Trinidad and Tobago

The most exciting introduction to the vivid, cosmopolitan culture of this Republic is, of course, Carnival, or ‘De Mas‘, as locals refer to the annual ‘celebration of the senses’. Background reading is a help for a visit at any time of the year. Some authors to investigate are CLR James, Samuel Selvon, Shiva Naipaul, all now deceased, as well as Shiva’s more famous brother, VS Naipaul.

TRINIDAD the most southern of the Caribbean islands, lying only seven miles off the Venezuelan coast, is one of the most colourful of the West Indian islands. It is an island of 1,864 square miles, traversed by ranges of hills, the northern and southern ranges, running roughly east and west, and the central range, running diagonally across the island.

Driving south from Port of Spain you see rice fields, herds of water buffalo, buffalypso (bigger animals, selectively bred for meat), Hindu temples and Moslem mosques. There are boat trips to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, the home of scarlet ibis, whose numbers are dwindling as the swamp in which they live is encroached upon.

The town is pleasant but perhaps not worth an extended visit. In Scarborough itself the Botanic Gardens on the hill behind the Mall are worth a visit. There are also some interesting buildings, such as the House of Assembly on James Park (built in 1825), and Gun bridge, with its rifle-barrel railings. New development has included a new deep water harbour and cruise ship terminal.

Sights: You can see most of the sights of Port of Spain by walking around the town centre. For further afield, however, there are taxis, buses, route taxis and maxi taxis, see Essentials section at the beginning of the chapter for an explanation of how they work and appropriate fares.

The east corridor from Port of Spain is a dual carriageway and a priority bus route through the industrial and residential suburbs. At St Joseph, which was once the seat of government, is the imposing Jinnah Memorial Mosque. North of St Joseph is the Maracas Valley (nothing to do with Maracas Bay), which has a 300 ft waterfall about two miles from the road.