We are off on another adventure! To our surprise, we had our tickets booked through Trinidad and Tobago with a whole day layover. So of course we had to make the most out of this opportunity. So after arriving at 6 AM local time (4 AM sask time) we figured that the only way to actually see anything on the island in the 12 hours we had was to rent a car. That went well and I found myself again driving on the left side of the road. Luckily I was all trained and ready to go after driving in New Zealand.
The first place we drove to was a natural lake of asphalt. Tours were 35 US because the lake is dangerous to walk on. Especially in the hot sun when the lake turns into quicksand. Luckily for us we were there in the morning when the lake was still hard like a highway but just starting to change into glue. And double lucky for us that an "unofficial" guide sought us out. We bargained him down to a more managable fare and we were off! Where the lake was heating up, you could pull up the gooey asphalt which seemed like a good idea at the time but afterwards became a nusaince when we realized only gasoline could take it off. My camera and murse are permenantly stained!
Since we were on an island paradise, we decided to hit the beach for a few hours…But first we had to get there, and that meant Steve had to manoever the car through psychotic traffic that follows a few rules, but mostly abides by one principle. "Whoever gets their big nose in the lane first has the right of way."
But we got there and feasted on shark bake sandwiches (an incredible meal of battered shark on a pastry bun with tons of fixings. Then we body boarded and say a sting ray and got way too much sun.
The best part of Trinidad is the people. It's like a million different cultures all had kids with each other and the result is really beautiful. Black, and not so black, super-curly hair and straight, and a whole lot of men with their pouffy hair put up in a big turban. There are East Indians, Chinese, Africans and everything in between in Trinidad. And we have a feeling Suriname will be similar!
