Overworked and under slept, I desperately needed a last-minute vacation! I have been working my usual 8-4 research job that has a 5-hour total daily commute when a small window of “down time” opened up in my work schedule. I was in-between projects and suddenly didn’t have a need to be in for 1 week. I realized this a few weeks before said down time so I knew I had to use this opportunity to take some much-needed time off. What better way to recharge than to get away. I was winter in New York and the cold was slowly driving me insane. Where can I go on such short notice where it is warm and not too expensive.
This was the perfect opportunity to visit one of my dearest friend that lives in Trinidad. I quickly asked her permission and she was more than happy to have me as a guest. I have not seen her since we graduated from college in 2013. Step one: Find an affordable flight. I was checking the popular flight websites daily for a few days and came across a round trip ticket that was not too expensive so I quickly booked! Step 2: Plan out my trip!
I will like to admit that this trip was right before I started blogging so my images are a little rough. So just imagine Trinidad to be 20x more beautiful that I have pictured here! I had to salvage these photos from my snapchat memories. But make no mistake, it was a beautiful and fun-filled trip! Want to know what I did? Well keep reading.
My trip was mid-January which is pre-carnival season. If you are not familiar with carnival season in Trinidad, please do yourself a favor and google it. I would have loved to experience carnival but pre-carnival was fine enough for me! I brought over some goodies for my friend and the household as a token of my appreciation and was ready for a great time.
Since my friend worked in the day, I had the beginning half of the day to just enjoy some me-time by the pool or outside in the sun. Once she got home, we hit the streets as I got to experience Trinidad as a local and not a tourist.
The food was amazing. I ate so much of everything and licked each finger. The flavors and spices were the perfect blends on my tongue and I was upset it took me so long to taste some of those things. One of my day trips was to Moracas beach. Before reaching the beach, we took a long and scenic drive up a high hill and back down to get there. On the way, there was a lookout point that sold edible treats and offered a breathtaking view of the side of Trinidad.
Once on Moracas beach, I had the highly-anticipated shark and bake sandwich, and then I had a second. It was delicious…no, it was lifechanging! Okay, I know I am being a bit dramatic but it was that good. I wanted a third but I did not want to overdo a good thing. What is shark and bake you ask? It is what it sounds like, fried shark meat between bake (a type of bread) and I topped it with hot sauces and other dressings. I can definitely go for one or some as I am typing about it right now. The beach itself was beautiful and not crowded. There were not many tourists or near by towering hotels. It was just the beautiful ocean one directions, and the view of the hills in the other directions.
Now let’s talk about the parties! While in Trinidad I experienced my first cooler fete. It’s similar to a music festival like we have here in the U.S. but 20x better. The fete part is the party and there was a large stage with performers singing the hottest and latest soca songs. It was located outside in a large space with plenty of room. Thousands were in attendance and I did not feel crowded or squished at all. Luckily, I also had a decent view of the stage. We were able to bring our own coolers with liquor and refreshments, hence the “cooler” part in the name. Everyone had a decorative lid cup with a straw in hand as we all sang aloud and danced all night. It was epic. I did not even mind my feet hurting by the end of night from partying on concrete.
Since it was pre-carnival time, there were many parties and concerts going on and I was lucky enough to attend a few. My friend got us tickets to an exclusive party and it was so dope! The drinks and the music were on point, and the crowd was dressed to impress. I even ended up standing next to Machel Montano on the dance floor but was too shy to ask him for a picture with me. But it was pretty dope to be partying literally along side one of my favorite soca artists. I then saw him perform at a concert the following night.
Every time I visit a country, I make it a mission to see a natural attraction in the area, whether its a botanical garden, waterfall, forest, etc. In Trinidad, they have a great place called Bamboo Cathedral in Chaguaramas. It’s a 300+ meter long stretch of road where Bamboo bends towards each other from either side of the road like the photo below. The towering and bending bamboo plants were marvelous to look at! I even got close and had to touch a few. It’s like they grew in their own unique designs. It is truly a beautiful walk and drive.
On another one of the days, we took a drive from the southern part of Trinidad to the northern part so I can see the various communities the country had to offer. We drove through different neighborhoods and through the capitol city of Port of Spain. There was a large party bus with exposed sides sporting a DJ booth, dance floor and revelers that drove next to us on the road at one point. Their speakers were booming with soca music and the pedestrians were enjoying it and dancing on the sidewalk as it drove through slowly. Think of it as a large city bus or truck that has been gutted and walls mostly removed to expose its epic mobile party.
After 6 short days, I was on my way back home with so many memories and souvenirs. I should clarify and say that my “souvenirs” were actually hot sauces and edible treats that I needed to experience more of even after I had left. The following day after arriving home I went straight back to work, with soca music still playing in my head, as I mentally plan my next trip there.
Until next time!
With love,
CoCo