Trinidad is an island. Islands have beaches! I spent the day at Maracas Beach.
Maracas is known for its great beach AND for its great sandwich - the "Shark and Bake." This sandwich is made from shark. Real shark. Yum! Trinidadians love to put hot pepper sauce on their food. I had my sandwich with "light pepper" but it was still pretty spicy.
I built a sand castle.
I walked on the beach.
This guy was selling cotton candy at the beach. You'd think it would get sandy but not if you eat it fast enough.
The weather was great. This nice man was selling souvenirs.
I like the beach a lot.
Trinidad and Tobago was great! Next time I hope Alex comes here with me.
Steel pan (or steel drum) is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. As part of the annual Carnival (Mardi Gras) celebration, steel pan bands from across the country compete in Panorama - a contest which names the best bands. The semi-finals were held this weekend.
Outside the contest, there were lots of food stands set up selling Trini snacks - fresh coconut water was my favorite. The guy cut it open with a machete. Other snack foods are roasted corn, doubles - which are sort of a hummus sandwich, and roti - which is an Indian burrito.
My favorite band was the Silver Stars. They were great! They practice in a pan yard that is outside. You can go and visit them during their rehearsals anytime you want. It always feels like a party there. Trinidadians speak English but they have some different words for things. They call parties "limes." I like limes!
Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad is an island. Tobago is an island. Together, they make one country. In the center of Port of Spain is the Savannah. This is a big park and I saw kids playing soccer and cricket and flying kites. Cricket is a British game that is a little bit like baseball. Trinidad and Tobago used to be a British colony just like America was. They got their independence in 1962 but they still like cricket.
This spaceship-y building is one of the newest buildings in Port of Spain - it is the National Academy of the Performing Arts. You can see concerts there and they have a music school for college students inside.
Some of the prettiest houses in Trinidad and Tobago are decorated with "gingerbread." It's not the kind you eat at Christmas - it is the pretty wooden decorations on the outside of the houses. There are palm trees everywhere.
This cool red building is Queen's Royal College - one of the oldest "High Schools" in T&T.
Hi! I'm Flat Stanley. My friend Alex sent me to Trinidad and Tobago to visit his Aunt Debbie and his Uncle Dan. Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost island in the Caribbean - it is just 7 miles away from Venezuela in South America and it is a whopping 2038 miles from Cary, North Carolina.
Trinidad and Tobago's flag is red, white and black - this one is my size.
It took me three weeks to travel here. My first stop was the U.S. Embassy where Debbie and Dan work.
I met Ambassador Beatrice Wilkinson Welters. She was very nice.
I lost my passport on the way here but Uncle Dan helped me get a new one.
In January, we spent 10 days in Florida, where it was cold. When I was a consular officer, people would tell me every day "I don't want to live in New York - it is too cold" arguing that this was proof that they would not overstay their visa. Now having spent 10 days in Florida where it was in the 40s at points - we too were eager to come back to Trinidad where it is high 90 low 78 nearly every day.
Among the highlights of our trip to Florida was an airport ride in the Everglades. I do not know how riding on an incredibly noisy boat with ear plugs came to be considered a good way to see nature but it was great fun.
Sometimes the boat would slow down and we could then see alligators and birds, who must be used to the boat.
Although Carnival peaks with the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (which is when people are wearing costumes and dancing through the streets) - it is already Carnival season when it comes to music.
Last week we headed to the Invaders panyard - a co-worker's brother is the manager of this steel pan band. On most any evening you can drive around Port of Spain and hear music coming from panyards. These are empty lots filled with instruments and everyone is busy rehearsing for the annual competition "Panorama". The newspapers are currently filled with angry editorials about evenly split between criticism that steel bands have become too obsessed with the competition and criticism against the Ministry of Culture who has cut the payment to steel band players from 1000 TT (about $160 US) to 800 TT in a cost cutting move.
The great thing about the panyards is that you are welcome to hang out and listen to the rehearsals. Take a look at the video below- you can see that Invader's youngest pannist is 10 years old - their oldest members have been playing with the band for 50 years.
Invaders' arranger (the person who turns music into a pan orchestra arrangement) is from New York but comes down each year to help them arrange their Panorama entry. Just like all Carnival costumes need to be new each year - all Panorama songs need to be new each year. Thankfully, during the rehearsal the band also played one of my favorite old Trini Calypso numbers called Lorraine, which is the story of a Trini guy living in New York who is cold and missing Trinidad. It is also the theme song of Caribbean Airlines, Invaders' sponsor.
LORRAINE LYRICS (song by Explainer) Taxi, Taxi Airport Kennedy
[Verse 1] Lorraine, you better wake up Ah need ah jet plane to take me non-stop Ah cyah stay in New York City When there is sunshine and pan in my country Lions is de place with de jammin' With Kaly-Ann and Charlie's Roots clashin' Everyone happy partyin' And I'm freezin' in Brooklin, Darlin'
[Chorus] Lorraine doh cry ah leavin Ah cyah miss dis jammin With all dem steel band beatin And woman background shakin If de bug bite yuh baby Then you could come and join me Inside Catelli steelband Jammin wit some man woman
[Verse 2] Lorraine, girl take it easy I don't mean to hurt you baby The coldness makin me shiver And back home, it hot like fire That is why I say de next jet plane Must take me to Port-of-Spain Where all my fans are waiting Preparing for J'Ouvert Morning, Darlin'
[Chorus]
[Verse 3] Babe, my mind is made up Airport Kennedy will be my next stop Doh cry and try to convince me Because meh suitcase done pack already And if you start feelin lonely And mas fever vibrating yuh body Just make ah quick reservation And touch down in de land of steelband, woman
[Chorus]
[break] Doh cry homey Yuh go see meh Ash Wednesday
