Car rental Tobago style

A month ago, while there was nobody else here but us and a few bewildered tourists, car rental was just popping up at nine and leaving with the keys in 10 minutes with a vague description of the car's location. (Though finding the Taylor girl in charge could take up to a few days.)

You left with the memorable phrase in mind "Scratches ok, but no big bumps" and to return it by locking the car keys inside the vehicle outside the office with about the same amount of gas that you had when you started. There really is no fear of theft here.

(Never seen so much modding kits, chrome, and nice rims on crappy cars)

But now with the small village bursting with tourists ( around 30? ) things are different, the regular car rental is totally booked and the staff nowhere to be found ( been trying to return a child seat for 3 days now ).

But we needed a car and having spent some time here I had a hunch that some of the cars I've rented are just regular cars from someone in the Taylor family. They seem to be about half the village business it seems. So me and E went on a walkabout talking to all the locals we knew (by now, quite a few...) and the hunch was confirmed. A hidden car pool was thriving in the village.

So we talked to one of the local fixers, Hillie who had cars, but didn't, but was willing to drive to Scarborough to fix it for us when he couldn't dig up a car locally to his big surprise and a few beers ( no I don't understand it either ). But I declined knowing it would take him a whole day to fix it, and how/where I should return the car was conveniently missing from the discussion.

So the day after we talked to the owner of "The naturalist" which had none, but recommended Alibaba tours, which don't, but mentioned Porridge who was nowhere to be found.

Back to square one. Talked to Oswald the vegetable king, who knows everybody, who recommended Jenny, an expat that lives in his basement, and she said she'd love to loan me the car but couldn't and she fixed me the number to a nice German girl, who's car was already rented...

Then we went for lunch and talked to Debby at Cascreole restaurant, which named all the people I had already tried but in the end, wondered if I should talk to Margarethe, which had... Wohooo! We finally got a car.

But then C lost her bikini...(obvious crisis!) we needed a car to do some shopping.,. Hmmm now I know how things work so I went to the car rental and she had a car but in Scarborough but she would to EVERYTHING to get it to me tomorrow.

The day after it took only a few minutes to find out that the car hadn't arrived so I headed straight for Cheno that I knew sometimes rented his car. He was not uninterested in getting some extra money, but with no insurance in case of damage and his only car, he dodged my questioning about the car pretty well. After 2 hours business meeting; I got the car for 200 TT (200 SEK) + some gas, a job doing his website, dropping off Oswald the vegetable king in Scarborough, a strange promise to talk to the professor (?),  another promise that he would teach me to do his coconut bake and salt fish. I feel like I'm in a quest based computer game here or back in Iceland where everything can be loaned but comes with such strings attached that you won't touch it with a ten feet pole.

The car... well 160.000 km on the odometer, on these roads, automatic, dead shock absorbers and some really really tired Japanese ponies masquerading as horsepowers.

But it had air condition with an incredible invasive wild cherry smell.

Everybody got carsick but smelled nice. And C is swimming again.

/B

It's Carnival!

So.. In order to get you in the right Carnival mood - please read this post accompanied by http://youtu.be/A2jTLEdX24c?hd=1 and http://youtu.be/xVjiPvn5rCA . And DO listen to the lyrics. This is Soca, but it is commonly called "nasty music"by the locals. You'll understand why.

Carnival happens every year, Mon and Tue before Ash Wednesday and is a huge thing in Trinidad. It starts inofficially on the Friday, when people start partying, and culminates in Carnival Tuesday which is the highlight. First thing we noticed was that Friday night, Castara was empty. It seemed everyone left. Then, come Saturday, Castara was simply invaded by tourists from Trinidad, trying to escape the madness and frenzy of carnival. We were sitting at a cafe at lunch - chatting with a few locals as usual, chilling, when two cars park outside. Out jumps around 10 people, leaves the car doors open, turns up the volume on the stereo (playing the above "nasty" music), gets some beers and there is a party. They brought food that they shared, and our quiet lunch was suddenly a roaring limbo party. After about an hour, they jumped back in their cars and left us with our jaws on the floor. Fantastic.

We chose not to go to Trinidad - kids and all, and checked the official carnival home page for Tobago activitites. Scarborough was going to have parades on both Mon and Tue. Not sure how busy it would be, and Tue being THE carnival day, we decided Mon would be safest, considering the kids, heat, parking etc. Also, asking the locals gave us as many different answers as people...The parade was supposed to start at 13.00 - so, just to be sure we didn't miss anything - we arrived at 10.30. This is what Scarborough looked like then:
A few people were out in the streets, certainly the ones who had partied since Friday. Here is one; filling up her rum and vodka bottle at the "first aid" station.

The parade, announced at 13.00, started at 15.30 - and looked like this:

By then, having been out waiting and trying to escape the heat for several hours (thank God for air conditioned KFC...) the kids (and us) had had enough and we drove home, deeply disappointed. After recovering sligthly we decided to go again on the Tuesday, when the parade was supposed to start at 11.00. Past experience in mind - we were not sure when to go- but decided on the same time - so we were sure not to miss anything.

Of course there was no parade at 11. But it looked more promising, a few more visitors, so we decided to wait. Sometimes - waiting can be hard.....

FINALLY, at 15 - a parade!

It was really fun, being able to be so close - being in the middle of everything. (Though, the disadvantage being the volume - notice my strategically placed fingers...)

And here is a taste of the costumes and people:

After 6 hours, we were pretty exhausted, but much more happy with our carneval experience.

To beat or not to beat

Getting to know the locals has been one of the most rewarding experiences so far. Having spent 6 weeks here now we have been fortunate to scratch beneath the surface and really take a part of people's day-to-day lives. Also, we dare to pose some more questions, the things we really want to know. Like where are the women and children? We have focussed on getting to know people with kids so that E can play. First thing that struck us here is that you hardly see women and children in town. You see men. Two kinds: The men who work really hard from dusk to dawn, and then the young men "limin'"(meaning doing nothing, but play cards and smoke). We have found that there are two types of women; the housewifes who cook, clean and take care of the children, and the working women - who do the same AND bring home the money. We have gotten to know two working women with children that we spend quite some time with. One is the waitress of a restaurant. At 15.00, when her kids finish school, she picks them up and brings them to the restaurant. There they spend the afternoon while she works, doing their homework and having a snack (chips and coca cola). And play with E.

The other one is our lovely housekeeper. On Saturdays when she cleans our house she brings her 2,5 year old P with her. We are usually out, but this Saturday we were home so she and E played. This was quite an experience.
P was quite a handful. She would play pretty rough, and B, who was keeping a well-needed eye on them had to tell her "no - be nice" a few times, with no success whatsoever. After a few rounds of this, our housekeeper (having heard B) steps inside and, without a word, gives her daughter a huge slap on the upper arm. *Klatsch*. I was watching E and saw her eyes grow double size (mine too, anyway...). A few minutes later, P pushed E, and got another slap *klatsch*, accompanied with the words "if you are not good to her I will beat you!" (Double standard, anyone?)

We realise that it is custom here to beat the kids as a part of raising them (our housekeeper is still really lovely), but it is kind of hard to explain this to a 3year old, who is learning the (scandinavian) social patterns, and many times a day will say "you should not fight or hit anyone, but be nice and hug and kiss them" from a wonderful story they read in kindergarten at home. We learnt also that babies, too young to go to pre-school, will be placed on a blanket on the floor at home. If they attempt to leave it - the mother will simply hit the baby. B and I have had many discussions how this influences the children, and specifically the lack of verbal communication, not being told WHY things should or should not be done.

Maybe it links to the text on a t-shirt I saw a man wear: "The highest form of love is obedience".

Getting shot?

Our Swedish doctor was very helpful to set up a special schedule for F's vaccines before we left (at 2,3 and 4 months instead of the usual 3,5 12), and beginning of February it was time for the 4 month one. Not knowing at all how this works in Tobago before we left - we started by visiting the hospital in Scarborough in January (and knowing the pace of life here...) Scarborough hospital was an experience. The first thing you saw was the emergency room, filled with waiting people and some chickens walking about. There was a small information booth - and the woman directed me to the second blue door on the left - the infectious clinic. In there - in a room approx 2x3 metres, were 3 nurses. Oh no, we do vaccines in the Health Clinics - and helpfully and eagerly gave us driving directions to the Scarborough health clinic. After a short drive we arrived at a top modern clinic - I started at the information desk. Sure, we do vaccines, where are you staying? I said Castara and the man and the woman behind the counter burst into laughter: -So why did you come all the way here? There is a health clinic in Castara! They'll help you there! Obviously this was hilarious to them - but believe me - considering the size of Castara this fact surprised me - where on earth was this clinic? It was here: (And notice: still chickens!)

I visited the clinic one morning - and after a round of the normal good morning's etc, spoke to a very helpful nurse. (By the way, all the women and children I always wondered why I never see in the village - they were there) I had brought F's Swedish health book (written in Swedish...) and we started by a round of translations and discussions what she needed. After about 40 minutes we agreed that they do have the same vaccines - only Polio is taken orally and not by injection as in Sweden. Great, I said, and felt very content and proud that we got this far, so when can I come back for the injections? Oh no, you cannot have them, she explained. I was so surprised having felt so in agreement with her - but then again tobagan English can be...a challenge. After another round of discussion I found out that they give the last injection at 6 months, so she would not give F her's until she reached that age. But - at the time of injections (every other Thursday) there would be another nurse there, not her, so I could try her. So, I waited a couple of weeks and went back to perform the same procedure with the other nurse. She was ok to give it, but wanted to find a Polio injection so that F would get exactly what she got in Sweden. This would be needed to be sent from Scarborough, so I could come back in two weeks. So...today was the big day.


F waiting outside the "Doctors room"

I went to the clinic this morning - only to find a third nurse. The procedure of translating and discussion was now performed for the third time. We came to an agreement too - yey! - but she said Polio injections do not exist in Tobago so I must have misunderstood that (very likely...) Before I could blink F had a needle in her leg and a drop of Polio vaccine in her mouth. Only 2 weeks after schedule! And again a really nice testament of the people here always willing to help.

Wild Jungle

From Swedish wikipedia:

Ordet trotsålder syftar på perioder i ett barns utveckling när det testar gränser. Syftet är att lära känna omgivningens sociala normer, att hitta balansen och lära sig se skillnaden mellan sina egna och andras behov, att experimentera fram vad viljan kan göra, att lära sig hur man uttrycker sig och hur man beter sig.
Metoden för detta är empirisk och kräver många och långa strider. Detta kan vara tålamodsprövande för de personer som lever och umgås med barnet.
Om en vuxen skulle bete sig så skulle man tala om social inkompetens eller kanske envishet, tjurighet, negativism, egocentrism, bristande självkännedom, dumhet, skrikighet, våldsamhet eller just trots.


Travelling with small children - we learn every day what works and what does not. We have become experts in handling almost every situation and mood, making the best out of it. But - I will not lie - even though it works it can be darn tough. Today was exhausting. But it turned out to be a pretty OK daytrip after all. The destination was Argyle Waterfalls, close to Roxborough (where we ended up by mistake last time...) We had quite a few stops on the otherwise 45 minute drive there (snack time, car sick, too hot, too cold (AC - thank God), diaper change, feeding....) though I have developed incredible nursing skills from impossible positions - even car seated (both of us!).



Finally there, we paid a small entrance fee including a local guide to take you the 20 min hike through the rainforest to the waterfall.

Guide Esther, B and E on his shoulders (to prevent her from walking backwards)



F on my stomach sleeping and E imitating Ester's walking stick

Esther showed us different trees, flowers and vegetation on the walk, and spot out birds and other animals. We have invented the name "IKEA-plants" - plants we use as decorative plants at home are everywhere here (but in other sizes). And now we have seen how orchids grow, on the trunk of trees, explaining why you use bark in the pots at home.


Silk cotton tree
Bird nests


We reached the waterfalls and B and E had a refreshing swim.(I chose not to wake the sleeping child)

We saw some amazing bamboo - and learned that they grow 6 inches a day (!)

Very tiny humans, very huge bamboo!

Trekking parent style -very hot but still standing

We planned to take another road back home than the one we came on, but discovering that E's shoes were missing those plans were abolished. Considering we hade quite a few stops driving to the falls, we suspected they were left behind. A quest for the red shoes began - was it this green curve or the next or the next??? - and finally - success:

In the evening having put the kids to bed - we chose to try our first take-away:




Lovely. And on Wednesday we have a babysitter for the first time.

On the "road"

We decided to leave Castara for the night and visit Charlotteville, on the very northern tip of Tobago, and Speyside. Looking at the map, this seems to be a short enough escapade - but the drive from Castara to Charlotteville is a good 1,5 hours, and another 20 minutes to Speyside.

Hence "road". It is really a beautiful drive through thick rain forest, but really curvy, steep and narrow and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Even the biggest rollercoaster fans might find a pukebag handy. And here are a couple of other examples of the reason for the slow drive: Finally, we reached Charlotteville:

We headed to Pirates Bay, renowned for snorkling. It was supposed to be an 800 m walk from the village centre. Honesly, I think it was probably 400 metres up, and 400 metres down again. The idea of bringing the baby stroller loaded with snorkling gear etc on the walk wasn't the best idea we had. Here is a view of the beach from the top;

We were so exhausted arriving at the beach that we all jumped into the water - even the little one this time (as you can see she almost floates by herself with all that baby fat :)) And we discovered that we brought fins - but no masks for snorkling...

Walking back to the village was not something we looked forward to, but E climbed the trillion stairs herself, very impressive, and was this proud afterwards:

The rest of the day we chilled at our very cute hotel, located just on the beach. It was a beautiful setting even though you occasionaly woke up in the middle of the night actually thinking the waves vere in your bedroom.

The next day we made a stop in Speyside, and went on a glass bottom boat trip around Goat Island, to see some corals and fish. Because of the kids we wanted to make a short trip - max 45 minutes. The captain agreed - especially for us. We were just about to board the boat when he said "just two minutes" and left. He came back approx 20 minutes later with 8 more passengers.

Returning home we managed to end up in Roxborough (do check the map above...) There are literally just two roads up there and we laughed so hard when we discovered that we managed to pick the wrong one and ended up on the other side of the island. Well, we got to see the Forest Reserve as well as a bonus.

One's got to eat

The only "must" in our everyday life is deciding what to eat. And it is indeed an adventure. Castara is a small fishing village, and it is not us who decide what to eat, it is what the Castarans will offer you. First, to give you some insight of what is definately always available: Hence, breakfast is always a done deal and simply delicious. (And it does not taste like the fruit you get at home in the supermarket...) Though, coffee can be a challenge. We have discovered that it is simply impossible to get good coffee here. There are a few local varieties, and after a few trial and errors I can guarantee you that coffee with coconut flavor will NOT be purchased again - it tastes like someone dropped their sunscreen into your coffee. Fresh milk is not available, they sell condensed milk, and it kind of adds a twist to your morning tea, if you take it white.

Lunch, we always eat out. Here are a couple of restaurants in the village:

They do not do menues here, you simply get a choice of fish, chicken or vegetarian, or sometimes goat and shrimp. On a rare occasion pork. You cannot find beef (last beef meal was McDonalds Miami Airport...we do not miss it!). With this you get what the chef has chosen for the day, usually two or three different condiments like rice with beans or lentils, sweet potato/cassava stew, perhaps some fried banana/eggplant. They always serve you peppersauce, which is a hot yellow chilisauce, to add yourself according to taste and guts (noe to self: should preferably not be placed next to mango sauce to avoid confusion). The national dish is called Roti, and is a flour tortilla filled with some of the above condiments and your choice of proteins. Delicious. Saltfish is another choice - and we have found out they cook it the icelandic way, and then add olive oil, sweet peppers, onion and garlic, preferably eaten together with coconut bake (bread). Yummy (insert Bjarni's smiling face here).

Dinner - we cook ourselves. We decide from day to day and shop on our way home from the beach. If there is fish, we get it here:

Or rather - if they want to sell you fish. Getting some of the day's catch can take you about an hour trying to find the right person, the right fish and the right price. Bjarni is getting good at it - helps being "yo" with the fishermen and helping them (as shown in the previous post). Or you may leave empty handed. Then, you may try to get something else in one of the the local supermarkets:

As you can see - they do not live up to their name. Hence, the recommendation to go to Scarborough to stock up from time to time. But, we find it quite amusing to see what they have in these supermarkets (the size of your average scandinavian bathroom) and we do not really miss anything.

And you always have Oswald, or Benji (his nickname) who will sell you veggies and fruit from his house.

To drink - what other than Carib beer or Stag, "the mans beer" (because of the 0,5% higher alcohol content than Carib...). Or tap water - it is perfectly safe to drink - though accompanied by a slight taste of chlorine.

And after consuming all this marvellous food - it is not hard to understand why we look this happy: