Country #4 - Trinidad and Tobago

Sick Day #1

Today I woke up excited to explore Trinidad and Tobago but quickly realized that was not going to happen. I knew I would get sick on this trip multiple times, especially from all of the new foods that I am eating. Instead of exploring I was stuck in the room all day. I managed to eat a pack of Cheese-Its and work on plenty of things that needed to get done, but my day definitely did not go as planned to say the least.

I wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Maracas Bay, and Caroni Swamp National Park, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I still have so much ahead of me that I want to make sure I don’t burn out too quickly or get even more sick! After a few hours spent in bed at Monique's Guest House I had an interview with my local newspaper, The Tuscaloosa News, and a skype interview with them and my parents later in the day. I also did laundry for the first time on the trip. I used my Scrubba bag (shout out to Scrubba for the amazing product!) and it worked like a charm! I was definitely apprehensive doing laundry on my own using just a sink, but the Scrubba made it super easy – there are even instructions on the bag to help the laundry challenged. At least I had a productive sick day!

By dinner time I was starving and wanted to at least drive through the city. I found Buzo, an incredibly raved about restaurant that currently holds the top ranked spot on TripAdvisor. I felt up to it and called an uber. When I arrived I was seated with no wait and had the most incredible bread – it was steaming when it got to the table. I ordered the four cheese ravioli (I know, not great for someone with an upset stomach) but it was indescribably good. There was a hint of honey to it and breadcrumbs on top, both of which made it so unique and tasty. I unfortunately could only eat half, but I would honestly go back to Trinidad just for this meal. I definitely want to go back anyways because I feel like I missed out on seeing so much that the city had to offer.

After dinner I went back to my hotel and was able to watch the Nashville Predators game, as well as the Vanderbilt baseball game! Both seasons are coming to a close and it's been nice to have a little bit of home in the form of sports with me on the trip. So, it was a night filled with sports while I worked on planning future flights. I also ironed my laundry in an attempt to help it dry quicker - the humidity here is a killer. It was time consuming but eventually worked. I definitely wish my day had gone differently, but sometimes you just have to roll with what travel throws at you!

4 countries down, 192 to go.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.

Country #3 – Jamaica Day 2

Jamaican Ice Cream

Today I woke up to the sun shining, exotic birds chirping, and the most incredible view from my room at Neita’s Nest. Jamaica just continued to impress. I went to the kitchen to meet Michelle (Neita’s Nest Owner), Graeme, and Duncan (her sons) for breakfast. Authentic Jamaican again! We had a tropical fruit plate of bananas, otaheti apples, and papaya with yogurt and honey, as well as ackee and saltfish with fried breadfruit. Definitely the most unique breakfast that I’ve ever had!

After breakfast I worked on the deck overlooking the amazing view for a few hours. Eventually it was time to go and unfortunately time to say goodbye to the Neitas. I cannot thank you all enough! A great driver came to pick me up and we made a few fun stops on my way to the airport! He was a really cool guy - he actually lived in Brooklyn for thirty years and both of his children are U.S. citizens, his son even serving in the U.S. Army. It was great to talk about New York with him!

First, we stopped by Devon House Ice Cream. Devon House is a beautiful old building that is quite historic – it was owned by the country’s first black millionaire. The strawberry ice cream was incredibly rich and began streaming down my hand within a matter of seconds, but it was so good. We then drove through Kingston, past the airport, and headed to Port Royal. Port Royal has been around for hundreds of years and is definitely something to see. Unfortunately, seeing is all I was able to do – I had to head to the airport to catch my plane!

On the way to the airport, my driver suddenly pulled over. I was confused at first, but then I quickly realized what he was doing. We had been talking about how different it is to drive on the left instead of the right side of the road, and he wanted me to give it a try! I think he enjoyed it as much as I did, but it was so fun to drive for just a few minutes on the straight and empty road back to the airport, especially with him laughing a good portion of the time! The ride to the airport, Devon House, and Port Royal was $53.

After being dropped off at the airport I checked in and had some time to kill. I found the famous Jamaican soft drink that Graeme had told me about, called Ting, as well as a Burger King. Ting is a grapefruit soft drink and it was so much better than I could have expected! I also grabbed a few Burger King nuggets because who know what kind of food situation awaited me upon a late arrival in Trinidad and Tobago.

My flight was about three hours long and was a little bumpy but not bad. I arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago around 8:00pm, and then had what was definitely my longest customs line wait so far of about thirty minutes, which still is not bad. After clearing border patrol and customs I found my driver holding a sign with my name on it outside! He told me he was expecting a guy because he had never heard the name Taylor used as a first name before. It is always annoying when people assume that I am a guy by my name, but I also always enjoy breaking their preconceived notions (it happens in emails about TrekWithTaylor all of the time).

My driver, Jose, was so nice though! We talked about my trip and how he has lived or knows people in many of the places that I will be going. He himself was from Saint Vincent. The most interesting part of our conversation though was hearing that his son went to a small school in Alabama of all places on a soccer scholarship -  it really is a small world!

We talked the entire forty-five minute drive to my hotel, Monique’s Guest House. I said goodbye to Jose and met Winnie inside. She was so nice and helpful with everything! I loved getting to meet her after having emailed her about TrekWithTaylor over the past few months. A huge thank you to Monique’s for providing my accommodations in Trinidad and Tobago! My room was so nice and was the first room to not feature any flying bugs, which was a welcome change of pace. One of my favorite parts of the room was probably the TV – so many American channels which meant I would be able to watch the Nashville Predators play in the Stanley Cup Finals live the next day!

After checking in I worked for a little while and then went to sleep. This was my first night where I didn’t have to check out the next morning, so I was very excited to get a little extra sleep!

3 countries down, 193 to go.

Read about my first day in Jamaica here.

To learn more about Neita's Nest click here.

For more information on Trinidad and Tobago click here to read my blog.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.