved to the newly-founded Port of Spain, but Trinidad remained underpopulated compared to other Caribbean island colonies. The Spanish introduced a Cédula de Población in order to entice new settlers to the island. The Cédula promised any Catholic a parcel of land, even free (mixed) slaves. A large influx of French Catholics took the Spanish government up on this offer and soon Trinidad adopted a distinctive French flavoring under Spanish rule. In total 1500 French settlers immigrated to Trinidad, bringing with them 33,000 African slaves.</p> <p>The British, having previously taken an interest in Tobago, now set their sights on Trinidad as well. In 1797, the Spanish surrendered to the British navy and Thomas Picton became of the first British governor, unleashing a reign of terror on the population, sparing no one from his ire. Picton was eventually disposed of and Trinidad become an official crown colony in 1802. Scottish, German, Irish and Italian settlers joined the Spanish, French and British as Trinidad’s multi-cultural identity began to grow. Plantations producing sugar, coffee, cocoa and cotton flourished; slave labor ensured maximum profits for the European land owners.</p> <p>When slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom in 1833, the formerly enslaved Afro-Trinidadian population left the plantations and set up communities just east of Port of Spain. Left with no one to work the fields, the British set up an indentured servitude system with several Asian nations including India and China. Any worker’s sea passage was paid for and in return they were to commit to ten years hard labor on the plantations. After this period, a return voyage could be purchased, or the indentured servant could opt to receive 10 acres of land. These workers were technically “paid,” with salaries ranging from $1.45-2.40 per month. They were expected to work nine hours a day, six days a week. Essentially, the British replaced one form of slavery with a second, only slightly less-awful form of slavery.</p> <p>Still, people signed up in droves. Between 1845 and the program’s dissolution in 1917, 145,000 Indians came to Trinidad, bringing with them their Muslim and Hindu beliefs. Today Indian-Trinidadians make up 35% of the island’s population. A sizable Chinese minority also can be found in Trinidad, as well as descendants from Syrians who were seeking refuge in 1913 and Jews who escaped Europe during World War II. One of the greatest differences between Trinidad and Tobago is the latter is almost exclusively Afro-Tobagonian while the former is one of the most diverse places I’ve ever visited.</p> <p>Speaking of Tobago: the small island was such a perpetual headache for the British that in 1889 they threw up their hands and stopped trying to establish Tobago’s own colonial government, making it a ward of Trinidad instead. The larger island was becoming the United Kingdom’s big money maker anyway. As plantations were becoming less profitable to run, petroleum was discovered off Trinidad’s coast in the 1850s. The island’s wealth grew, but none of the money was finding its way into the pockets of the non-Europeans. The British did eventually grant suffrage to the citizens and the first local government was elected in 1925, but it was too little, too late. Riots over labor conditions and wages spilled out into the streets .</p> <p>Eric Williams founded the PNM (People’s National Movement) in 1956 and made great strides towards ensuring Trinidad & Tobago’s dual independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. (Williams went on to become the nation’s first prime minister, a post he held till his death in 1981.)</p> <p>With Trinidad & Tobago’s independence assured and its acceptance into the United Nations solidified, the National Museum wraps up it’s historical narrative. In some ways, this is a cop out. It’s easy to tell the story when there are clear “good guys” and “bad guys,” but as soon as the tale becomes a little less clear-cut and the lines of who’s on the side of “right” become blurred, that’s when you’re got to work hard to objectively explain what occurred and let the visitor come to their own conclusions. Still, the exhibits chronicling the colonial period are well done and will give you the foundation to discover what transpired post-independence on your own.</p> <p><strong>Woodford Square</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8160" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8160" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8160" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-51-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8160" class="wp-caption-text">Woodford Square</figcaption></figure> <p>Not far from the National Museum is Woodford Square, the heart of Port of Spain’s historical district. Walk around the park and read the sign posts detailing the important buildings that line all sides of this small, urban park. The square was original designed by the Spanish in 1787 and was mainly used to carry out military exercises. In 1917, it was renamed after Sir Ralph Woodford, the British governor who refurbished the green space and launched various beautification projects in the capital, including Queen’s Park Savannah and the Botanic Gardens.</p> <p>The bandstand was added in 1866 and Woodford Square is home to concerts and social gatherings in the evenings, but its real claim to fame is the early morning open forum that anyone can sign up to lead/participate in. The tradition was started by Eric Williams in 1956 when he founded the so-called “University of Woodford Square.” The idea was that any citizen could sign up to speak on or debate a current political issue and the whole community could watch and either be persuaded or not. The forum continues to this day; most recently, gay rights activists credit the forum discussions for the passage of historic legislation in 2018 that extended rights and protections to all sexualities in Trinidad & Tobago. Williams quickly realized that change will never happen if political action is left to representatives arguing in a Parliament chamber. True progress comes directly from an informed public.</p> <p><strong>The Red House</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8161" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8161" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8161" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-52-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8161" class="wp-caption-text">The Red House, receiving a much needed facelift</figcaption></figure> <p>Trinidad’s Parliament, locally known as the Red House, has been hiding behind a spiderweb of scaffolding since 1999 when the government launched a massive renovation project to inject some new life into the battered building. (After 20 years of construction, several locals told me they wondered if they would ever see the Red House completed, but the global hiatus imposed by Covid ironically allowed the restoration work to speed up, and I hear that building is once again scaffolding-free!)</p> <p>In fairness, the Red House has had a remarkably rocky history. The first Parliament building burned to the ground in 1903 before this Neo-Renaissance structure was erected on the same spot. Its most dramatic moment came in 1990 during A.N.R. Robinson’s Prime Minister tenure, when Yasin Abu Bakr, an Islamic fundamentalist, and 114 of his followers stormed the the Red House and a local TV, taking 45 members of Parliament hostage, including Robinson. The siege lasted six days, during which buildings were bombed and fires were set in downtown Port of Spain. Robinson came of out the situation alive and unharmed, but 26 others were killed and the prosecution of the case was mangled for years to come.</p> <p>On top of all that, during the reconstruction process, the workers uncovered Amerindian remains beneath the Red House, which led archeologists to discover that the area’s original use was that of a native Amerindian burial ground before the Spanish leveled the cemetery in the late 18th Century. All construction was halted until the newly-found graves could be protected and preserved.</p> <p><strong>The (Old) Public Library</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8121" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8121" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8121" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-12-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8121" class="wp-caption-text">The (Old) Public Library</figcaption></figure> <p>The Trinidadian library system was created in 1851 and its headquarters were moved to Woodford Square in 1901. At the time, serious roadblocks were put in place by the colonial government, hindering non-Europeans from fully receiving a public education. The library, while segregated, was open for all to use and both Afro- and Indian-Trinidadians took advantage of this loophole to become self-taught citizens. Thus the library and not the school became the center of educational life for many on the island.</p> <p>The building itself was designed in the Classical Revival-Style with accentuated arches that descend from the second floor down to the first. The windows create a 3D cut-out effect when lined up with their corresponding arches. Most of the library’s collection has moved to a new home across the square, but reading rooms are still open to the public on the first floor.</p> <p><strong>Hall of Justice</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8159" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8159" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8159" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-50-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8159" class="wp-caption-text">Hall of Justice</figcaption></figure> <p>Right next to The Old Public Library sits the Hall of Justice, built in a Tropical Modernism-Style (that seems to share a lot in come with Socialist Brutalism), dating to 1979. It shouldn’t shock you by now that I have an affinity for these concrete behemoths and the Hall of Justice quickly became my favorite building in Port of Spain; the prison transport buses add a nice touch to the milieu, don’t you think?</p> <figure id="attachment_8157" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8157" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8157" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-48-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8157" class="wp-caption-text">The Tropical Modernism of the Hall of Justice</figcaption></figure> <p>The building houses several high courts of the island nation, including the Supreme Court. When plans were being drawn up in the 1970s for the court’s new home, the architects were instructed to whip up something modern that still fits in with the other architectural styles around Woodford Square. The Hall of Justice has not gone over well with the locals, to put it mildly. Often ranked as the ugliest building in Trinidad & Tobago, I had several people think I was either crazy or pulling their leg (or both) when I told them how much I loved this monstrosity. Of course, even I can admit that the architects failed on both counts of their directive seeing as how the building looks positively stuck in the past (and straight out of the former Soviet Union) and, more importantly, it doesn’t match the aesthetic or vibe of its neighbors <em>at all</em>.</p> <figure id="attachment_8144" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8144" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8144" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-35-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8144" class="wp-caption-text">The Hall of Justice in close-up</figcaption></figure> <p>People can disparage the architecture all they want, but the building is functional. The concrete panels act as a natural cooling system, allowing the building to breathe and reduce humidity. As we saw with the gingerbread architecture in the previous post, all influences and design elements incorporated from other cultures needed to first be adapted to the Caribbean’s tropical climate.</p> <p><strong>Holy Trinity Cathedral</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8127" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8127" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8127" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-18-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8127" class="wp-caption-text">Holy Trinity Cathedral</figcaption></figure> <p>When the British assumed power of Trinidad in 1797, one of their first orders of business was to construct a cathedral in the center of the capital. Originally, Holy Trinity was meant to take up the entire square, but the citizens resisted having their green space destroyed and groundbreaking for the cathedral instead took place across the street, on the south side of the square. Completed in 1818, the church was modeled in the Gothic Revival-Style with its lancet stained glass windows and blue limestone excavated from nearby Laventille quarries.</p> <figure id="attachment_8115" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8115" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8115" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-6-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8115" class="wp-caption-text">The hammerbeam roof of Holy Trinity Cathedral</figcaption></figure> <p>Perhaps the most stunning feature of the cathedral is the mahogany hammerbeam roof which was built in England and transported across the Atlantic to be assembled in Port of Spain. You can see the decorative open timber roof trusses above that give this unique style of woodworking its name.</p> <p>When cathedral opened for services, there were 480 designated seats in the pews: 300 reserved for white Europeans and 180 for “free coloreds.” (Slaves were not permitted to attend services at Holy Trinity and you can plainly see the hypocrisy. Everyone was expected to convert to Catholicism/Christianity, but many were not allowed to step foot in the church!)</p> <figure id="attachment_8113" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8113" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8113" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-4-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8113" class="wp-caption-text">The Labyrinth and Garden of Peace outside the cathedral</figcaption></figure> <p>As attendance and membership has dwindled in recent years, the church has attempted to rebrand itself, focusing less on the formal liturgy and more on personal spirituality. The Labyrinth and Garden of Peace were added to the grounds in the late 1990s to provide a place for quiet reflection. The church has also embraced cremation as a valid form of burial and a mausoleum of sorts has been erected to hold the ashes of deceased congregates. I’m not much of a religious man, but I did find my visit to the cathedral relaxing and calming.</p> <p><strong>NALIS (National Library)</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8112" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8112" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8112" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-3-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8112" class="wp-caption-text">NALIS</figcaption></figure> <p>The National Library, which opened to the public in 2003, served as my home base during my daily explorations of Port of Spain. 1) There is a fantastic coffee shop on the ground floor of the library and I need to drink lots of coffee every day. 2) NALIS is gloriously air conditioned. 3) The WiFi is fast and free.</p> <p>I feel like Colin Laird, the architect who designed the National Library, succeeded where the Hall of Justice (allegedly!) failed. The building is certainly modern- it was intended to look like a cruise ship docked at port- but somehow it fits in with the other buildings around Woodford Square. Despite its massive size, it appears to be light and airy, as if it could collapse in on itself like a child’s toy. Like a ship bobbing along in the bay, the library has an illusion of buoyancy that belies its actual weight.</p> <p><strong>The Old Fire Station</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8158" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8158" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8158" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-49-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8158" class="wp-caption-text">The Old Fire Station</figcaption></figure> <p>The Victorian-Style Old Fire Station was the first concrete structure built in Port of Spain when it was completed in 1896. After it outgrew its original purpose for the fire department, the station was transformed into a theater before it was annexed by the library system in 1999. Now it hosts special events and art exhibits sponsored by NALIS.</p> <p>From this vantage point, you can see how well the new library building frames the Old Fire Station, engendering a harmony between the two structures and the historical center’s skyline as a whole. It’s as if the National Library were the missing puzzle piece with which the Old Fire Station took over a century to interlock.</p> <p><strong>Central Police Station</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8111" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8111" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8111" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-2-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8111" class="wp-caption-text">Central Police Station</figcaption></figure> <p>The (forgive me) arresting Central Police Station was all but destroyed during the 1990 hostage situation at the Red House next door. The building’s Italian Gothic-Style has since been recreated and this certainly must rank as one of the most unusual police stations I’ve encountered on my travels. I did not visit the museum on the top floor that details the history of Trinidad’s police force, but if that sort of thing floats your boat, it’s there for the taking.</p> <p><strong>Brian Lara Promenade/Independence Square/Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8162" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8162" style="width: 1797px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8162" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53.png" alt="" width="1797" height="2397" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53.png 1797w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-53-1535x2048.png 1535w" sizes="(max-width: 1797px) 100vw, 1797px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8162" class="wp-caption-text">The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Independence Square</figcaption></figure> <p>If Woodford Square is the historical center of Port of Spain, then Independence Square and the Brian Lara Promenade, named after a famous Trinidadian cricket player, is the commercial and social hub of the capital. Stretching for blocks, the promenade is lined with clothing shops, souvenir stores, international fast food chains and local hole-in-the-wall eateries (pastries from Lucky Bakery are a must). The bus from the airport drops you off one block south of the promenade, making the square my first impression of the capital. This is a city buzzing with life, whose electrons in the atmosphere can almost be seen dancing with the fireflies and mosquitos. Coming from Scarborough, Tobago’s ultra-laidback capital, stepping off the bus was a bit of culture shock, highlighting how different these two islands are.</p> <p>At the easterly end of the square is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, whose Gothic-Style twin towers are iconic in Trinidad. Built in 1836, the cathedral had become worse for the wear by the 1990s and a costly restoration process was recently completed to return the building to its former glory.</p> <p><strong>Fort San Andreas/Museum of the City of Port of Spain</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8119" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8119" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8119" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-10-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8119" class="wp-caption-text">The rear of Fort San Andreas, now the Museum of the City of Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>As someone who loves world capitals so much that I started a blog about them, visiting the “Museum of the City of (<u>INSERT CAPITAL CITY HERE</u>)” is always a highlight. A national museum will give you a general overview of a country, but a “city of” museum allows you take a deep dive into what makes the people of a certain urban environment tick. What a bummer to approach Port of Spain’s namesake museum only to find it closed for major renovations! The gates were chained and no one was in sight.</p> <p>I apparently looked distraught enough that a passerby stopped to ask where I was from and kindly commiserated with me about the museum’s closure. “I’m not going to let this go,” he says to me. “I know someone who knows one of the security guards here. Give me a minute.” Lo and behold, after a few phone calls a guard shows up and lets me onto the grounds! I wasn’t permitted to go inside, but I did get to check out the cannons in the rear courtyard and see the outdoor exhibit of original locomotives from Trinidad’s early railroad days. Everywhere I turned, I met someone who went the extra mile to make me feel welcome in Port of Spain.</p> <figure id="attachment_8120" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8120" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8120" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-11-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8120" class="wp-caption-text">Original train cars from Trinidad’s first railroad</figcaption></figure> <p>The museum is housed in Fort San Andreas, originally built in 1787 by the Spanish to ward off the British. The military complex never saw battle and the British turned it into a (forced) immigration center of sorts; 65,000 African slaves and 30,000 Indian indentured servants were processed through San Andreas, leaving a stain on the island’s legacy.</p> <p><strong>Memorial Park </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8165" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8165" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8165" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-56.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-56.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-56-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-56-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-56-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8165" class="wp-caption-text">Memorial Park Cenotaph</figcaption></figure> <p>Both Independence Square and Fort San Andreas are south of Woodford Square; if you head north, you’ll bump into several parks and green spaces, plus an albatross of a performing arts center. First up is Memorial Park, a quaint little plaza built to honor those from Trinidad & Tobago who lost their lives during the two world wars. Of course, both global conflicts occurred pre-independence and Trinidad & Tobago were crown colonies at the time. Locals were recruited to fight in the British armed forces and the United States was permitted to build military bases on both islands during World War II. (The US did not completely leave Trinidad until 1961.)</p> <p><strong>National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA)</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8166" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8166" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8166" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-57-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8166" class="wp-caption-text">National Academy for the Performing Arts</figcaption></figure> <p>Perhaps the most controversial building in Port of Spain is the National Academy for the Performing Arts, or NAPA for short. This new, ostensibly state-of-the-art facility opened in 2009 to much fanfare and a whooping price tag of TT$500 million (~US $74 million). NAPA would not only be home to the most prestigious performing arts school on the island, but it would contain several concert halls for theater, dance, opera, the symphony and celebrations of steel pan music, Trinidad & Tobago’s national instrument. It all sounds great, right?</p> <figure id="attachment_8164" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8164" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8164" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-55.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-55.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-55-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-55-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-55-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8164" class="wp-caption-text">National Academy of the Performing Arts</figcaption></figure> <p>After the grand opening, rumors began to circulate through the artistic community that NAPA wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. This culminated in an exposé being published by one of Port of Spain’s newspapers wherein several heads of the academy ripped the new arts center to shreds. Their complaints ran the gamut from the aesthetic to the functional. The building was designed to look like the chaconia, Trinidad & Tobago’s national flower. This would be all well and good, but the shape of the chaconia can only be discerned from an aerial view of the structure, rendering much of its unusual design pointless to anyone looking at it from the ground.</p> <p>More critical are the physical flaws, such as poor acoustics in the concert halls, shoddy craftsmanship of the roof and outer glass tiles, the installation of analog as opposed to digital sound boards and recording devices, no loading docks to move scenery into the performance spaces, inadequate orchestra pits, doors so narrow that the largest steel pan drums cannot fit through the backstage areas, and and and…the list goes on and on. On top of all of that, the yearly maintenance fees are astronomical and will surely bankrupt the institution- or repairs simply will not be made.</p> <figure id="attachment_8151" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8151" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8151" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-42-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8151" class="wp-caption-text">National Academy of the Performing Arts</figcaption></figure> <p>As cringetastic as all of this is, NAPA remains an impressive structure in the eyes of this tourist. I got the sense that what angered the artists the most was that they weren’t consulted about their needs and wants during the design process of the center. The money was raised and the government just went ahead and built it, as if it were a new set of apartment buildings or a pair of office high rise towers in the financial district. They didn’t think about the unique needs that a theater complex would require and now that the project is completed, everyone involved simply has to make do with what they’ve got.</p> <p><strong>Queen’s Park Savannah</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8136" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8136" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8136" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-27-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8136" class="wp-caption-text">Queen’s Park Savannah (It’s usually lush and green, or so I was told!)</figcaption></figure> <p>The largest and most famous green space in Port of Spain is Queen’s Park Savannah, although after nearly one month without rain, I encountered more of the largest brown space, but I’ve viewed photos from other travelers and I can see where the park would be really lovely when well-watered.</p> <figure id="attachment_8128" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8128" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8128" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-19-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8128" class="wp-caption-text">Queen’s Park Savannah is dotted with various flowering trees</figcaption></figure> <p>Queen’s Park Savannah was originally a sugar estate, but Governor Woodford purchased the land for the city in 1817 during one of several beautification projects. There was a caveat in the sale’s contract that no permanent structure could be built on the land as long as the city owned it, and to this day the park has never seen construction; there are some bleachers that can be moved about for sporting events and concerts held on the lawn.</p> <p><strong>Royal Botanic Garden</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8152" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8152" style="width: 1798px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8152" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43.png" alt="" width="1798" height="2398" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43.png 1798w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-43-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1798px) 100vw, 1798px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8152" class="wp-caption-text">Royal Botanic Garden</figcaption></figure> <p>Another Woodford initiative, the Royal Botanic Garden opened in 1818, making it one of the oldest gardens of its kind in North and South America. There are over 700 trees on the grounds, representing flora from every continent as well as a section of plants that are indigenous to Trinidad & Tobago. Admission is free, making this a popular spot for locals to visit just as much as tourists. I had several waiters/shop owners/museum workers all ask me what I’d seen and to make sure I didn’t miss the botanic garden. If the mention of NAPA and the Hall of Justice are met with a wince, the enthusiasm for this park is off the charts.</p> <figure id="attachment_8131" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8131" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8131" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-22.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-22.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-22-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-22-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-22-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8131" class="wp-caption-text">A splash of color at the Royal Botanic Gardens</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8122" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8122" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8122" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-13-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8122" class="wp-caption-text">A flower native to Trinidad</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Powergen Power Station</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8155" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8155" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8155" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-46-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8155" class="wp-caption-text">Powergen Power Station (Yes, my next stop on our history tour is really an old power plant!)</figcaption></figure> <p>If you walk west of Woodford Square, you’ll enter the Woodbrook neighborhood, which is equal parts industrial, trendy and atmospheric. The Powergen power plant may be the greatest symbol of 20th-Century industry in Port of Spain, although it has been decommissioned since 2016, with plans underway to turn it into a contemporary art space.</p> <figure id="attachment_8139" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8139" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8139" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-30-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8139" class="wp-caption-text">The Powergen stacks</figcaption></figure> <p>Built in 1895, Powergen was Port of Spain’s first electric power station. In 1961, the four iconic stacks were erected and have not only been a part of the western skyline, but a symbol of the nation’s technological progress throughout the decades since independence. The plant produced energy for the capital for 120 years, but will now be the a center to showcase the works for emerging Trinidadian artists. (I was warned by several locals that this goal would most likely not be realized for another 20 years!)</p> <p><strong>Hardline Vegetarian</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8135" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8135" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8135" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-26-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8135" class="wp-caption-text">Hardline Vegetarian- my favorite restaurant in Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>Lonely Planet would love to have you believe that if you’re a vegetarian you’ll starve to death in Trinidad, but let’s debunk that claim, shall we? Yes, the typical Trinidadian diet is meat/fish-forward, but in Woodbrook, I found an exciting and growing vegetarian/vegan population with a string of restaurants to support the community. By far, my favorite was Hardline Vegetarian, a cafeteria-style joint where different dishes are made everyday with whatever fresh produce the cooks can find. You then fill a plate and pay by the weight at the end of the line. Nothing fancy, but truly tasty food. I’ll let my photos speak for themselves…</p> <figure id="attachment_8124" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8124" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8124" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-15-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8124" class="wp-caption-text">Lunch at Hardline Vegetarian</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8146" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8146" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8146" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-37-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8146" class="wp-caption-text">Back against at Hardline Vegetarian; be careful, you’re drooling</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Lapeyrouse Cemetery</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8147" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8147" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8147" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-38-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8147" class="wp-caption-text">Lapeyrouse Cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p>A power plant, and now a cemetery? Believe it or not, I actually had a few people recommend I visit Lapeyrouse, which hadn’t been on my list prior to visiting. The somewhat dilapidated and spectacularly atmospheric urban cemetery is open to the public and is perhaps the greatest embodiment of Port of Spain’s ethnic diversity in the city. Founded in 1813, Lapeyrouse is open to people of all faiths and heritages. Strolling past the plots will reveal a cornucopia of different names on the wide-ranging style of tombstones: West African, Indian, Chinese, Spanish, French, British, and Italian, all mixed together.</p> <figure id="attachment_8148" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8148" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8148" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-39-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8148" class="wp-caption-text">Lapeyrouse Cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p>Some of the graves have seen better days and the cemetery has been plundered a few times over the decades, but the vibe is decidedly serene and not sketchy. Maybe I’m romanticizing it too much, but I really felt connected to the old world of Port of Spain here; I was shocked when I checked my phone and realized how much time I had spent wandering the lanes of Lapeyrouse. I want to be respectful and not portray this cemetery as some “tourist attraction” on par with a museum or historical building, but don’t fear offending anyone by visiting for the sake of visiting.</p> <figure id="attachment_8142" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8142" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8142" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-33.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-33.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-33-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-33-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-33-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8142" class="wp-caption-text">Lapeyrouse Cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8163" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8163" style="width: 1797px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8163" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54.png" alt="" width="1797" height="2397" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54.png 1797w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-54-1535x2048.png 1535w" sizes="(max-width: 1797px) 100vw, 1797px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8163" class="wp-caption-text">Lapeyrouse Cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8140" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8140" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8140" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-31-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8140" class="wp-caption-text">Lapeyrouse Cemetery</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>St. James </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8129" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8129" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8129" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-20-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8129" class="wp-caption-text">St. James Neighborhood</figcaption></figure> <p>Farther west of Woodbrook, is the neighborhood of St. James. Technically still part of Port of Spain, it feels more like a suburb and I decided to find a cab who would drive me around and take me to St. James’ main attraction, Fort George. Cab drivers line up around Woodford Square and will offer sightseeing tours to any visitor they see. All of central Port of Spain is extremely walkable, so skip the cab tour there unless you’re in a rush or feeling lazy. If you do hire someone to take you to St. James, make sure you negotiate <em>everything</em> before stepping in the cab. Don’t just say, “Take me to Fort George,” because then you haven’t priced out the return trip. Be specific: I want to go St. James, see the neighborhood, go to Fort George, visit the museum and take in the views (30-60 minutes) and then be returned to Port of Spain. After you’ve established what you want to do, be ready to haggle. Don’t be a cheapskate, but don’t get ripped off either. My driver was very friendly and gave me a running commentary about the history of the area; I’d rather give a big tip for great service at the end than pay a lot upfront without knowing what the quality of the experience will be.</p> <figure id="attachment_8145" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8145" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8145" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-36-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8145" class="wp-caption-text">St. James Neighborhood</figcaption></figure> <p>Most of downtown Port of Spain is relatively flat, but as you can see, St. James was built on a rather steep incline. The road leading up to Fort George is the most brutal section of road; at times I feared the tires would lose their grip and the car would roll back down the hill.</p> <p><strong>Fort George</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8125" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8125" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8125" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-16-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8125" class="wp-caption-text">Fort George provides the best views of Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>Fort George, not be confused with Fort <em>King</em> George in Scarborough, is perched atop the highest hill in St. James and will treat you to breathtaking views of Port of Spain and the Caribbean Sea below. As a military installation, Fort George was a bit of a dud. It was built by the British in 1804, but never saw any fighting and was eventually abandoned by the troops in 1846.</p> <figure id="attachment_8132" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8132" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8132" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-23-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8132" class="wp-caption-text">The former signal station, now a museum, at Fort George</figcaption></figure> <p>During one of the British-waged wars against the Ashanti in what is now present-day Ghana, the West African Prince, Kofi Nti was taken prisoner and brought to Port of Spain. In 1883 he designed the signal house that was to become his home in exile, tasked with alerting towns along the coastline of impending storms and approaching ships. Prince Kofi Nti was also an avid stamp collector, the remains of which you can see preserved in the museum that now occupies the building.</p> <figure id="attachment_8130" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8130" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8130" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-21-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8130" class="wp-caption-text">A “mystery” chest on display inside the Fort George Museum</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8154" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8154" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8154" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-45-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8154" class="wp-caption-text">Take a peek inside the former dungeon at Fort George</figcaption></figure> <p>It won’t take you long to explore the museum and grounds of the fort, but everything is free and worth a quick look. The main draw is definitely the view; make sure you’ve given yourself enough time with your cab driver to properly enjoy it and take the beauty in.</p> <figure id="attachment_8138" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8138" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8138" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-29-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8138" class="wp-caption-text">Postcard-ready views at Fort George</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8143" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8143" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8143" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-34-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8143" class="wp-caption-text">Port of Spain from above</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8133" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8133" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8133" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-24-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8133" class="wp-caption-text">Can’t get enough of this view!</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8123" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8123" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8123" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-14-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8123" class="wp-caption-text">Villages in the valleys surrounding Fort George</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Back to the National Museum and Art Gallery</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8167" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8167" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8167" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-58-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8167" class="wp-caption-text">Part of the UWI Degree Exhibition in the Art Gallery</figcaption></figure> <p>To wrap up this post, I’m going back to where we started at the National Museum and Art Gallery. Although the museum brochure only promised to take us through Trinidad & Tobago’s independence from the British in 1962, it ironically brings us closest to present day with its modern and contemporary art on the top two floors in the Art Gallery.</p> <figure id="attachment_8172" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8172" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8172" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-63-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8172" class="wp-caption-text">“The Artist’s Wife Sheila,” Boscoe Holder 1981</figcaption></figure> <p>The Art Gallery is divided into two sections: the permanent collection, which showcases 20th-Century artwork from native Trinidadians, and the top floor, which houses rotating temporary exhibits from contemporary artists. Of note in the permanent collection are the works of Boscoe Holder, who was born in Port of Spain in 1921 and founded a dance company with his wife Sheila that would travel the globe, exporting Trinidadian painting, dance and steel pan music the world over. The couple based themselves in London during the 1950s and 60s, where they performed on TV variety programs and in live theater events. Eventually, Holder returned to Trinidad, where he painted until his death in 2007.</p> <figure id="attachment_8171" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8171" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8171" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-62-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8171" class="wp-caption-text">UWI Degree Exhibition</figcaption></figure> <p>Every year, students from the Department of Creative & Festival Arts at the University of the West Indies (UWI) are selected to put on a showcase of their best fine and visual art. Their works touch on themes affecting the youth of Trinidad, such as mental illness, gay rights, self-harm and bullying, as well as larger eco-socico-economic issues such as destruction of the environment, dwindling renewable resources, urban planning and navigating the perpetual shockwaves still felt from colonialism. Truly, theirs was the most exciting art I experienced in Port of Spain.</p> <figure id="attachment_8174" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8174" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8174" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-65-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8174" class="wp-caption-text">“The Attack” Marinna Shareef</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8173" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8173" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8173" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-64.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-64.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-64-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-64-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-64-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8173" class="wp-caption-text">“The Attack” Marinna Shareef</figcaption></figure> <p>Discussing mental illness is still a taboo subject in Trinidadian culture, but Marinna Shareef, a bi-polar artist, is setting out to change that, attempting to break down the stigmas surrounding her diagnosis. “The Attack” is an immersive piece meant to capture what it feels like to be in a manic and depressed state at the same time. It’s an hallucinogenic experience: black lights expose garish colors, music plays and strobing beams pulsate periodically. If you’re really still, you can hear a piped in recording of Shareef popping bubble wrap; the soothing sound and tactile, repetitious motion produce a calming effect that helps her cope with a manic episode.</p> <figure id="attachment_8169" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8169" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8169" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-60-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8169" class="wp-caption-text">Ancil Boodram’s metal cage</figcaption></figure> <p>Student Ancil Boodram decided to take on animal abuse in Trinidad with his triangular metal cage. Animal anti-cruelty laws were being debated in Parliament when Boodram created his piece and in 2021 legislation passed that would make animal abuse a federal crime and carry a fine of TT$200,000/one year in prison. This was seen a huge win for animal rights advocates on the island and was a well-received victory for politicians this past year.</p> <figure id="attachment_8170" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8170" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8170" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpain-2nd-61-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8170" class="wp-caption-text">“Self” Jeanice Briggs</figcaption></figure> <p>Jeanice Briggs made quite the statement piece with “Self,” a composite of rope, tar and splintered glass. She describes this art as a tug of war between self-love and self-hate, a true therapy piece for its creator. The rope itself represents her naturally soft and wavy hair forced into western-style braids as a young schoolgirl. Through art, she accepted who she really is and not what society wants her to be.</p> <p>I’ll admit that this post has been a little bit (a <em>little</em> bit?!) rambling and all over the place, so I’ll let my conclusion come slightly out of left field too. I set out to demonstrate how I had to supplement my history lesson at the National Museum with places of interest throughout the capital. What I ended up showing you (I hope) was just the tip of the iceberg of how much Port of Spain has to offer.</p> <p>In my quest for knowledge, I just kept uncovering more and more and more. Despite what Lonely Planet would have you believe (the travel guru lists less than one dozen points of interest in Port of Spain and Scarborough <em>combined</em>), there is more than enough to fill your plate, especially if you want to take your time and enjoy everything. Port of Spain will reveal its story to you, but only at its own pace. Instead of Lonely Planet, let the architecture, museums, forts, parks, art and, mostly importantly, the people be your city guide.</p>The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/examining-port-of-spains-past-through-exhibitions-architecture/">Examining Port of Spain’s Past Through Exhibitions & Architecture</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Hansel and Gretel Join The Magnificent Seven in the Anything-But-Cookie-Cutter Port of Spain</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/hansel-and-gretel-join-the-magnificent-seven-in-port-of-spain/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:03:46 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Archbishop’s Palace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gingerbread Architecture Trinidad]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hayes Court]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Magnificent Seven]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mille Fleurs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Port of Spain Travel Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Queen’s Royal College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Roomor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Stollmeyer’s Castle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Whitehall]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/?p=8081</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are a united country when culturally, historically and aesthetically they feel so distinct and separate. I don’t write this to cause division, but simply to underline the stark contrast between the vibes of Port of Spain and […]</p> The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/hansel-and-gretel-join-the-magnificent-seven-in-port-of-spain/">Hansel and Gretel Join The Magnificent Seven in the Anything-But-Cookie-Cutter Port of Spain</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_8070" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8070" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8070" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1919" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6-500x400.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6-1024x819.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6-768x614.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6-1536x1228.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain6-2048x1638.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8070" class="wp-caption-text">Gingerbread Architecture in Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are a united country when culturally, historically and aesthetically they feel so distinct and separate. I don’t write this to cause division, but simply to underline the stark contrast between the vibes of Port of Spain and Scarborough, the former being both the capital of both Trinidad and the official world capital of Trinidad & Tobago; the latter acting as the humble capital of Tobago.</p> <p>Scarborough is vibrant, but still relaxed and easy-going. Port of Spain exudes a cosmopolitan and at times chaotic energy as Trinidad’s movers and shakers power walk down the sidewalks past curbside food and clothing stalls that spill out from the storefronts that line Henry and Charlotte Streets. The architecture, as you will see in this post, is markedly different, stemming from Trinidad and Tobago’s divergent histories and ethnic make-ups. The British may have fused these two colonies together in the late 19th Century, but until that point, they had not shared a common narrative.</p> <p>I promise we’ll delve into Trinidad’s history in the following post, but first let’s check out the residential Gingerbread Architecture peppered throughout the capital, as well as The Magnificent Seven, a row of seven estates situated across from the Queen’s Park Savannah that have been placed on the protected historical registry of Trinidad’s National Trust.</p> <p><strong>Gingerbread Architecture</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8068" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8068" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8068" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain4-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8068" class="wp-caption-text">Gingerbread Architecture in Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>When you mention a “Gingerbread House” to most Americans, its bound to conjure up images of abodes constructed from actual spiced cookies, whether they be from the fairy tales of Hansel and Gretel or the Christmastime traditional of decorating gingerbread houses with the family. But Gingerbread Architecture is a real school of design that flourished in the Caribbean during the 1880s-1920s. Port of Spain, along with Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, boast the largest collections of Caribbean Gingerbread Architecture, although examples can be found on islands throughout the region.</p> <p>The Gingerbread Style had two major influences, the first of which was the Carpenter Gothic movement that sprang up in the United States during the 19th Century. As parts of Europe were experiencing a Gothic Revival, American woodworkers incorporated some of the same characteristics and techniques into their carpentry repertoire. As you’ll see with the Gingerbread Architecture in Trinidad, most of the examples of Carpenter Gothic buildings were not large, public buildings, but private homes, barns and modest-sized churches. The second influence came from the other side of the Atlantic with the British notion of the Picturesque. This movement, explored more on the canvas than out on the street, aimed to bridge the gap between the beautiful and the sublime; does the artist capture a landscape’s innate beauty or is he or she presenting their perception of its idealized features?</p> <p><strong>Public vs. Private Spheres</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8069" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8069" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8069" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain5-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8069" class="wp-caption-text">Gingerbread Architecture in Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>The architecture of Port of Spain can trace its roots to over 20 countries/regions including the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, India, the Mediterranean, Middle East and West Africa. As new groups arrived in Trinidad, either by choice or by force, they brought with them their own unique architectural styles that meshed together with each other, building on the foundation provided by the native Amerindians who inhabited the island.</p> <p>It’s important to note that was quite a difference between the architectural styles of public buildings and private residences in the capital. During the late-British colonial rule, public structures such as courts, prisons, governor’s mansions, libraries, parliaments, police stations and large-scale churches were always constructed within strict codes that would keep these edifices in line with “European standards.” Colonial powers felt that these buildings reflected on the Motherland and needed to project a certain aesthetic or else be considered as a debasement to their legacy. I’ll explore these public institutions in a later post, but they were founded in such movements as Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classical, Gothic Revival and Victorian Styles. Of course, local influences were incorporated during their construction, but the primary DNA of these structures is undoubtedly European.</p> <p>The British were far less concerned with regulating the residential neighborhoods that were popping up around the capital. Without requiring the colonial stamp of approval, these buildings were free to balance the various influences floating around the island and incorporating them in a more measured way. Some of the public buildings have suffered over the years as the European colonists failed to take the Caribbean climate into account and simply built what they were familiar with from their homelands. Trinidad’s balmy weather requires tall doors, high ceilings, turret roofs (for redirecting hot air away from the upper stories), jalousie shutters, an absence of glass windows to foster cross-breezes, wraparound verandas and wooden frames that provide resistance to tropical storms and earthquakes. These elements didn’t all manifest themselves all at once in the Gingerbread mold, so let’s take a look at how they were added by various groups throughout Trinidad’s history.</p> <p><strong>Amerindian, Spanish, French, British, West African and Indian Influences All Leave Their Mark</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8067" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8067" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8067" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain3-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8067" class="wp-caption-text">Gingerbread Architecture in Port of Spain</figcaption></figure> <p>Unlike Tobago, Trinidad spent its early-occupied centuries solely as a Spanish colony rather than experiencing the revolving carousel of Dutch, Latvian, French and British subjugators who tossed the smaller island around like a game of hot potato. When the Spanish arrived in the late-15th Century, they encountered the Amerindian ajoupa, a thatch-roofed hut that the native Trinidadians called home. The walls of the ajoupa were made from vertical wooden poles bound together and raised off the ground by a network of stilts. The walls allowed both light and air to pass through their homes and the elevated floors kept their possessions dry during heavy rains and flooding, while also creating a natural cooling system as the air circulated below.</p> <p>Jalousie or louver shutters were a natural evolution from the porous walls of the ajoupa, and are still used to ventilate houses in Port of Spain today. These wooden shutters were sometimes expanded to take up a door or even an entire wall of a house. The slant of the wooden pieces allowed the homeowners to look out of their windows without letting passersby peer inside. Before electricity was introduced into homes, the humid climate would have been far too stifling without permitting constant air to breeze across each room of the house.</p> <p>The Spanish began selling off chunks of land around Port of Spain at cut-rate prices in the late-18th Century. Up until this point, there were very few African slaves on Trinidad, but when French plantation owners began purchasing these plots, they brought with them their slaves from neighboring colonies as well. By 1800, nearly 10,000 West African slaves had been transported to Trinidad.</p> <p>The French contributed two architectural features during this period: the dormer window and French doors, the latter of which were often outfitted with jalousie shutters rather than glass panels. The dormer windows jutted out from the roofline, creating another surface from which the hot air could more easily be diverted away from the front of the house as it cascaded over the dormer’s sides. Hot air always rises, and the tall French doors likewise allowed more heat to escape from room to room throughout the day.</p> <p>In West African villages, cooking and entertaining is often performed outside the home, creating a more communal experience amongst its residents. The captured Africans brought to Trinidad translated this cultural aspect into the addition of long porches and wraparound verandas on their homes. The verandas created a semi-private space where socialization could occur and meals would be served. Perhaps strangers or mere acquaintances would approach your home- people who you might not know well enough to invite inside, but could nonetheless still be entertained on the comforts of the veranda, away from the street, but still in the public eye.</p> <p>When the British wrested control of Trinidad away from the Spanish, they brought with them the “barn door,” a two-part entryway built into kitchens so that the top half could be left ajar, permitting smoke and steam to escape while cooking. The Victorian Era aesthetic was also highly copacetic with the gingerbread trim that was about to take the island by storm. The trim, or fretwork, was once carved by hand, but in 1865 a mechanical fretsaw was patented in the United States, allowing the gingerbread trim to be mass produced and added to eaves, dormer windows, verandas- any edge imaginable.</p> <p>Slavery was outlawed in the UK in 1834, but by 1848 the British had hatched another plan for free/cheap labor. They invited Indians (and other Asians) over to the island with the promise of a parcel of land in return for a decade or two of indentured servitude. Unlike Tobago, which is 85% Afro-Caribbean, Trinidad’s Indo-Trinidadian population edges out its Afro-Trinidadian population at 37% to 36% respectively. The Indian laborers added their piece of the architectural amalgamation to the gingerbread house as well: the jali, an ornate transom window placed above doorways that allows light and air to enter a room even when the door is shut. A jali was sometimes placed on the sides of Demerara shutters, a jalousie window that tilts outward and can be enclosed with jalis along the sides and bottom, or even over a porte cochère, a covered entrance from the main door of a residence that carries you past the porch and towards the street.</p> <p>The Gingerbread Houses of Port of Spain are clearly greater than the sum of their parts. How all these pieces from so many disparate cultures can come together to make something so beautiful <em>and </em>functional is an engineering marvel and a great metaphor for how the pains and sins of Trinidad’s colonial past have given birth to something special and new because of and not in spite of the cultural blending. This is not to wash over the evils of colonization, slavery and indentured service, but somehow through architecture, something magical was given the time and space to blossom and grow. ( I would be remiss not to thank Lawrence Waldron, an art history professor at Queens College in New York, for his writings on Trinidadian architecture which greatly aided me while researching my trip and acted as a far greater guidebook than Lonely Planet ever could have!)</p> <p><strong>The Magnificent Seven:</strong></p> <p><strong>1. Queen’s Royal College</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8073" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8073" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8073" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain9-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8073" class="wp-caption-text">Queen’s Royal College</figcaption></figure> <p>The so-called Magnificent Seven are a series of estates built along the western edge of Queen’s Park Savannah, the largest public park in Port of Spain. These seven astounding buildings fall somewhere between the public colonial buildings and the private gingerbread residences studied above. Sadly, none of the Magnificent Seven grant access to visitors, whether they be locals or tourists; all but the Queen’s Royal College were designed to be private homes and several remain as such today. The seven structures are all firmly rooted in European traditions, but the elements that were borrowed from the Gingerbread Houses, such as jalousie shutters, jalis and porte cochères, are more pronounced than in their colonial public works relatives.</p> <p>A great fire destroyed large swaths of Port of Spain in 1895 and British architect George Brown was tasked with designing and rebuilding sections of the capital, including the streets surrounding the Queen’s Park Savannah. Brown built the Queen’s Royal College following a design by Daniel Meinerts Hahn, an alumna of the college when it was housed at a former location. Hahn also spent time studying in Germany as well, inspiring him to fashion the school’s look in a German Renaissance style, complete with a chiming clock and lighted tower in the center of the symmetrical building.</p> <figure id="attachment_8066" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8066" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8066" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1703" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2-500x355.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2-1024x727.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2-768x545.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2-1536x1090.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain2-2048x1453.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8066" class="wp-caption-text">The clock tower of Queen’s Royal College</figcaption></figure> <p>The college was completed in 1904 and contained but six classrooms and a 500-seat lecture hall. Today, the all-male secondary school is one of the most prestigious in the country, only enrolling 750 students at a time, though admission is completely free. The classroom interiors are filled with hand-painted murals that have been touched up and restored over the years.</p> <p><strong>2. Hayes Court</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8065" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8065" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8065" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1652" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1-500x344.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1-1024x705.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1-768x529.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1-1536x1057.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain1-2048x1410.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8065" class="wp-caption-text">Hayes Court</figcaption></figure> <p>Hayes Court, the second of the Magnificent Seven going from South to North, was built in the French Colonial Style and fitted with Scottish Cast Iron elements where the gingerbread trim would normally hang along the veranda’s eaves. The residence does feature a wraparound veranda, like many of the residential houses, with columns that were inspired by the pagodas Chinese laborers brought to the island. Demerara windows can also be seen around the lower level of the house.</p> <figure id="attachment_8074" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8074" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8074" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain10-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8074" class="wp-caption-text">Hayes Court</figcaption></figure> <p>Hayes Court was named after Bishop Thomas Hayes, the head of the Anglican Church at the time in Trinidad. Hayes died before the estate was completed in 1910, but it still bears his name to this day. The Anglican Church never lost ownership of the house and the current highest-ranking bishop continues to reside there.</p> <p><strong>3. Mille Fleurs</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8080" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8080" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8080" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain16-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8080" class="wp-caption-text">Mille Fleurs, under renovation</figcaption></figure> <p>George Brown was commissioned by Mrs. Prada to build Mille Fleurs as a present for her husband, Dr. Prada, who would go on to become the Mayor of Port of Spain in 1914. The residence remained in the Prada family until 1979 after which it was purchased by the government and slowly fell into a state of disrepair. The once elegant house, built in the French Provincial Style, has literally falling apart; things got so bad that a protective awning was placed over the estate to help slow the damage from the wind and rain. Conservationists were worried that Mille Fleurs was too far gone and might have to be bulldozed completely.</p> <figure id="attachment_8094" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8094" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8094" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1564" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome-500x326.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome-1024x667.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome-768x500.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome-1536x1001.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PortofSpainHome-2048x1335.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8094" class="wp-caption-text">Mille Fleurs after its restoration was completed in 2020 (photo from the National Trust)</figcaption></figure> <p>Locals I met on the street told me they doubted Mille Fleurs’ restoration would ever be completed. At the time of my visit, the manor had been sitting under tarp and awning for well over a decade. Perhaps the Covid pandemic saved Mille Fleurs; with construction being one of the few industries still up and running in Trinidad, the money and labor needed to finish the project suddenly materialized. In late 2020, the awning was removed and Mille Fleurs was brought back from the dead with a second lease on life.</p> <p><strong>4. Ambard’s House/Roomor</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8071" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8071" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8071" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain7-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8071" class="wp-caption-text">Ambard’s House/Roomor</figcaption></figure> <p>Next up we have Roomor, original called Ambard’s House. Built by Lucien Ambard, a wealthy sugar plantation owner, in 1904, the residence was designed in the French Second Empire Style (a new one for me!), which contains a mix of Baroque and Gothic characteristics popular in France during its Second Empire. Unlike so many of Port of Spain’s buildings that relied on local building materials, most of Ambard’s House was constructed from imported goods: marble from Italy, tiles from France, metal from Scotland- even the wood was brought over from Ireland.</p> <figure id="attachment_8079" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8079" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8079" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain15-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8079" class="wp-caption-text">Ambard’s House/Roomor</figcaption></figure> <p>The Ambard family never actually got to live in the house they built. Lucien died before its completion and the sugar industry went belly-up sending the property into foreclosure. In 1940, Timothy Roodal purchased the house; it is still occupied by his granddaughter, Dr. Yvonne Morgan, whose name, when combined with that of her grandfather’s, creates the estate’s current moniker: Roomor.</p> <p><strong>5. Archbishop’s Palace</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8075" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8075" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8075" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain11-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8075" class="wp-caption-text">Archbishop’s Palace</figcaption></figure> <p>Built to compete with Hayes Court, the Archbishop’s Palace acts as the residence of Trinidad’s Roman Catholic Archbishop. Uniquely designed in the British Indian Empire Style, the so-called palace underwent significant renovations in the 1960s that replaced the original wooden front doors with steel panels and inserted glass windows where jalousie shutters once were outfitted.</p> <p>The dramatic porte cochère remains, as do the window bays, enclosed portico and interior chapel on the ground level. The striking red granite was imported from Ireland and was utilized by George Brown to accentuate the Indian elements incorporated into the palace, really allowing them to pop.</p> <p><strong>6. Whitehall/Rosenweg</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8076" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8076" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8076" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain12-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8076" class="wp-caption-text">Whitehall/Rosenweg</figcaption></figure> <p>Italian-born cocoa plantation owner Joseph Agostini built Rosenweg in 1904, creating the largest of the six private residences (excluding the college) out of the Magnificent Seven. Agostini favored a blending of the Palladian and Moorish Mediterranean Styles, the former pioneered by Andrea Palladio, a Venetian master builder who favored the symmetry and characteristics of classic Greek and Roman architecture. Rosenweg is three stories tall, has four reception halls, six bedroom suites, a marble staircase, wine cellars and an elevator that travels between the floors.</p> <figure id="attachment_8078" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8078" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8078" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain14-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8078" class="wp-caption-text">Whitehall/Rosenweg</figcaption></figure> <p>The US Army commandeered the building in 1940 to act as a base during World War II. The gleaming white limestone, imported from Barbados, gave the estate its new nickname: Whitehall. After the Americans cleared out in 1944, Whitehall sat idle until post-independence when it became the home Trinidad & Tobago’s Prime Minister from 1963-2009. After an extensive restoration effort, Whitehall is now used to host visiting foreign dignitaries and world leaders during their visits to Port of Spain.</p> <p><strong>7. Stollmeyer’s Castle</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8077" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8077" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8077" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PortofSpain13-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8077" class="wp-caption-text">Stollmeyer’s Castle</figcaption></figure> <p>The last stop on our stroll up the Magnificent Mile (seriously, why hasn’t anyone thought to call it that!?), is Stollmeyer’s Castle, built in the Scottish Baronial Style and modeled after a wing of Balmoral Castle. Stollmeyer built the residence for his wife, who upon seeing it in 1904, found it far too ostentatious and declined to live there! The property was given to Stollmeyer’s son and daughter-in-law, who remained there until they were similarly kicked out by the US Army in 1940.</p> <p>The Americans dubbed the residence “The Castle,” and once it was returned to the Stollmeyer family in 1944, the name stuck. After changing hands several times throughout the 1950s and 60s, the government bought the land in 1979, once again allowing a heritage site to fall into ruins. By the 1990s, Stollmeyer’s Castle was in worse condition than Mille Fleurs and the restorationists went to work. Like Whitehall, the newly-minted Castle is used to host international luminaries and VIPs.</p> <p>As my love and knowledge of world architecture continues to grow and expand, it’s not the cavalcade of styles and schools of thought that push me forward, but rather the history and cultural insights that bring a city and its people into sharper focus. These residential Gingerbread Houses are not merely quaint little homes to ooh and aah over. They tell the story of their island from the Amerindians to the colonialists to the African and Indian populations who all added their own touches to Trinidad. The Magnificent Seven take us on a journey of a century of change, the buildings requiring as much maintenance and upkeep as the fledging independent nation that is now on the precipice of celebrating 60 years of freedom from Great Britain.</p> <p>Port of Spain was proving to be a force to be reckoned with, exceeding all my expectations and standing tall as a cultural Mecca in the Caribbean. My resolve to break down the stereotype that there’s-nothing-to-do-here-except-visit-an-all-inclusive had grown even stronger. I only hope my posts will do Port of Spain proud and show the city a bit of the love it demonstrated to me in return.</p>The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/hansel-and-gretel-join-the-magnificent-seven-in-port-of-spain/">Hansel and Gretel Join The Magnificent Seven in the Anything-But-Cookie-Cutter Port of Spain</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>A Day Trip Around Tobago with Leo & Reine</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-day-trip-around-tobago-with-leo-reine/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2021 10:00:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Scarborough, Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Argyle Waterfall]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Castara]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Doubles]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Englishman’s Bay]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Flagstaff Hill]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fort James Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mount Dillon Lookout]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pigeon Point]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Speyside Water Wheel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tobago Travel Blog]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/?p=8022</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower I never thought I would be quoting Eisenhower in a blog post about Tobago, but there you have it folks. Although the former president was referring to his past military career, he’s right on the money […]</p> The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-day-trip-around-tobago-with-leo-reine/">A Day Trip Around Tobago with Leo & Reine</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_7983" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7983" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7983" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature2-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7983" class="wp-caption-text">The clear waters and white sands at Pigeon Point Heritage Park</figcaption></figure> <p>“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower</p> <p>I never thought I would be quoting Eisenhower in a blog post about Tobago, but there you have it folks. Although the former president was referring to his past military career, he’s right on the money when it comes to travel planning as well. Before embarking on a journey, it’s completely counterproductive to map out every detail of every day, or even <em>any </em>detail of your time away. It’s true that I book my hostels well in advance, and maybe even work out an airport transfer or two, but the actual meat of my experiences- the attractions I visit, the food I eat, the places I go- are left more up to chance than one might think.</p> <p>This isn’t to say that I don’t do my research. Dwight’s right: planning is indispensable. I thoroughly familiarize myself with the menu of things to do, but it wouldn’t make sense to pre-order all of my meals ahead of time. What if it were raining on the day I had chosen to go to the park or I wasn’t in the mood to tour a royal palace the morning I had placed it on the calendar? You have to be ready to go with the flow and be flexible with your schedule. We are often warned that things will go wrong- flights will be delayed; you’ll sleep through your alarm at the hostel one morning- and need to adjust accordingly, but occasionally your planning can be thrown out of the window for positive reasons too. The main variable you can never predict is the people you will meet along the way and how they will influence your time in a city or region.</p> <figure id="attachment_7956" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7956" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7956" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1753" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70-500x365.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70-1024x748.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70-768x561.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70-1536x1122.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago70-2048x1496.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7956" class="wp-caption-text">The bus tickets that changed my trip to Tobago</figcaption></figure> <p>I flew directly from New York to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where I immediately took one of the frequently-island-hopping propeller planes to A.N.R Robinson Airport in Tobago. On both of these flights, there were three groups of people: local Trinidadians and Tobagonians who were returning from The States, tourists in their Hawaiian shirts, Panama hats and flip-flops ready to party at an all-inclusive resort and me.</p> <p>As I exited the airport in Tobago with my fellow passengers, we were greeted by sign-holding drivers from the various all-inclusives, ready to whisk their clients off to their respective resort compounds. Without exception, every single non-local passenger hopped into a van. The drivers noticed that I was walking towards the convenience store near the airport, from which my research had informed me, I could purchase local bus tickets. Wrongly assuming that I was confused, the drivers immediately started hawking their resorts, promising me good deals if I would only come with them. When I announced that I was heading to Scarborough (shock) and I preferred to take public transportation (double shock), they gave up and let me be. Little did I know that this decision to purchase bus tickets would change the course of my entire trip to Tobago.</p> <p>I found myself passing the time at the bus stop with an older Tobagonian woman who, having grown up in Scarborough, gave me some tips on things to do and places to sample the best local food. Before the bus had a chance to arrive, a young man in a car suddenly came to a halt in front of our bench. Leo, who soon was to become a fast friend in Scarborough, was acquainted with this woman and had recently done some yard work for her. The woman leaned over and whispered in my ear, “He’s a good guy. You can trust him.”</p> <p>I assumed Leo would drop me off in downtown Scarborough, but he drove me right to my hostel door. After exchanging numbers, we promised to hang out sometime during my stay. The following day, as I was walking to the Botanical Garden, Leo drove past me again. We laughed and remarked that the universe was trying to tell us something. That evening, Leo texted me saying that his boss had given him tomorrow off and he and his girlfriend, Reine, were going to pick me up at the hostel the following morning and show me some of their favorite spots on the island. I was thrilled and humbled by the kindness I was being shown, but what of all my plans? What of my to-do list in Scarborough? (Eisenhower in my head: plans are useless! Throw them out!)</p> <p>I had no idea what adventures Leo and Reine had in store for me, but I went to bed excited to see what tomorrow would bring.</p> <p><strong>Pigeon Point</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7985" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7985" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7985" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature4-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7985" class="wp-caption-text">The turquoise waters of Pigeon Point</figcaption></figure> <p>Leo picked me up right after breakfast, having lined up a jam-packed itinerary of places to visit around his home turf. After stopping at Reine’s house, we made our way to Pigeon Point, Tobago’s most famous beach, whose pristine shores are peppered with history and a bit of controversy too.</p> <p>Before Trinidad & Tobago achieved independence from Britain in 1962, many of Tobago’s beaches were privately owned by colonial families, barring the local Afro-Caribbean population from enjoying their island’s natural pleasures. After independence, the Black Panther movement gained traction in Tobago, with one of their chief aims being to take back the island’s beaches and return them to the public. In the early 1970s, over 15,000 Tobagonians marched on Pigeon Point, demanding that they be allowed to swim there. The protestors eventually won out, and when the Tobago House of Assembly was re-formed in 1980, one of their missions was to take ownership of the beaches and turn them into heritage parks, accessible to all.</p> <figure id="attachment_7984" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7984" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7984" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature3-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7984" class="wp-caption-text">I’ve never seen water so clear than at Pigeon Point Heritage Park</figcaption></figure> <p>The House of Assembly has since installed a jetty, cabanas, restaurants and other amenities at Pigeon Point, but unfortunately the government’s spending got away from them and in the early 2000s, an entrance fee was required of all visitors entering the beachfront. Pigeon Point remains the first and only public beach in Tobago that charges admission, much to the consternation of the local fishermen who once crossed the beach in the mornings to reach their boats in the adjoining bay. An uproar followed, but the fee is still in place.</p> <figure id="attachment_8021" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8021" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8021" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago-Island-Nature1-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8021" class="wp-caption-text">Pigeon Point Heritage Park</figcaption></figure> <p>Here you can see Buccoo Reef, one of the three large coral reefs that surround Tobago. Glass-bottom boats regularly depart Pigeon Point to give visitors a peek at the aquatic critters that call the coral home. The reefs are highly protected, and not just for wildlife conservation purposes. Without the presence of the reefs, the island shores would erode and begin to drift away into the ocean. The coral reefs keep Tobago intact, protecting both the physical island and its inhabitants.</p> <figure id="attachment_7986" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7986" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7986" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature5-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7986" class="wp-caption-text">Pigeon Point Heritage Park</figcaption></figure> <p>Beaches in Tobago can be a touchy subject. After liberating the waters and sandy shoals from colonialist hands post-independence, all-inclusive resorts have again begun to privatize the land in front of their compounds, cutting off local access from those beaches once more. As evidenced by the the rocky history at Pigeon Point, the balances between the needs of tourists and locals and the economy and ecology is a tricky one to get right, still calling for a nurturing hand in the future.</p> <p><strong>Buccoo</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7990" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7990" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7990" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature9-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7990" class="wp-caption-text">Fishing Boats at Buccoo</figcaption></figure> <p>As you travel along the Caribbean coast of Tobago, you will encounter bay after bay full of fishing boats and men working together to drag their seine nets back to the shore. Trinidad & Tobago exports over $20 million worth of fish and other seafood every year, mainly to the United States, South America and China. Of course, whatever is caught will also be sold at the main market in Scarborough, as well as in small roadside stalls along the coastal road.</p> <figure id="attachment_7989" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7989" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7989" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature8-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7989" class="wp-caption-text">Fishermen pulling in a seine net</figcaption></figure> <p>Using seine nets remains one of the more popular ways to gather fish on the island. When the device is fully straightened, it looks something like a Volleyball net that stretches for hundreds of meters. The bottom is weighted down and the top has little buoys to keep the net afloat. The net is pulled out longways across the beach and then the middle is paddled out into the water. The two ends are brought together, ensnaring whatever is in the bay and then heave-hoed onto shore, the men tugging on the line in unison.</p> <figure id="attachment_7991" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7991" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7991" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature10-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7991" class="wp-caption-text">The Goat Racing Stadium at Buccoo</figcaption></figure> <p>As I mentioned in my previous post, the most-followed sport in Tobago, behind football (soccer), is goat racing. The activity originated in Tobago, with the first races taking place here in Buccoo in 1925. The event is held on the Tuesday after Easter, which has become a Tobagonian public holiday. Horse racing was historically only open to the British elite and took place the day after Easter. The Afro-Caribbean community thus began their tradition of goat racing on “Easter Tuesday” and although horse racing has since vanished from the island, the goat races grow in popularity every year.</p> <p>Goats are notoriously stubborn creatures and those who compete must be trained from birth to run the 100m (300ft) dash with their jockey in tow, holding onto a rope tied around the goat’s neck. If a goat outruns his jockey, the goat is disqualified, forcing the pair work in tandem rather than simply possessing the fastest animal to cross the finish line. In the morning before the race, the goats and their jockeys parade through the streets of Buccoo, where revelers not only cheer them on, but place their bets on who will take top honors throughout the day. (Some goat compete for over a decade and become well-known and beloved by the Tobagonians.)</p> <p><strong>Plymouth and Great Courland Bay</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7998" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7998" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7998" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature17-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7998" class="wp-caption-text">The cannons of Fort James overlooking Great Courland Bay</figcaption></figure> <p>Fort James, named after the leader of the Latvians who controlled Tobago during parts of the 17th Century, is the oldest surviving fort on the island, dating back to 1650 (over 120 years older than Fort King George in Scarborough). While the Dutch were attempting to establish a colony on the southern side of Tobago, the Latvians settled here in Plymouth, hoping to be the gatekeepers of trade with the other Caribbean colonies.</p> <figure id="attachment_7987" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7987" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7987" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature6-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7987" class="wp-caption-text">The powder magazine of Fort James</figcaption></figure> <p>When the Latvians ceded their stake in Tobago to the British, Fort James’ firepower was increased by its new owner and cannons were added to protect against pirates and other invaders. Slaves captured Fort James several times during rebellions on the island, but the British would squash these uprisings by sending a fleet from a neighboring colony to help wrestle back control of the military fortification.</p> <figure id="attachment_7988" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7988" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7988" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature7-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7988" class="wp-caption-text">Note the coral and volcanic rock in the walls of Fort James</figcaption></figure> <p>If you look closely at the walls of Fort James, you will notice that they are made from pieces of coral from the ocean and bits of the volcanic rock that form Tobago’s “Main Ridge” that traverses the island. Fort James is hardly as impressive as Fort King George, but is worth visiting in its own right due to these unique building materials and the spectacular views of the bay.</p> <figure id="attachment_7997" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7997" style="width: 2395px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7997" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16.png" alt="" width="2395" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16.png 2395w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16-500x376.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16-1024x770.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16-768x577.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16-1536x1154.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature16-2048x1539.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2395px) 100vw, 2395px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7997" class="wp-caption-text">Making memories with Leo and Reine</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <p><strong>Roti</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8017" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8017" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8017" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature36-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8017" class="wp-caption-text">Roti for lunch</figcaption></figure> <p>Having already worked up an appetite, we stopped to get some roti for lunch at a nearby seaside shack. Before I came to Trinidad & Tobago, I only knew roti as a thin Indian bread, somewhat similar to naan. Here, “roti” refers to the entire burrito-like meal that is wrapped in the soft bread and served-up like a folded sandwich. The typical filling is made from potatoes and chickpeas, seasoned with onions, peppers, garam masala and other spices. Some protein is then added to the top; vegetarian options are typically stewed squash and/or sweet potato. Roti is extremely filling, but also inexpensive. This street food will only set you back a couple bucks, but it will more than tide you over until dinner.</p> <p><strong>Mount Dillon Lookout</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7995" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7995" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7995" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature14-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7995" class="wp-caption-text">The view of the Caribbean Sea from atop Mount Dillon</figcaption></figure> <p>Tobago may be a small island at only 40km (25 miles) long and 10km (6miles) wide, but the nation certainly doesn’t <em>feel</em> small. Thanks to the Main Ridge, the mini-mountain range that spans 2/3 of the island, Tobago is dotted with dramatic cliffs, snaking roads and hillside lookout platforms that allow you to peer off into the horizon.</p> <p>One such vista is atop Mount Dillon, a 422m (1384ft) peak along the northern coast. The views truly are breathtaking; on a clear day, you can see all the way to Grenada!</p> <figure id="attachment_7996" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7996" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7996" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature15-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7996" class="wp-caption-text">The lush, green foliage surround Mount Dillon</figcaption></figure> <p>Tobago is a friendly place where everyone seems to know everyone else. As we twisted and turned up the road to Mount Dillon, we came across two acquaintances of Leo. Without hesitation, he pulled over and told them to hop in and join us for as long as they liked. This is simply the Tobagonian thing to do; the more the merrier and always offer someone a lift if you have room.</p> <figure id="attachment_7994" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7994" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7994" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature13-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7994" class="wp-caption-text">The view of Castara from Mount Dillon</figcaption></figure> <p>When I first looked out at the water, I wrongly assumed that the dark patches you see were sections of the off-shore coral reefs. These blobs are actually shadows cast by the clouds above! The water is so clear that the shadows penetrate all the way down to the sea’s floor, creating what looks like a series of ink-blot tests along the coast.</p> <p>Looking to your immediate right, the next town over from Mount Dillon is Castara, which rises up into the hills surrounding the semi-crescent bay that forms its popular beach. Leo was born and raised in Castara (also home to Tobagonian President, A.N.R. Robinson) and he was excited that his hometown was next on the list.</p> <p><strong>Castara</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8003" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8003" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8003" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature22-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8003" class="wp-caption-text">Laundry drying in the wind along Castara’s beach</figcaption></figure> <p>Our two tag-a-longs wished us well as we parted ways in Castara as Leo showed me around where he grew up. Castara felt markedly different than anywhere else I had been in Tobago thus far, setting the tone for our next leg of this day trip. Scarborough is full of hustle and bustle; Buccoo and Plymouth, while smaller, still have a palpable energy in their environs. Castara turns to Scarborough and says, “Dude, relax. Take a chill pill.” It was only early afternoon, and people were already liming outside the fish fry along the beach.</p> <figure id="attachment_7993" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7993" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7993" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature12-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7993" class="wp-caption-text">On the beach at Castara</figcaption></figure> <p>In New York, when people talk about going to the beach, it’s in terms of a “beach vacation” or “beach weekend getaway.” It’s a special event that doesn’t happen often. In Castara, the beach functions as the central square, the main meeting place, the after-school hangout spot, the market trading post and the soca music dance-till-dawn party palace. Life revolves around the beach and when they’re not working, where else would the citizens of Castara rather be?</p> <p><strong>Englishman’s Bay</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8004" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8004" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8004" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature23-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8004" class="wp-caption-text">Freakishly beautiful Englishman’s Bay</figcaption></figure> <p>As you follow the road east from Castara, you will come across a series of stunning bays that look like postcards or oil paintings come to life. All of these beaches are owned and operated by the House of Assembly, but facilities vary from beach to beach. Some contain changing areas and lifeguards, while others might not be home to much more than a restaurant or two behind the shore. We never went for a swim, but it is definitely possible to take a dip at any of these beaches if you so desire.</p> <p><strong>Parlatuvier </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8000" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8000" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8000" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature19-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8000" class="wp-caption-text">Parlatuvier Bay</figcaption></figure> <p>Parlatuvier, with it’s bay and nearby waterfall, does contain a number of guest houses and would make an ideal location to spend the night if you wanted a break from energetic Scarborough. The bay drops off rather quickly and its jetty is a popular spot to practice deep sea diving; beware that there is no lifeguard on duty at this beach.</p> <p><strong>Bloody Bay</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8001" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8001" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8001" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature20-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8001" class="wp-caption-text">Bloody Bay, not so bloody anymore</figcaption></figure> <p>This ominously named stretch of sand was our last stop along Tobago’s Caribbean coastline. Bloody Bay’s turbulent past began in 1666; the French and Dutch fleets teamed up in an attempt to extinguish the British from the island for good. Somehow, the British forces were able to defeat both of their rivals, but not before suffering severe loses themselves. The battle was so great that the waters of the bay were said to have turned crimson by day’s end.</p> <p>As history is apt to repeat itself, in 1771 African slaves staged a rebellion in the hills behind Bloody Bay against their British captors. Scores of men on both sides were killed, causing the river that flows into Bloody Bay to once more run red with blood. (The river has henceforth been known as Dead Man’s River.)</p> <p>Despite the tumult behind Bloody Bay’s etymology, the beach is quite calm and peaceful today. The same fishermen bobbing in their boats throughout the day will while away the evening hours on the beach, beer in hand and bonfire ablaze, with soca music filling the air.</p> <p><strong>Tobago Forest Reserve</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8010" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8010" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8010" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature29-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8010" class="wp-caption-text">Tobago Forest Reserve</figcaption></figure> <p>If you make a right at Bloody Bay, you’ll drive straight across the island and directly through the Tobago Forest Reserve, the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere. The Roxborough-Parlatuvier Road was constructed in 1958 and was the first paved road in Tobago to connect the Atlantic and the Caribbean sides of the island. You could easily spend several days hiking the trails of the Forest Reserve, but on our quick tour, Leo stopped at the visitor info lodge, which has a viewing platform that looks out over large sections of the rainforest.</p> <figure id="attachment_7999" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7999" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7999" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature18-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7999" class="wp-caption-text">Tobago Forest Reserve</figcaption></figure> <p>The forest averages about 380cm (149in) of rain each year, acting as a vital source of fresh water on the Caribbean island. It was with this argument that British colonists persuaded the government in London to draw up environmental protection laws against deforestation of and construction along the Main Ridge in 1776. Approximately 9730 acres were deemed “protected” and the passage of this act is seen as one of the forerunners of all modern conservation laws.</p> <p>Today, the Tobago Forest Reserve has been shortlisted by UNESCO as a natural cultural heritage site and will likely gain full status in the organization’s tome of protected sites in the next few years. The forest is home to 220 species of birds, mammals such as armadillos, agoutis and wild hogs, tree frogs, 24 species of snakes and Tobago’s largest reptile, the green iguana, which can grow to 2m (6ft) long and will shed its tail when threatened or scared. The green iguanas dwell in the canopy, 30m (100ft) above the rainforest floor.</p> <p>You are free to hike the trails on your own, but it’s highly suggested to pay one of the official guides to lead you through the forest, as hikers have been known to get lost easily in the dense foliage. The Gilpin Trail is the reserve’s most famous route; mud boots will be provided to you by your guide as the wet ground can be quite challenging in tennis shoes due to the high volume of rain it receives.</p> <p><strong>Argyle Falls</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8013" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8013" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8013" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature32-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8013" class="wp-caption-text">One of three levels of Argyle Falls</figcaption></figure> <p>With our limited time, Leo and Reine were unanimous in their decision to take me to their favorite spot along the Main Ridge: Argyle Falls, a 54m(175ft) three-tier waterfall, that also happens to be Tobago’s tallest. The entrance to the falls is next to a working cocoa estate that produces Tobago’s finest chocolates. It’s possible to set up a tour of the cocoa factory, but you can also purchase its chocolates at any supermarket in Scarborough.</p> <figure id="attachment_8009" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8009" style="width: 1700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8009" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28.png" alt="" width="1700" height="2348" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28.png 1700w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28-500x691.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28-741x1024.png 741w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28-768x1061.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28-1112x1536.png 1112w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature28-1483x2048.png 1483w" sizes="(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8009" class="wp-caption-text">A selection of the birds you may see on the way to Argyle Falls</figcaption></figure> <p>Due to the vast number of bird species in the unspoiled Tobagonian rainforest, birdwatchers come to the island specifically to wander the trails and catch sight of the many birds that are not only endemic to the island, but to this day cannot be seen anywhere else in the world, outside of zoos and bird sanctuaries. I personally don’t know much about birds, but I can tell you that the trees were more than alive with the sounds of their music that fill the air.</p> <figure id="attachment_8008" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8008" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8008" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature27-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8008" class="wp-caption-text">Bamboo is not native to Tobago</figcaption></figure> <p>Enormous bamboo plants can be found along the path to the falls, but I learned these tubular towers are not native to Tobago. Bamboo is fast-growing relative to its size and can spread quickly if not careful monitored and kept in check. The bamboo must be pruned and controlled so that it does not overtake and snuff out the other vegetation beneath the canopy.</p> <figure id="attachment_8007" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8007" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8007" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature26-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8007" class="wp-caption-text">Flora in Tobago’s rainforest</figcaption></figure> <p>And what wondrous plants and flowers are to be found along the way! The constant rainfall keeps the leaves an almost iridescent green and you’ll notice the petals on the flowers above have evolved to capture this rain water and absorb it as needed throughout the hot afternoons. Hummingbirds flitted through this undergrowth, but they were far too fast for me to catch on film.</p> <figure id="attachment_8006" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8006" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8006" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature25-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8006" class="wp-caption-text">Centuries-old trees along the path to Argyle Falls</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8016" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8016" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8016" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature35-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8016" class="wp-caption-text">Argyle Falls</figcaption></figure> <p>It only takes about 15-20 minutes to reach the base of the falls, but the arduous adventure kicks in if you’re brave enough to claw your way up the steep side of the mountain in order to reach the top of the waterfall. Following directly in Leo’s footsteps, all three of us eventually made our way to the highest of Argyle Falls’ three pools where we took off our shoes and soaked our feet in the cool waters. I truly enjoyed my time at the falls and would highly recommend coming here. I don’t think I would have ever ventured up to the summit on my own, and making the trek with Leo and Reine only bonded us even more.</p> <figure id="attachment_8014" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8014" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8014" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature33-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8014" class="wp-caption-text">The beauty of Argyle Falls</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_8015" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8015" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8015" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature34-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8015" class="wp-caption-text">Nature at its finest and most pure</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P1uDgHoPwMQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><strong>Speyside Water Wheel</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8020" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8020" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8020" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature39-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8020" class="wp-caption-text">Speyside Water Wheel</figcaption></figure> <p>After we dried off and made our way back to Leo’s car, there were only a few more stops left on our journey before returning to Scarborough for dinner. First up were the ruins of the Speyside Water Wheel, which once was used on a former British sugar plantation to extract the sweet juices from the sugar cane. The stalks were fed into the mill on rollers and crushed by the power of the spinning wheel. The liquid was collected below in a boiler, where it was heated until the sugar was extracted from the viscous substance.</p> <p><strong>Charlottesville and Flagstaff Hill</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8011" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8011" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8011" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature30-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8011" class="wp-caption-text">Picturesque Charlottesville</figcaption></figure> <p>In Tobago’s northeasterly tip rests Charlottesville, the oldest surviving European settlement on the island, dating back to the Dutch colony that was founded here in 1633. Today, Charlottesville is the epicenter of Tobago’s fishing industry, accounting for 60% of the seafood exported to the rest of the world.</p> <figure id="attachment_8012" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8012" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8012" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature31-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8012" class="wp-caption-text">Atop Flagstaff Hill</figcaption></figure> <p>Behind Charlottesville is Flagstaff Hill, a 366m(1201ft) peak that houses Tobago’s radio, tv and cell towers. In colonial times, Flagstaff Hill was the first part of Tobago one would espy when approaching Tobago from the other Caribbean islands (Trinidad & Tobago are southern-most islands in the Caribbean, spitting distance from Venezuela). Both French and British troops stationed a garrison on the hill equipped with mirrors that were used to signal to the other bastions around the island when a ship was nearing its shores.</p> <p>During World War II, the United States occupied Flagstaff Hill, building a military outpost and radio towers in fear of an Axis attack in the Caribbean. The likelihood of that happening was questionable, but the US took full advantage of expanding their sphere of influence into the Caribbean. It took more than a decade for the US to pull out and return the hill to the British and eventually Tobagonian control.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/57ico_RNics" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>On our way to Charlottesville, we noticed some coconuts that had fallen from a tree along the side of the road. We picked them up, but I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how we were going to enjoy them- that is until Leo pulled the machete out of the trunk of his car! You probably wouldn’t want to get pulled over in The States with a knife the size of small child in your backseat, but in Tobago it’s completely normal travel with what amounts to a very large can-opener for coconuts. I’ll let the video of Leo’s skills speak for itself, but needless to say, I was very impressed. Plus, the coconut water was delicious! What a sweet treat to cap off our final stop before returning to the capital.</p> <p><strong>Doubles</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8019" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8019" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8019" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature38.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature38.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature38-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature38-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature38-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8019" class="wp-caption-text">Deeply, madly in love with Doubles</figcaption></figure> <p>“This is Doubles,” Leo said, as we savored Trinidad & Tobago’s most beloved street food back in Scarborough. Patsy’s Doubles, right on the harbor in downtown Scarborough, is the best place to buy Doubles hands down. Doubles is comprised of bara, a flat, fried dough, stuffed with chana (curried chickpeas), with assorted cooked vegetables and spices.</p> <p>The name sprang forth from customers asking for double the bara to hold all the chana that was apt to fall out the sides of the pita-like sandwich. Doubles can be served sweet, spicy or savory (I recommend spicy!); Patsy’s has a devilish pepper sauce that will clear your sinuses right out. Mango chutney, tamarind and coconut may be added if you prefer a sweeter version.</p> <p>Doubles is said to unite the Trinidadian and Tobagonian diaspora around the world. No matter what argument or disagreement you may engage in with your fellow countrymen, there will always be a unifying force in your love for Doubles! (I obviously must have a little Tobagonian blood in me, as I totally feel the love for Doubles and will think of my time with Leo and Reine every time I am fortunate enough to eat one.)</p> <p><strong>Angostura Bitters</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_8018" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8018" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-8018" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature37.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature37.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature37-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature37-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tomabgo-Island-Nature37-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8018" class="wp-caption-text">Angostura bitters</figcaption></figure> <p>Imagine if I had turned down Leo’s offer and stayed locked into whatever I had planned for that day in Tobago. No matter what I may have done, I can’t imagine it would have been half as enriching as spending the day with two locals-turned-friends who took me everywhere up and down the island. Sometimes you have to use your best judgement and know when to stick to your guns and not give in to peer pressure, while also recognizing when it’s shrewd to go with your gut and toss your plans out the window when a shining opportunity presents itself to you.</p> <p>My time in Scarborough was briefer than I would have liked, but I made meaningful relationships with Leo and Reine; the hospitality I received from Joan and Len at my hostel, Hope Cottage, was equally above and beyond what I could have hoped for. In fact, everyone in Tobago gave a little bit more than they had to, making me feel welcome and at home the entire time I was there. It is very humbling to be met with such kindness from strangers, and I hope these Tobagonian tenets have rubbed off on me, if even just a little.</p> <p>I’m going to wrap up my Scarborough adventure with the tale of Angostura bitters, an additive that gives everything it seasons an extra kick, just like my wonderful, new friends gave something extra of themselves to me.</p> <p>Angostura is a family business that was founded in 1824 in Venezuela, although the company’s headquarters have since moved to Trinidad, where its bitters have been produced for over 100 years. Angostura bitters are 44.7% alcohol and are flavored with a blend of spices, herbs and gentian flowers. We mostly think of bitters being added to alcoholic drinks like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, but Angostura suggests also adding their bitters to soups, cereals, salads, vegetables, gravies, jellies, jams, sherbets, ice creams, grapefruit, sauces, puddings, mince pies, apple sauces and all similar desserts! Basically anything!</p> <p>Len likewise swore by Angostura’s restorative properties. Have a headache? Take some bitters? A touch of indigestion? Try some bitters. A cold? A cough? A charley horse? You guessed it: bitters.</p> <p>You’ll notice that on the label is the seal of Franz Josef I of Austria, who awarded Angostura with a first-prize ribbon at the 1873 World’s Fair. The recipe is highly-guarded; in fact, only one person on earth knows the complete recipe in its entirety. Certain workers have been told how to prepare certain ingredients, but only one current family member ever knows the exact ratio with which one should balance the various elements that make up the bitters.</p> <p>I feel like this story of the bitters really encapsulates my time in Tobago. It’s steeped in history, adventure and humor- the stuff from which legends are born. You seem to know and understand it, but it also remains a mystery at the same time. I hold me time in Scarborough near to my heart and am thankful to everyone who went the extra mile to upend my plans and make my stay here so special.</p>The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-day-trip-around-tobago-with-leo-reine/">A Day Trip Around Tobago with Leo & Reine</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>A Tobagonian History in Scarborough, Far From the Madding All-Inclusive Crowd</title> <link>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-tobagonian-history-in-scarborough-free-from-the-all-inclusive-crowds/</link> <comments>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-tobagonian-history-in-scarborough-free-from-the-all-inclusive-crowds/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:00:38 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Scarborough, Tobago]]></category> <category><![CDATA[A.N.R. Robinson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[A.P.T. James]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ancil Dennis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Esplanade Scarborough]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fort King George]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Scarborough Botanical Gardens]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Scarborough Travel Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tobago Museum]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tobago Travel Blog]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/?p=7915</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Of the nearly 200 United-Nations recognized countries on this planet, it was the thirteen Caribbean-bound republics that I assumed would be my bête noire.</p> The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-tobagonian-history-in-scarborough-free-from-the-all-inclusive-crowds/">A Tobagonian History in Scarborough, Far From the Madding All-Inclusive Crowd</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_7919" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7919" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7919" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago33-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7919" class="wp-caption-text">The colorful, tree-lined streets of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p>Of the nearly 200 United-Nations recognized countries on this planet, it was the thirteen Caribbean-bound republics that I assumed would be my bête noire. Some of these fears stemmed from practical issues: it’s expensive to island hop and visit more than one or two countries on a single visit to the Caribbean and the hostel/backpacker scene is generally not thought of as well-established in these locales. But more than that, I was dreading coming here because I wrongly (and rather idiotically) believed that there was nothing to do on these islands except sit on the beach, piña colada in hand, and soak up the sun at an all-inclusive resort.</p> <p>I will tender a full mea culpa and own up to my foolishness- there’s <em>obviously</em> more to a country than a sandy beach- but cut me some slack. How is anyone expected to think otherwise when the collective governments and tourism boards of these Caribbean nations have worked so hard to present the unified image that there’s nothing more to do in their respective nations, except kick back and relax in the crystal-clear waters surrounding their shores.</p> <p>I could easily devote an entire post to this topic, but before I move on to my time in Scarborough, let me discuss all-inclusives and how damaging they can be to the local economy and citizens of an area. What exactly qualifies as an “all-inclusive?” Like the name suggests, it’s a resort where everything is included in an upfront fee. You have your room, three meals a day, endless alcohol at the hotel bars, spas, organized activities (such as snorkeling, aerobics, yoga, etc) and most importantly, access to a gated beach. Basically, you’re on a private, luxury compound where everything is provided for you. There isn’t any reason to leave the resort and few venture out to explore their surroundings. In a recent joint study between the UN and a UK research firm, only 20% of those who stay at an all-inclusive leave to eat a meal outside the resort or visit a cultural attraction/museum.</p> <p>And why would they? They have already paid for all their food and drinks, and the plethora of activities at these resorts, from a couples massage to beach volleyball, can easily fill up a visitor’s dance card. The resorts are also very safe, employing private security personnel, and the beaches are kept immaculately clean. People like that they can pay $5000 upfront and then never have to worry about spending another dime while on their vacation.</p> <p>So what are the downsides to staying at an all-inclusive and why are they so harmful? First of all, the food is notoriously awful at many of these resorts and it is totally catered to American/European palates. You’re more likely to find hamburgers, pizza and spaghetti on the menu rather than local cuisine. Secondly, you’re traveling all this way to a foreign country and culture and you don’t want to experience any of it? It seems like such a waste of money and opportunity when you could probably travel somewhere domestically (at least in the United States) and experience the beach at a fraction of the cost.</p> <p>These examples illustrate how a tourist loses out, but what about the locals? While it’s true that these all-inclusive resorts employ many people, the same UN study found that they are often paid criminally low wages, have to work long shifts (the average was between 12-15 hours) and were hired under short-term contracts that provide little long-term job stability. In addition, these resorts are not owned by locals. 80% of the money collected does not find its way back into the local economy, but rather to shareholders abroad. Tourism can be a boon for locals, but only if those tourist dollars are finding their way into the hands of the people. Local restaurants, shops and museums, as well as enterprises that offer guides for hiking, snorkeling, paragliding, etc never see a drop of the money you spend at an all-inclusive.</p> <p>The great news is that there <em><strong>is</strong></em><strong> </strong>a fantastic, if small, backpacking/hostel trail throughout the Caribbean, and if you forgo the all-inclusive resorts, you will find an affordable destinations packed with all the history, art, culture and adventure you could ask for. It’s downright shocking and shameful that this side of the Caribbean is so poorly promoted, and honestly it pisses me off. So here I am, hellbent on righting my own misconceptions about the Caribbean and setting the record straight. Let me show you that there’s so much more to Tobago than all-inclusive resorts and sandy beaches. The capital of Scarborough is a vibrant and lovely city, and best of all, there’s not a single all-inclusive resort within it’s borders! There is a top-notch hostel, though, which will act as the perfect place to begin my Scarborough-history tour.</p> <p><strong>Hope Cottage</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7955" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7955" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7955" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago69-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7955" class="wp-caption-text">Hope Cottage</figcaption></figure> <p>Hope Cottage is the “anti-all-inclusive” in every way, shape and form. Run by born-and-bred Tobagonian husband and wife, Len and Joan, as well as their son Mark, staying at Hope Cottage not only deposits your money directly into the local economy, but you get to experience a slice of authentic Tobagonian life and hospitality up close and personal.</p> <p>I arrived at Hope Cottage about three hours before my check-in time and was prepared to simply drop off my backpack and occupy myself in town before I could freshen up after my flight. Joan would hear nothing of the sort. The couple had invited over family friends for lunch and insisted I pull up a chair and join them. Within five minutes I felt like I had known everyone around the table for years.</p> <figure id="attachment_7938" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7938" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7938" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago52-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7938" class="wp-caption-text">I have many wonderful memories sharing meals at this kitchen table</figcaption></figure> <p>“I don’t understand how these mangos are so sweet and ripe,” I remarked to Len. “That’s because I just picked them from the mango tree in our backyard,” he replied.</p> <p>After lunch, I was given a brief history of Hope Cottage. James Henry Keens, who was one of the British colonial governors in the 1800s, resided here during his rule. His burial plot, along with those of his wife and eight children, are still located behind the hostel. In 1940, the residence was converted into a guest house and more recently it has been incorporated into Trinidad and Tobago’s National Trust, a historical registry of protected buildings on the islands.</p> <figure id="attachment_7939" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7939" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7939" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago53-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7939" class="wp-caption-text">The graves of James Henry Keens and his family</figcaption></figure> <p>I hadn’t been on the island for more than an hour and I instantly knew I had sorely misjudged Tobago, and likely the Caribbean at large. But where was all this in my Lonely Planet guidebook (LP, you have failed again!)? Why does every bit of promotional material released by the government only feature sand or a poolside cabana? (Several Tobagonians and Trinidadians- or more affectionately, Trinis- told me the government was “completely clueless” when it comes to marketing their own country outside of the omnipresent all-inclusive resort brochures and TV spots.)</p> <p><strong>Is Scarborough even a world capital?</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7958" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7958" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7958" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago72-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7958" class="wp-caption-text">Palm nuts growing in Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p>Before I go any further, you might be wondering how Scarborough even made it into a blog about world capitals. After all, Tobago isn’t an independent nation, but rather a part of Trinidad & Tobago, of which Port of Spain is the official (and only) capital recognized by the UN. It’s true that Scarborough isn’t technically a world capital, but I will be giving equal weight to both Port of Spain and Scarborough in my postings as I feel each are worthy of exploration and offer distinct and unique perspectives on what it means to be a Trini or Tobagonian respectively.</p> <p>Tobago, which sits 35km (22 miles) northeast of Trinidad, is a fraction of its big brother’s size and has often been neglected and cast aside ever since their forced union by the British in 1889. Tobago is shaped like an oval and is only 40km (25 miles) long and 10km (6 miles) wide at its farthest points. There is an international airport on Tobago, but before Covid there was but one direct flight from New York and one from Germany each week. Most people fly to Port of Spain and then taken a propeller plane to Tobago; these flights operate 20 times a day in each direction and last a brief 22 minutes. There is also a four-hour ferry that drops you off in the downtown harbor area of each capital for $50TT ($7.50USD).</p> <figure id="attachment_7943" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7943" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7943" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago57-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7943" class="wp-caption-text">The ferry from Port of Spain, entering Scarborough Harbor</figcaption></figure> <p>Trinidad’s economy relies heavily on exporting oil and natural gas that is mined off-shore in the Caribbean Sea. Port of Spain is full of hustle and bustle; a far more cosmopolitan city than Scarborough, where the vibe is decidedly more laidback and friendly. I was reprimanded by a woman on my first walk outside Hope Cottage when I merely smiled at her as I passed her on the sidewalk. “Excuse me,” she said in shock. “No one teach you no manners? Where you in such a rush?” I had committed the cardinal sin of not greeting a Tobagonian in public! “You say hello when you see someone. Fin’ out their day.” Yes, ma’am! Lesson learned!</p> <p>English is the official language on both islands, but the people’s accents are markedly different and there are both distinctive Tobagonian and Trinidadian Creoles that are spoken on each island. (When two Tobagonians got rolling in creole, they might as well have been speaking Russian to these ears.) One phrase that carries over between the two islands is “limin’” which means chilling, hanging out (usually with a beer) and having a good time. Tobagonian Creole is wonderfully melodic and often hysterical. One of Len’s favorites was, “Who kill pries’?” (Who killed the priest?), meaning, who did something so terrible that you would give them such horrible advice? “Better belly bus’ than good food was’” means you better clean you plate whether at a restaurant or someone’s house. “Dog don’ make cat,” means children will take after their parents and “monkey know what tree to climb,” is commonly used to refer to someone knowing who to approach to get what they want.</p> <p>For such a small island, Tobago has a rather varied ecological make up. Of the 60,000 residents, 18,000 of them call Scarborough home. Smaller towns line the highway that winds around the edge of the island, past bays, beaches and mangrove forests. The center of Tobago rises up from its (now dormant) volcanic peaks. The interior “Tobago Forest Preserve” is the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere after conservation laws were handed down in 1776.</p> <p>Ethnically, Trinidad is far more diverse than Tobago. The former has a sizable minority descended from Indian laborers, in addition to those born from African and European heritages, while Tobago is 85% Afro-Caribbean. Despite the short distance between the two islands, I got the sense that Tobagonians don’t make the crossing to Trinidad all that often, although Trinis will come to Tobago for a weekend getaway, staying in a village beachfront guest house.</p> <p><strong>Tobago Museum at Fort King George</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7935" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7935" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7935" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago49-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7935" class="wp-caption-text">The Tobago Museum in the old barracks at Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>Shamefully knowing very little of Tobago’s history, save for the fact that it was once a British colony, I made a beeline for the Tobago Museum, which is housed in the former barracks of Fort King George, a five-minute walk up the hill from Hope Cottage. The museum covers the island’s history from the time of the native Amerindians through the colonial era to independence and beyond. There is a large collection of Amerindian artifacts, pottery and adornos, or talisman. Three 800-year-old skeletons are on display that were excavated from ancient ruins on the north side of the island. There’s an original copy of John Poyntz’s 17th-Century pamphlet, “Pleasant Prospect of the Famous and Fertile Island of Tobago” that is believed to have been the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel, Robinson Crusoe.</p> <p>Several groups of Amerindians ruled Tobago over the years before European invaders arrived in the 16th Century, at which time, the Kalina controlled the island. In 1511, the Spanish, who had established colonies on Hispaniola, decreed that they had “permission” to perform slave raids in Tobago, which continued until the 1620s, greatly decimating the Amerindian population. In 1628, the Dutch attempted to build a colony on Tobago, but the remaining native population drove them out. In 1641, King Charles I “gifted” the island to his godson, a Latvian duke, and thus Latvia’s first colony in the Caribbean was established. The Dutch and the Latvians wrestled for control of the island, with the former building a settlement called Lampsinsstad in 1658, that would later become Scarborough under British rule.</p> <p>Between 1678 and 1814, Tobago changed hands a total of 33 times, more than any other island colony in the Caribbean. During this period, genocide was carried out against the remaining Amerindian people. By 1786, only 24 Amerindians remained and by 1815 the native population had been completely wiped out.</p> <p>In 1763, the British gained control of Tobago and began bringing African slaves to work the sugar, cotton, indigo and rum plantations they had built all over the island. By the time Scarborough had been declared the colonial capital in 1779, over 3000 African slaves had been transported to Tobago. With no labor costs, the plantation owners grew immensely rich in a short amount of time. Within five years, 1.5 million pounds of cotton had been exported to North America and Europe. Slave uprisings were met with instigators being burned alive or having appendages amputated. Conditions were deplorable and slaves died faster than they could be brought over from Africa.</p> <p><strong>Fort King George</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7917" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7917" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7917" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago16-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7917" class="wp-caption-text">Fort King George Heritage Park</figcaption></figure> <p>As tensions in the Caribbean were rising between the British and the French, Fort King George was constructed between 1777-79 on the highest peak overlooking Scarborough. Despite its excellent defensive position, the French were able to capture the fort in 1781, renaming it Fort Castries. Soon all of Tobago had fallen under French colonial control and Scarborough was likewise renamed Port Louis. The fort, which has been turned into an open-air museum, is one of the highlights of visiting the capital. The grounds contain the original jail cells, a powder magazine, bell tank, lighthouse, the Tobago Museum, the Icons of Tobago Museum, a Fine Arts Centre and the best views of Scarborough Harbor and southern Tobago.</p> <figure id="attachment_7954" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7954" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7954" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago68-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7954" class="wp-caption-text">The former prison cells of Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>The different sections of the fort are well-labeled and have info cards that will aid you on a self-guided tour. (Official guides are available for “free” guided tours- that will end in a compulsory tip- but don’t let them pressure you into walking around the heritage park by yourself, which you are perfectly free to do. Be aware that the museums do charge separate admissions, though.)</p> <figure id="attachment_7950" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7950" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7950" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago64-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7950" class="wp-caption-text">Powder Magazine, added by the French</figcaption></figure> <p>Imagine my surprise when I read the placard at the powder magazine, an addition to the fort under the French occupation, that explained how Fort Castries’ position overlooking Scarborough reminded the French of The Bock in Luxembourg City. The generals used Vauban’s revamping of those fortifications a century earlier as a guide for their expansion of their new stronghold here in Tobago. This may seem like a tiny detail to most visitors, but having just traveled to Luxembourg, I never would have guessed that I would be seeing connections from my previous adventure to this voyage in the Caribbean. The more you travel, the more interconnected you will find the world to be.</p> <figure id="attachment_7951" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7951" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7951" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago65-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7951" class="wp-caption-text">Cannons atop Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>Of course, one of the main draws to visiting the heritage park is the view of of Southern Tobago; on a clear day you can see all the way to Trinidad’s mainland. Even though most of the park sits in direct sunlight, the breezes that swirl on the hilltop are refreshing and certainly beat the stifling afternoon heat in the downtown area below.</p> <figure id="attachment_7949" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7949" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7949" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago63-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7949" class="wp-caption-text">Scarborough Harbor</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7948" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7948" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7948" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago62-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7948" class="wp-caption-text">Scarborough Harbor</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7952" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7952" style="width: 2396px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7952" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66.png" alt="" width="2396" height="1798" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66.png 2396w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66-1536x1153.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago66-2048x1537.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2396px) 100vw, 2396px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7952" class="wp-caption-text">Bacolet</figcaption></figure> <p>This small peninsula is Bacolet, Scarborough’s wealthiest suburb. Here you’ll find the fanciest residences, high-end shops and restaurants and a handful of boutique hotels. People looking to be pampered during their Tobago vacation, but still wanting to avoid the dreaded all-inclusive atmosphere, will likely look to Bacolet for some five-star rest and relaxation.</p> <figure id="attachment_7923" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7923" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7923" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago37-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7923" class="wp-caption-text">Tropical vegetation in the gardens of Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7937" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7937" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7937" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago51.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago51.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago51-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago51-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago51-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7937" class="wp-caption-text">The lighthouse at Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>The lighthouse is one of the latest augmentations to the fort, having been transported from Trinidad to its current location in 1958. It can emit a beam that stretches 50km (31 miles) across the sea and is still used to guide ships during a storm.</p> <figure id="attachment_7921" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7921" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7921" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago35-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7921" class="wp-caption-text">The Bell Tank</figcaption></figure> <p>The French also modernized the water systems throughout the fort when they built the bell tank in 1799. The well was connected to a series of pipes that collected rainwater from the roofs of nearby dwellings. The tank was designed to drain the sediment and debris carried in by the water, leaving the somewhat “purified” water to rest on top and be gathered and dispersed among the citizens and troops.</p> <figure id="attachment_7920" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7920" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7920" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago34-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7920" class="wp-caption-text">The Fine Arts Centre at Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>This one hurt. The Fine Arts Centre puts on contemporary art exhibitions by local Tobagonian artists throughout the year. The centre was closed for two weeks during my visit as the curators removed one exhibit and replaced it with another. Talk about bad timing. Caribbean top priority: return to Tobago for my contemporary art fix!</p> <figure id="attachment_7953" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7953" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7953" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago67-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7953" class="wp-caption-text">Cannons used to defend Tobago</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1793, the Brits retook the fort, but they still managed to pass it back and forth between the French until they cemented their control of the island in 1814. The British doubled down on the number of slaves they brought into Tobago until the African population reached 15,000 people. Slavery was outlawed in the UK in 1834, but even with their “freedom,” little changed for the African workers. They were now technically paid, but only received a pittance and most land was still owned and controlled by British plantation owners. Over the next decades, the sugar trade declined and the plantations were slowly abandoned. The descendants of the slaves, now the vast majority of those living on the island, turned to farming and fishing to make a living.</p> <p>Low wages and limited access to land eventually led to the Belmanna Uprising in 1876, when the African population protested against the white colonialists who still controlled the local government. One of the officers killed a black protestor (sound familiar?) and chaos descended upon Tobago. The police station was surrounded and the chief was executed. The self-governing Legislative Council gave up control of the island in 1877 and in 1885, the British combined Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Lucia into the Windward Island Crown Colony. Tobago still proved to be a thorn in the Brits’ side and a few years later, in 1889, the island was officially coupled with Trinidad. In 1899, Tobago was stripped of all sovereignty and made a “ward of the state” to Trinidad. It’s fate was no longer its own.</p> <p>Tobago provided some contributions to national economy with its newfound lime, coconut and cocoa farms, but its citizens were continually afforded zero representation in the Trinidad Parliament. Finally, in 1927, Tobago was granted one seat in the legislative body, but the elections were very unfair. Only males aged 21 and above could vote and they had to pass both literacy tests and be landowners to cast a ballot. This rendered only 5.9% of the population eligible to vote and the frustrations with Trinidad continued to mount. James Biggart, a black Tobagonian, was the first person elected to fill Tobago’s seat in Parliament.</p> <p><strong>James Park and the Tobago House of Assembly</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7957" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7957" style="width: 1289px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7957" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago71.png" alt="" width="1289" height="952" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago71.png 1289w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago71-500x369.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago71-1024x756.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago71-768x567.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1289px) 100vw, 1289px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7957" class="wp-caption-text">James Park and the Tobago House of Assembly</figcaption></figure> <p>Along the winding road down from Fort King George to downtown Scarborough, you’ll come across James Park and the Tobago House of Assembly. The park is named after A.P.T James, who was elected to Tobago’s seat in 1946. Universal adult suffrage was introduced to the island during his tenure, as well as the construction of schools, health care facilities, a pipe line that would transport fresh drinking water and in 1952, electricity was brought to Tobago. James was an avid proponent of Tobago gaining full independence, a dream he never lived to see, and quite frankly not one shared by every Tobagonian. While some did support the cause, others simply longed for better representation and fair treatment from their more powerful neighbor.</p> <p><strong>A.N.R. Robinson</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7924" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7924" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7924" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago38-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7924" class="wp-caption-text">A.N.R Robinson street art</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1961, Tobago was granted two seats in Parliament (they currently have eight members in the legislature) and A.N.R. Robinson won the spot for Tobago East. At that time, only 5% of the federal budget was allocated for Tobago, a number Robinson tirelessly fought to raise. His other great mission was to restore much of Tobago’s sovereignty that was ceded to Trinidad in 1899. Success finally came in 1980 with the re-establishment of the House of Tobago, the island’s legislative body. Robinson resigned from Parliament and became the first Chairman of the House of Assembly for the next six years, after which he became the third Prime Minister of all of Trinidad & Tobago in 1986.</p> <p>After facing defeat in 1991, Robinson ran for president in 1997 and won, making him the third president of the dual island nation. (Well, in truth, Trinidad & Tobago is made up of over 30 islands- some inhabited, some not- but Trinidad and Tobago are by far the largest.) He was responsible for creating Scarborough’s deep harbor in the 1990s and Tobago’s airport was renamed in the politician’s honor.</p> <p>Ancil Dennis is the current Chairman of the House of Assembly, and when he was installed last year at 33 years old, he became the youngest person to lead Tobago. His opponents referred to him as a “child king” and “OJT” or on-the-job-trainee. Dennis has proven his critics wrong and enjoys popularity with the people as he has been forced to navigate his way through the Covid Era.</p> <p><strong>The Roads of Scarborough </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7918" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7918" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7918" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17-1152x1536.png 1152w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago17-1536x2048.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7918" class="wp-caption-text">Heading towards downtown Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p>Fair warning: Scarborough will kick your ass, or at least finely shape it! There is barely a flat section of road to be found in the capital. The city hugs its semi-circular harbor and then steeply rises back like a horseshoe-shaped stadium or amphitheater. Walking down the hills, I felt as if I were about to tumble forward at any moment; trudging back up again in the heat of the day was even worse. Cars notoriously make it halfway up Main Street and either stall out or roll right back down the hill again!</p> <p>On my first night in town, I had a great time downtown drinking beer, eating doubles (local cuisine that is to die for) and even topped my revelry off with two scoops of ice cream. It suddenly hit me that Hope Cottage was 3/4 of the way up the sides of the city and I had no idea how I was going to make it back. Halfway up, the delirium must have set in. I don’t remember how I got back to my room, but I did wake up in my bed safe and sound.</p> <p><strong>Street Art in Scarborough </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7929" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7929" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7929" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago43-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7929" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7928" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7928" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7928" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago42-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7928" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7927" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7927" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7927" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago41-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7927" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7926" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7926" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7926" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago40-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7926" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7925" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7925" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7925" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago39-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7925" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7768" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7768" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7768" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TobagoHero-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7768" class="wp-caption-text">Mural detailing the history and culture of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p>This fantastic mural that runs alongside the road beneath the Botanical Garden, takes you on a colorful whirlwind of the history and culture of Tobago. A few notable figures I’ll point out are Bertille St. Clair and Dwight Yorke, Tobago’s most celebrated football coach and player, respectively. Like so much of the world, football (soccer for Americans), is the dominant sport in Tobago, although cricket and goat racing- yes, goat racing!- are also popular.</p> <p>Shurwayne Winchester is one of the best-known Soca singers in the Caribbean. Soca, which stands for the Soul of Calypso and African Music, originated in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1970s. A group of local musicians felt that calypso music was under appreciated and had fallen out of favor with young people in favor of reggae, funk and soul. Soca sprang forth as kind of a new wave calypso that has remained wildly popular on the islands ever since.</p> <figure id="attachment_7922" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7922" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7922" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago36-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7922" class="wp-caption-text">Icons of Tobago Museum at Fort King George</figcaption></figure> <p>The Icons of Tobago Museum back at Fort King George has a fantastic exhibition on Calypso Rose, the grand matron of Tobagonian Calypso/Soca music. Born in 1940 on Tobago, Calypso Rose has composed over 1000 songs and recorded more than 20 albums of music. At age 81 she’s still going strong, writing and recording to this day. She was never afraid to tackle social issues in her music, using her platform to combat racism and sexism in the Caribbean. Although she frequently returns to perform in Trinidad & Tobago, Calypso Rose lives right across the river from me in Queens, NYC.</p> <figure id="attachment_7941" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7941" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7941" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago55-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7941" class="wp-caption-text">Street Art instead of billboards</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7940" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7940" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7940" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago54-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7940" class="wp-caption-text">Advertisements for stores along Burnette Street</figcaption></figure> <p>Burnett (or Burnette) Street is a fun thoroughfare to explore. Here you’ll find thrift stores, antiques, knickknacks, used clothes and more. The advert for Just My Size also gives you an idea of how people give addresses in Tobago. Instead of, “Go to 215 Burnett Street,” you’re more like to hear, “Go to that store that sells costume jewelry and handbags. You know the one, right behind Crusoe’s Bakery at the bottom of Burnett Street.” Landmarks will always trump numbered addresses.</p> <p><strong>Botanical Garden</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7946" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7946" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7946" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago60-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7946" class="wp-caption-text">The main plaza of the Botanical Garden</figcaption></figure> <p>Nestled in the heart of Scarborough and spread out over 18 acres that once acted as a sugar plantation during colonial times, the Botanical Garden is a relaxing spot to check out Tobago’s flora. Now, if you’ve been following this blog for some time and were paying attention to the flower photos I posted from Ghana, Togo and Benin, you’re about to experience some déjà vu. Seeds and plants native to West Africa were also brought to the Caribbean with the slave ships, creating an Afro-Caribbean ecology that matches the inhabitants of the islands today. African tulips bloom next to samen, or monkey pod trees, which are native to Central American and the Caribbean.</p> <figure id="attachment_7947" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7947" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7947" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago61.png" alt="" width="1800" height="2400" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago61.png 1800w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago61-500x667.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago61-768x1024.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago61-1152x1536.png 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7947" class="wp-caption-text">The floral diaspora that tagged along with the African diaspora</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7945" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7945" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7945" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago59-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7945" class="wp-caption-text">More flowers native to West Africa</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7934" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7934" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7934" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago48-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7934" class="wp-caption-text">A silk cotton tree, the most spiritual tree in Tobago</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7942" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7942" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7942" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago56-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7942" class="wp-caption-text">An oasis in downtown Scarborough at the Botanical Garden</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <p><strong>Scarborough Esplanade </strong></p> <figure id="attachment_7932" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7932" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7932" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago46-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7932" class="wp-caption-text">The Esplanade in the morning, before all the shopping come alive in the mid-afternoon</figcaption></figure> <p>The Esplanade is Scarborough’s newest attraction: a series of vendor huts that sell food and souvenirs throughout the evening. This picturesque path along the harbor is prime limin’ territory; everyone will be ready to hear your life story and share theirs in return. The views of the Port of Scarborough all the way up to Fort King George are stunning.</p> <p>As I begin to wind down my overview of Scarborough, Tobagonian history and the harmful nature of all-inclusive resorts, I have come to realize that travel is a repetitious cycle of having your preconceived notions of a destination continually dismantled and re-evaluated. Why was I so hesitant to visit the Caribbean? Did I actually think I wouldn’t find an engaging history and culture here to explore? Why did I allow myself to be so influenced by travel books and tourism boards? Whatever I think I know about a country/capital is wrong. At least it lit a fire under my feet to dispel these stereotypes about Caribbean travel; even if I’m just one voice yelling into the wind, I hope someone will hear me.</p> <figure id="attachment_7931" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7931" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7931" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago45-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7931" class="wp-caption-text">The Port of Scarborough</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_7930" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7930" style="width: 2400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-7930" src="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44.png" alt="" width="2400" height="1800" srcset="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44.png 2400w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44-500x375.png 500w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44-1024x768.png 1024w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44-768x576.png 768w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Tombago44-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7930" class="wp-caption-text">The capital wrapping around the harbor and coming to a head at Fort King George</figcaption></figure>The post <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-tobagonian-history-in-scarborough-free-from-the-all-inclusive-crowds/">A Tobagonian History in Scarborough, Far From the Madding All-Inclusive Crowd</a> first appeared on <a href="https://worldcapitalconfidential.com">World Capital Confidential</a>.]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://worldcapitalconfidential.com/a-tobagonian-history-in-scarborough-free-from-the-all-inclusive-crowds/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>