Day 177 - Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹

Little Tobago is relaxed and slow paced while Trinidad is lively, energetic and densely populated. This is kind of unsurprising that Tobago only has 4% of the countries 1.3 million population.

Other interesting things to know about Trinidad and Tobago are that it hosts the Caribbean’s largest party - the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. 

Oh, and finally, Trinidad and Tobago is home to Pitch lake. Pitch lake is a continually replenishing lake of tar. The world’s single largest supply of natural bitumen. 

No one can claim I don’t serve up factual gold, night after night.

Houses on the Hillside in Morvant Laventille, Port of Spain Trinidad

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Day 149 - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 🇻🇨

Today is our third day in the Caribbean. We don’t travel far, as we are island-hopping to Saint Lucia’s neighbouring island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Like Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small, island nation that is an ex-British colony. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from the UK in 1979 and is still part of the commonwealth. The nation also shares its currency, the East Caribbean dollar with Saint Lucia and seven other Caribbean nations.

Bananas are a significant export for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines but the largest export is “inflatable pleasure craft” making up 55% of the countries exports. I tried to find out more about this bizarre stat, but couldn’t find any more details. It doesn’t even seem like there is a factory making inflatable pleasure craft in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. If anyone can solve this mystery, please let me know…

In April this year, 16,000 residents had to be evacuated from their homes after the La Soufrière volcano erupted in the North of Saint Vincent. This evacuation was made significantly harder due to covid.

One of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines larger islands, Mustique has some notoriety due to famous residents such as Shania Twain, John Cleese, Mick Jagger and Tommy Hilfiger. It’s also the island that Boris Johnson controversially visited during Christmas 2019 at the expense of a political donor.

One final fact about Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is that whaling is still allowed in limited quantities on the island of Bequia. Locals are allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using traditional hand-thrown harpoons. Apparently, often they don’t manage to meet their quota.

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Day 148 - Saint Lucia 🇱🇨

Today we’re sunning ourselves in Saint Lucia, the Caribbean nation with the claim to being the only country in the world named after a female saint. Interestingly there’s also another country named after a woman, and that’s Ireland, named after the Celtic goddess of fertility Eire.

Apparently, it’s still common to find imperial measures such as miles and gallons in Saint Lucia, as the country has only recently adopted the metric system. I genuinely thought the US was the only hold-out.

Saint Lucia was home to the Henrietta ship, starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Sadly for the ship that was originally built back in 1940 in  Finland, it sank back in 2014 while sailing to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Maybe this is a fitting end for a well-known pirate ship?

Other tourist attractions in Saint Lucia is known for is its abandoned sugar mills and Sulphur Springs, the world’s only drive-through volcano.

Although, who am I kidding, most people visit Saint Lucia for its stunning beaches. It’s been voted for multiple years as the top honeymoon destination, although, personally I’ll take that recommendation with a pinch of salt. Also, Saint Lucia is certainly no honeymoon destination as far as I’m concerned as the law prohibits same-sex sexual activity, with a punishment of up to ten years in prison.

One of Saint Lucia’s most iconic landmarks are its huge Pitons, or volcanic plugs. They certainly give the coastline a dramatic appearance, and also lend their name to Saint Lucia’s most popular beer.

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Day 147 - Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳

Today we head to the dual island paradise of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest nation in the Western Hemisphere and has around 52,000 inhabitants.

Cricket is a big deal in Saint Kitts and Nevis, with the country being the smallest nation to ever host a Cricket World Cup in 2007. Given cricket is so popular, it’s pretty unsurprising that Saint Kitts and Nevis was previously a British colony, only gaining full independence from the UK in 1983.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is today apparently a very sleepy country, with agriculture, specifically sugar plantations still making up a significant part of the economy. However, tourism is increasing, and Plantation Inns are the choicest places to stay.

If you particularly like your stay in St Kitts and Nevis, the country will grant citizenship to almost anyone who is willing to make a $400,000 (USD) in a government approved real estate investment.

If you do end up visiting St Kitts and Nevis, don’t forget to try the Goat Water.

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Day 85 - Jamaica 🇯🇲

Today’s destination is Jamaica. And after the last-minute rush of yesterday’s post about The Ivory Coast, Jamaica is the perfect place to take a more laid-back approach.

Jamaica was originally home to the Taíno people. This was brought to an abrupt end when Jamaica came under Spanish rule following the arrival of the well-known Italian wrecker, Christopher Columbus in 1494.

Jamaica remained a Spanish colony named Santiago until 1655 when England conquered it and renamed it Jamaica. Jamaica eventually achieved independence in 1962 and was the first British Caribbean territory to gain independence.

Jamaica is one of the few Caribbean islands almost everyone knows a little about. Jamaica’s global influence is significant, being the birthplace of Jerk Chicken, the Rastafari religion, reggae music and its more recent descendants such as dub, ska and dancehall.

Treasure Beach, Jamaica

This volume of cultural exports is pretty staggering when you consider that Jamaica isn’t even a particularly large Caribbean island. Jamaica is smaller than the Bahamas, Kuwait and Montenegro. Montenegro is a wonderful place, but I struggle to name even a single famous Montenegrin person, or dish, and it’s a country I’ve actually visited!

Jamaica is also known for its sporting achievements. For example, Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation to enter the Winter Olympics with the Jamaican bobsleigh team making their debut at the 1988 games in Calgary. Jamaica is also known for its lightning-fast runners, the likes of Usain Bolt winning 77 Olympic medals in athletics since entering the games in 1948.

Jamaica is also the only Caribbean country with a beer brand I can remember without prompting. The sun’s out in Copenhagen this afternoon, it’s time for a cold Red Stripe (or at least something cold and larger-like).

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Day 73 - Haiti 🇭🇹

Tonight we visit Haiti. I’m calling in a favour. Tonight’s post from Haiti is in the form of a documentary. 

There’s a lot I could say about Haiti. For example, Haiti is the most mountainous country in the Caribbean and boasts the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere. The imposing Citadelle Laferrière sits atop the Bonnet à l'Evêque mountain and was intended to thwart potential French incursions after Haiti’s newfound independence.

Citadelle Laferrière, Haiti

This isn’t what first comes to mind when thinking about Haiti though. The elephant in the room is how incredibly unlucky Haiti has been. It’s been plagued by more natural disasters than pretty much any other nation on the planet.  

Haiti has also been unfortunate to have an ineffective and corrupt government, consistently ranking as one of the most corrupt nations according to multiple indexes.

For today’s post, I think it’s interesting to examine why Haiti is as it is today compared to the Dominican Republic which is thriving. While I could do this, I think Vox do a much better job with their fantastic documentary exploring how the Dominican Republic and Haiti have had such different fortunes despite sharing the island of Hispaniola.

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Day 68 - Grenada 🇬🇩

Today, we head to the Caribbean for a well-earned break. Well for me anyway, I’m going to try to keep today’s post short.

The nation of Grenada consists of three main islands, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

Grenada is often known as the spice islands. It’s not difficult to work out why. Grenada has very rich soil, and are the world’s second-largest producer of nutmeg, as well as producing large quantities of cloves, cinnamon and mace.

Unlike its neighbouring island of Barbados, Grenada is frequently in the path of hurricanes. Grenada was hit by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It wreaked havoc and destroyed roughly 90% of Grenada’s homes and resulted in 39 deaths.

Grenada was invaded by the United States in 1983 after the communist New Jewel movement seized power in a coup in 1979.

Other than remaining in the US sphere of influence this invasion has one very visible legacy. Pearls Airport was once Grenada’s main airport, but expansion was constrained by surrounding hills and its proximity to the capital St George’s.

Pearls airport, Grenada

Now Pearls airport is abandoned and littered with decaying Soviet aircraft. It’s now the perfect weird tourism destination. 

Talking of weird tourism destinations, other notable sights on Grenada include an Underwater sculpture park and Kick ‘em Jenny an active, only just under sea volcano which last erupted in 2015.

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Day 49 - Dominican Republic 🇩🇴

Now for the country everyone was expecting to talk about yesterday. The better-known of the Dominicas, the Dominican Republic has a population of almost eleven million people and shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The Dominican Republic is what everyone pictures when they think about the Caribbean. Calm turquoise waters, endless white sandy beaches fringed palm trees. Don’t forget the beachside bar serving rum-cocktails accessorised with one of those mini paper umbrellas.

The Dominican Republic was actually the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. The colony of Santo Domingo was established in 1492 by the Spanish. 

Even more Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

If we’re looking for more pub-quiz-worthy superlatives, the Dominican Republic is the largest economy in the Caribbean (and Central America) and is home to the largest gold mine in the Americas. The DR also is home to the highest (Pico Duarte) and lowest (Lago Enriquillo) points in the Caribbean. As soon as lockdown ends and the pubs to re-open. I’m going home with the cash prize at The Globe’s next Tuesday nighter.

If you do decide to visit the Caribbean’s most visited tourist destination, you’ll almost certainly hear the Dominican Republic’s best-known export: Merengue music. You’ll most likely also want to try a little Merengue dancing too. Me though, I’ll be at the bar sipping a flavourless, ice-cold Presidente. 

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Day 48 - Dominica 🇩🇲

Today we cross the Atlantic to another ex-French colony, Dominica. Actually, Dominica wasn’t just a French colony - it first colonised by Spanish settlers, then became a French colony before finally becoming part of the British Empire.

Sidenote: if this project is teaching me one thing, it’s the staggering extent to which European nations colonised the world. Colonial life was invariably bad for all of these countries and their voluntary and involuntary inhabitants. What’s more depressing is that often the way many of these nations gained independence set them up for decades of instability and repressive, corrupt governments.

Dominica is one of the more obscure Caribbean nations. It’s often confused with the vastly more populous Dominican Republic (we’ll go there tomorrow). Dominica’s biggest draw is its lush mountainous interior, and almost 400 rivers and 300 miles of hiking trails. With its black-sand volcanic beaches and lack of big all-inclusive resorts, it attracts relatively few tourists compared to its neighbours.

Despite being only marginally larger than Singapore, Dominica has a total of nine active volcanoes. That’s practically half of all of the active volcanoes in the Caribbean. Could Dominica be another Monserrat in the making? If you’re not familiar with Monserrat, in 1997 a major eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano devastated much of the island and buried the capital, Plymouth. More than half the population fled the country as a result.

So far though, Dominica has been astonishingly fortunate. Not one of its nine volcanos has had a major eruption since Columbus first visited the island in 1493. As a result, Dominica has the best and most immaculately preserved tropical rainforests of any Caribbean island.

Dominica is also home to the world’s second-largest boiling lake. I didn’t even know lakes could boil. Dominica also has several hot springs where you can swim without being boiled alive. Oh and apparently good rum. 

So far of all of the Caribbean islands I’ve covered (I’m not counting Cuba), it’s the one I’d like to visit most. I find the mix of medicinal rum punch, lush jungle, volcanoes and hot springs particularly alluring. 

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Day 43 - Cuba 🇨🇺

Cuba is one of the only places I’ve ever been where the reality lives up to the images you’ve seen before. It’s also a complete contradiction. On the one hand, it’s incredibly poor and almost all of the buildings and infrastructure is crumbling. On the other, it’s a vibrant, energetic positive island.

There are severe shortages of every-day goods. In fact, at one point we met someone begging on the street asking not for money, but for soap. On top of this, there’s extremely limited access to information, and internet access is limited to a few public squares. Even the tourist infrastructure is dilapidated. We took an open-top tour bus around Havana and were surprised to find the seats weren’t actually attached to the floor!

Yet at the same time, Cuba is colourful, vibrant and uplifting. I’ve often wondered whether this is because of it’s beautiful, bright, sunny Caribbean setting. It’s a lot deeper than this though. Cuba has a feeling of equity unlike any other country I’ve ever visited. Everyone is relatively poor, but it genuinely feels like everyone is in it together. The warmth and generosity of the people is also unlike almost anywhere else I’ve ever been.

Nothing is easy in Cuba - whether it’s trying to get a snack for lunch, or picking up your pre-booked rental car (that takes a whole day of negotiations). Visiting the supermarket isn’t even straightforward, with rows and rows of empty shelves only a handful of products and hour-long queues. I’m British, but there are limits. 

Booking a hotel isn’t even straightforward. The majority of tourist accommodation is provided by casa particulares which are mostly booked through word of mouth. A casa articular is basically a homestay. This means a visitor you get to meet local people and get a unique glimpse into the life of Cubans. Every Casa particular is unique. 

One particularly wonderful place we stayed was Estudio de arte run by artist Jesus Gastell Soto and his wife Aliuska. Their home is set in the verdant Sierra del Rosario mountains and is packed full of beautiful paintings, sculptures and is framed by beautiful tropical gardens. This is one of the most serene places we’ve ever stayed in.

Summing up Cuba isn’t easy. Cuba is in an undoubtedly difficult place. More than 60 years of isolation have left it crumbling and economically undeveloped. Yet this situation is arguably what has made it such a special and unique place. 

Despite this, my enduring memory of Cuba is of delicious tropical fruits, free-flowing rum-filled daiquiris, intoxicating live music, colourful scenery and wonderful, welcoming people.

Cuba, you’re a crazy mess, but I absolutely love you!

The Havana skyline from the top of the old Bacardi building

A few other posts from our visit to Cuba:

Viñales - Illegal hiking in the "Zona Milita", waterfalls and rum

Day Tripping - Viñales to Cayo Juitas beach

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