Tobagan mentality – getting friendly with the locals

The warmth of the Tobagonians is incredible. We wanted to make an effort to get to know people, but it was no effort at all – on the contrary – they simply embrace you and you cannot NOT be a part of the community here. Its part of the every day life – and its not the "how do you do" and walk on – but genuine and sometimes…it takes while to get on. But – there is no hurry in Tobago. Life is slow and everything will be alright.
Walking the approx 200 meters to/from the village&beach takes us at least 20 minutes. You need to say your good mornings, good days and good afternoons. (You need to keep track!) The old women on their porches need to know what you’re up to (goin’ to the beach today?), Oswald ("the vegetable king") and his wife Haslean need to give Eira a banana and chat some, and the young guys limin’ (Tobagan for "hanging out") at the community center surrounded with not-so-legal smoke will nod at us and mumble something.

Oswald the vegetable king

Other encounters are:

-"Look Up" who helps manage our house and garden. Look up will knock on our door at least every other day to check if we are alright. If there is a power outage (3 so far) he’ll be there in no time with candles or kerosine lamps. When I asked him to show me which one of the trees in our garden (read: jungle) was mango, he did, but brought me a whole bunch that he picked the next day. He also cooked for us – but that is another story.

Look up and friend

-Taylor the guy who does car rental-tours-souvenirs-taxi-you name it was our airport pick up – when he dropped us off at our house he said – my office is down by the beach, come by and pay me later. When we rented a car one day he gave us the keys and said: "Scratches OK – but no big bumps"

-The cornershop owner who always has butter – just not today

-Fisherman Jackson and friends down by the beach who looks at Bjarni and says "want to hang around?" resulting in this:

First pics from Paradise

Carib beer on our veranda - chillin'

Eira playing with her new local friend (who is wearing school uniform) at Castara beach.

View from Tobago over the sea

Super market in Mason Hall, on the way to Crown Point

Eira at the beach, Castara, Tobago

Fischermen getting us food for the evening, Castara

Best breakfast ever, Bjarni's pancakes and self-picked mango from the garden, papaya and pineapple.

Castara beach from the other side


..And some pics from the trip to Tobago:

Eira when we landed in Crown Point Tobago

Still smiling after a very long trip













Entertainment on flight

Yes, we are here!

We have adjusted immediately to the Caribbean style (slow) and prioritised getting ourselves settled in before finding an internet spot. But not to worry, we have arrived safe and sound, even our luggage, which took four extra days to reach us (and 3 hours for Bjarni with airport and customs officials). Let me summarize our experiences so far:
-Trip went great, kids are tough and we vere very impressed that they could take a 14 hour flight without even a complaint. Only complaint was when we landed in Miami, and Eira was asleep. Bjarni gently put her shoes on and she woke up just in time for Customs, screaming like crazy. The line in front of us was at least a couple of hours long - great. But, screaming children seem to do the trick, someone swiftly came and waved us past all lines, and we were through. We later realised that the rason for her outbirst was a tiny tube of toothpaste that was stuck inside her shoe! Since the luggage didn't make the trip tp Miami from Heathrow, we had to go out to do some diaper shopping. We quickly found that it seems no one in Miami speaks English! Bjarni called a cab to take him to the super market, but couldn't make himself undestood, so the receptionist simply took his phone and fixed it.
-House is great! Though it is perched on a really steep hill, so we expect some nice leg muscle soon. And since it is open on the sides, close to the roof, with only mosquito net separating us from the jungle outside - it sort of feels like sleeping i a pet store. Earplugs have some in very handy. Bats and green parrots reside up at the roof, and there are hens and a rooster (pleese shoot him, by the way) in the garden. You so not throw away organic garbage here - just toss it out the window.
-Food is beyond description, so lovely. We watch the fishermen cath the fish early afternoon, and it is on our plate for dinner a couple of hours later. Breakfast is pancaces with fresh papaya, bananas, pineapple and coconut.

Short update, we will try to post some pictures soon! Now - off to the beach!
Take care!.......and keep limin'!

Are you crazy?

Probably. Hopefully! We've never been to the Caribbean - all we know is from Lonely Planet and the internet. And we don't know what we will face - and that is the beauty. But we hope to experience:

• To spend time together
• Reflect (what do I want to be when I grow up?:))
• Sunshine, beaches, diving and all that "holiday" stuff
• Find the most un-touristy places and live close to locals
• Eat well - lots of fresh fruit and fish!
• Learn!

So - let's give you a taste of our planned journey so far: this is what we have booked, the rest we'll decide on later:

1. Jan 5th: Copenhagen - Miami
2. Jan 6th: Miami - Crown Point, Tobago
3. Jan 7th - March 6th: Castara Village, Tobago
4. March 6th - March 22nd: St Georges, Grenada
5. March 22nd - April 13th: Hillsborough, Carriacou, Grenada

So after a couple of stay overs our first "home" will be this house in Castara Village

on Tobago:

It is situated in a small fishing village just next to this beach:

Stay tuned - next update will be from the other side of the world (whenever we find internet!)

Preparing - a journey in itself...

So. We've done it! Finished packing. Actually, packing was the easiest bit. We had a "to-do" list that would have been enough as a full time job. Including everything from "sell the car" to "buy sunscreen". Since someone else is staying in our house while we're gone we not only had to pack for the trip, but also pack everything else in boxes. A typical afternoon scenario would been me in the "feeding chair" with the little one, Bjarni packing stuff and Eira running after him discovering all the cool stuff Dad found and unpacking them. So, we had to call in some assistance. We're

sending some extra love to my dear parents and our babysitter and all the others who helped! So - here is the final result: