Trinidad and Tobago

An office Sunday for Asa, so it's time to get caught up on the blogs. 

We're headed to South America for this one, to two small islands off the coast of Venezuela. The two islands have distinct personalities. Trinidad is the larger of the two, closer to the main land. It's home to most of the countries cities and activities, while Tobago is visited by the bulk of the tourists (but there really aren't all that many.) 

Trinidad is also the country's industrial center, noted for its petroleum and natural gas production, which make the country one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean. 

The official name of the people of Trinidad and Tobago are Trinibagonians, though those from Trindad are called Trinis, and those from Tobago are called Tobagonians. 

Once upon a time we actually visited the Trinidad and Tobago embassy in Washington D.C.  Suddenly, the costumes everyone was wearing and the party atmosphere during our visit made sense, as Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival in the Caribbean biggest and brightest. 

But Carnival isn't their only festival. I present to you the Buccoo Goat Race Festival. It's the most internationally acclaimed festival in Tobago. So, our landmark isn't so much a landmark as it is the awesomest thing I've learned about a country to date: the sport of Goat Racing. Goat racing first originated in Tobago in 1925, and it's basically horse racing- but with goats. There are owners, and trainers/jockeys who run along side their goats, and stables.

Also part of the same festival is the less popular crab racing. In crab racing, large blue crabs and their jockeys are placed in the center of a large circle drawn in the sand, and are coaxed toward the perimeter through a bamboo pole with a string attached to the crab. 

There's a ton of youtube videos about the whole thing. And it's kind of amazing. 

In other fun facts: 

 This is also the country who brought us the steel drum. The invention is one of the few musical instruments to come from the 20th century. The drum became popular when the US military brought oil drums to the island in an attempt to improve the country's infrastructure. 

The also brought us limbo. This famous dance contest was done at Carnival one year ,and it totally stuck. 

One of the countries most famous exports is the moruga scorpion- one of the hottest peppers in the world (it measures two million on the Scoville Scale) 

Trinidad and Tobago also have some interesting natural elements. 

The largest asphalt lake (or tar pit) in the world is Pitch Lake in Trinidad. There are only a few asphalt lakes in the world: three in California, and one next door in Venezuela. Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with the find, but word has it the natives pointed him in it's direction to help patch his boat. 

Tobago has it's own claim to fame: the largest single brain of coral in the world (at 10 feet high and 16 feet wide) lies just off the islands coast. Many call this area the 'Disneyland of Diving'. 

Leatherback turtles are also fans. The Leatherbacks are the largest turtle in the world. At 6 and a half feet long, they've swum the world's oceans for 100 million years. They enjoy the waters off the islands, and come ashore to dig holes and lay their eggs. During peak season you can find them nightly at the Grande Riviere. 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib drew the crab races, balloons for Carnival, and Mickey to remember the 'Disneyland of Diving'. 

Peyton noted the leatherback turtles and cricket matches.

Aand Hayden drew an overhead view of the islands. 

For dinner we had plans to go with Trini Doubles, a popular street food. But ultimately, that seemed a little complicated for what Asa felt up to (he HATES working with dough), so instead we went with a box dinner like they have at roadside stands in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Box dinners consist of Barbecue chicken, french fries, garlic bread, and salad. Along with that we had Trinidad Corn Pie, Trinidad Pineapple Chow, and Caribbean Peanut Punch.

This dinner earned five spoons up. 

Caribbean meals usually go pretty well around here, and this one was no exception.

Of course who can't get behind the 'box dinner'? The barbecue sauce I linked to up there was on point, everyone loved it.

The pineapple chow had mixed reviews. Some of us didn't really think it tasted that much different than normal pineapple, and some of us didn't like it at all. But it was pretty similar to the black pineapple recipe we had for Antigua and Barbuda day (that dinner was also a hit). 

The corn pie was loved by everyone except Hayden. I'm not sure why he wasn't a fan. It might have been that it didn't LOOK super appetizing, but the rest of us considered it the best thing on the plate.

Everyone drank their Caribbean Punch but Peyton, and it is dairy based, so that's probably why he wasn't a fan. But it tasted kind of like a milkshake without actually using any ice cream.

78 down, 115 to go! 

Next Up: Comoros