Saturday, April 23, 2011

Port of Spain Panorama



There is a lookout on Lady Young Road where Port of Spain is visible below you. The photograph doesnt do the view justice but you do get an idea for the layout of the city on the Gulf of Paria.


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Friday, April 22, 2011

Visit to Barbados


We enjoyed a long weekend in Barbados back in February. We stayed at a place called Accra which worked out great.

We took the early morning flight and we were on the beach by 10 am.

We ate too much, enjoyed the beach, played tourist, met some nice people. It was a great break.


Note, this is not the Accra hotel - this is just a old house enjoying the tropical aging process.There is a promenade along the beach near our hotel....it attracts a large number of folks doing their morning walk or run. We walked it every morning.

We went into Bridgetown for a walkabout and lunch. It is a pretty laid back community.




The resort was set up very well and was that busy that it felt crowded. However, they were selective about where you put your feet up...

The local police force... have pretty cool police vehicles on the beach....
We treated ourselves to some nice dining (and drinking) while we were there.






I checked the local beer as well - Banks. It is very good.

I am not sure how many motorcycles they sell but the do have a Harley dealership on the island.

We are looking forward to going back.


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Cooking show ideas

Baking a potato - a simple concept, eh?
It's not necessarily a new idea that warrants being highlighted on the cooking channel but it did. The latest update on how to bake a potato is that dont poke holes in the skin before you put it in the oven.

Bad idea.
We baked a couple potatos a couple of weeks ago and blew the *ss out of one of them and shot potato all over the oven.Ina doesnt what she is talking about. She can drop by anytime and help clean out the oven.

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Pan yard tour

In advance of Carnival, the pan bands are practicing constantly. One evening a bunch of us went on a tour of a few of the pan yards including Desperadoes and the Renegades. You can get up close and watch them practice. The larger pan yards usually have a cash bar and sell souvenirs.
We skipped the souvenirs but we did have a few beers.

It was just a practice but here is what one of the bands sounds like...






When we headed home, we noticed a small sign above our maxi tax driver's head... I guess tapping him on the shoulder is a no no.


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A different word for everything and its still English

There is a book called 'Cote ci Cote la'.
It is a dictionary of local slang and sayings. The book is very diverse because of the cultural diversity of Trinidad.

One word that isnt in the book is 'wrecked' (probably because its not that strange a word in the Commonwealth). I like the word.

This is an ad that was in the paper awhile back.
It doesnt mean they take your illegally parked car and trash it - although there are a lot of cars on the road that should be.

It is because tow trucks down here are called wreckers.

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Parex Pooch


We have a sea container storing equipment in our office parking lot. Recently, we noticed a puppy that was living behind it. My staff started feeding him and we started to look for a new home for him. He is now living on a lovely farm with lots of open spaces to run around in.


Seriously.

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Good luck sign

I dont think you get to see rainbows that go all the way around very often.
We do have a pretty view off our apartment balcony .
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