Planning your own trip to Trinidad? Maybe this will help...
If you're interested in visiting Trinidad, first be sure to secure transportation for groups ahead of time. The Trinidadians drive on the left side of the road, so if you want to save yourself some confusion,
ride in one of their Maxi Taxis (mini-buses that hold up to 25 people). My group had a blast flying up and down the mountains in one of these stick-shift, non-airconditioned vehicles! It was kind of like riding on a roller coaster, and we really had to trust that the drivers knew what they were doing. Yet, we were sure glad not to be driving ourselves!
I would also recommend bringing a hefty supply of sunscreen. It's extremely hot and sunny there, and getting burned is no fun on a vacation.
Also, if possible, find some way to eat at someone's home. Based on our circumstances, we mostly had to eat at fast-food restaurants (which were everywhere!). I think we ate at Church's Chicken four times in one week. Apparently if you want food unique to Trinidad, you must know people who will cook for you! I, did, however, get to try three unique dishes:
- Roti: thin scraps of dough that you use
to pick up different curried foods, such as potatoes, pumpkin and mango. (We ordered this at a restaurant at the University of the West Indies, and it is pictured to the right.) - Doubles: thin, fried flatbreads containing curried chickpeas and spices (It's very messy but tastes wonderful. We bought these from a road-side stand. Supposedly, it's their equivalent of our "fast food.")
- Shark n bake: fried shark between two pieces of "bake," a crispy, deep-fried, wonderful dough (We were able to try this from a stand at Maracas Bay, a popular beach.)
Lastly, be prepared to relax! The pace of life is much slower
there than in the U.S. I found myself getting antsy and not being able to understand how so many of the students at the
University of the West Indies were just sitting around and hanging out (called "liming" in Trinidad). There is no real urgency or rush to get things done; people take their time! It was actually difficult to come back to the U.S. after even just one week in Trinidad; I wish we could all just slow down a little bit.
If you'd like to check out one of the newspapers in Trinidad to get caught up on the latest occurrences before going, visit The Trinidad and Tobago Express. And to view additional information, such as demographics and geographical information, visit the World Factbook.