Retreat from Reality - Top O'Tobago Villas

A little down time every now and then is good. So while I primarily hopped over to Tobago to see John Legend, it was also a bit of down time. Down time for me, as you know, is hardly ever relaxing. I just cannot sit still but I gave it a shot during my 3-day weekend.

This time around I stayed at the Top O' Tobago Villas - a beautiful property neatly tucked away in the hills of Arnos Vale, Tobago. Let me just say to those hotels which took advantage of the "jazz" event to enforce a 5-night minimum for guests - you suck!

Anyway, I had rented a car and so forfeited the complimentary pick up from the airport, opting instead for the emailed directions. Insert laughter here as if you did not already know or did not read THIS, I am hopelessly challenged when it comes to finding places. But kudos to Silja, the hostess on the property, for the expert directions because I made it there unscathed.

The property offers everything a person seeking a bit of peace and quiet would want. Nice views, a limited number of guests (there is one main house and three single apartments), only the sounds of the natural life around you. It's very remote; very away from everything, so be prepared for that. The pool area was a great spot for swinging back some grape juice every morning, or as some of my fellow guests had, some beer after a long day. It's a self-catering property, so you can do your own meals if you so desire. I did not so desire, but made use of the pool area to eat what little I did eat while I was on-site. Food with a view is always so much better!

Having a late lunch beside the pool at Top O'Tobago Villas, Tobago

Having pre-dinner zen session at dusk near the pool.
The pool was at the top level of the hillside property

My own private terrace to read , eat and watch birds

Remote. Romantic. Rustic. - Top O' Tobago Villas

Top O'Tobago offers guests snorkelling gear and bikes to enhance the guest experience, as there is a beach a few minutes walk away - Arnos Vale Bay - which is good for snorkelling apparently. After the concert was long over, I took a little time to bond with nature. I don't usually do nature but hey, the weather was good for it that weekend. First, a quick trip to Argyle Waterfall, then a quick drive further north, to Delaford.

Argyle Waterfall in Tobago - gorgeous

Let me just say though, if you can drive along the Windward Road in Tobago, you can drive anywhere. I was soon reminded why I had stopped going up that way when visiting Tobago, but it was truly an adventure.

The villa also offered a bit of a nature trail, which I decided to explore on my last morning. Well, it was more of a workout than I thought. The man made stairs made navigating the very, very steep incline much easier, but it was still slightly treacherous and challenging, especially coming back up. I also went further up the road just to see what else was in the area.

The sign 

The first layer of treachery, i.e. the first downward incline

The view from the bottom of second incline

Along the trail, a Mot Mot posed for photos

The "prize" at the end of the first leg of my morning adventure was this...

Arnos Vale Bay, Tobago

...then I did some more walking hiking before the early morning humidity got the better of me. Beautiful natural and untouched landscape though.

The one thing I will say is that as a Trini, my spider sense was always tingling, and so the inadequate street lighting on the way to the property, and in Tobago in general, was my only concern. I was paranoid about driving late at night back to the property, while I saw female tourists casually walking along dark roads like nobody's business. Not cool.

Other than that though, sometimes a little down time is needed and as short as it was, it was appreciated.

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Island Girl Problems - Perfect and not so Perfect Vacations

Inside the Byodo-In Temple,
Oahu, Hawaii

Initially, vacation was off the cards for this year. I have a major project which is ongoing, which I felt would be negatively impacted by the expense of a vacation. Four months into the year, I am already bored, frustrated and tired. Vacation is back on. The theme now is Make it Work.

I have no idea where I want to go though, or more importantly, no idea where a limited budget can take me. Now a limited budget can take me to a few places, mainly in the immediate vicinity. I think I have commented more than once that I am not a huge fan of island vacations though. I live on an island. The novelty wore off years ago. Unless the island has more going for it than lying on a beach all day, I am not going to dedicate my big annual vacation to an island vacation. A weekend, yes. A week - pushing it, but doable. Three weeks - no way. Only Europeans and people stuck with never-ending winters do that. Big shout out to the lovely Scottish couple I spent time with on my birthday trip to Tobago - spending 2 months in Tobago. I would go crazy!

This brings me to the last extended island vacation I did. Every year I do something for my birthday and for the big 3-0, I did an island vacation. The horror, one may say, but it was not just any island. I spent the first half of the vacation on Oahu, one of the islands which make up Hawaii. It was actually a birthday present. Yes, I have awesome friends. I had really high hopes for this trip. I had done research and knew what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to see. I wanted to hike up Diamond Head, go to a luau, lie on Waikiki Beach with an adult beverage. None of this happened, as it rained and rained and rained. On my actual birthday, it was a virtual hurricane, both inside and outside my hotel room, as disappointment and depression washed over me. This after an 18hr plus trip to get there!

Waikiki Beach - the one day the skies were covered in bright blue.
But it was still very chilly and I sat on the beach in a hoodie.

Always the optimist, on the last day, I booked a guided tour to salvage what I could from this disaster once-in-a-lifetime (better believe it would be once!) experience. This is where it got really exciting (insert a dollop of sarcasm).

First off, as I have noticed time and time again on my travels, I am truly the Super Brown Tourist. I am ALWAYS the only brown tourist on the damn bus. Do white people have a monopoly on tours? And do old people rule the tour bus? I mean...my goodness!!! Where are the young people? The brown people? The tour guide seemed to want to make me some kind of special project as well - seeing that I was from an island too. It was almost as though he was on a mission to please and impress me as he kept singling me out during the tour.

The tour itself was shit. The bus stank and the tour was devoid of anything interesting. It brings me to the argument I have with friends here about the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago and the fact that we have so much to offer. Real attractions. Beautiful places. I mean, this guy drove around the island and he stopped to show us a patch of sugarcane and a paw-paw tree, also known as papaya tree. I could barely believe that my hard earned money had paid for this guy to stop so he could show us some half dead looking sugar cane stalks and some paw-paw. What was even more distressing was when the British couple next to me told me I was blocking their view of this island wonder as they tried to take photos. The wife actually physically pushed me backwards so they could snap snap with the camera. In fact, I was the only one not whipping out her camera to take pics. I live in what used to be the sugar belt of Trinidad - I grew up with sugar cane around me, and with my dad and uncles cutting cane for us to suck, chew up and spit out. The dude was not impressing me, not even a little bit, and it clearly showed on my face. I think it was more disgust than being unimpressed and he kept staring at me in the rear view mirror, disappointed. lol.

The Dole Plantation was okay but I am not a huge lover of pineapples, and the store was a pineapple mecca. Pineapple body wash, soaps, stuffed pineapple toys, chocolate covered pineapples. It was just too much!!! But it leads me to argue that we can do the same with mangoes and local fruit and make a killing off tourists, as the tourists on this trip bought all sorts of pineapple shite at this place.

Dole Plantation, Oahu, Hawaii

The worst part of all was what was listed as the "Shrimp Farm" stop on the little tour guide pamphlet, where we would stop and have some of the "best shrimp" on the island. We were given menus beforehand to choose how we wanted our shrimp and were told we would stop at this place for lunch. By now, most people know I am literally OCD when it comes to food prep, food hygiene etc. I cook 90% of what I eat and the 10% I buy, I am anal about where it comes from, what the chef looks like, how he smells, what the kitchen looks like. I am chronic! So imagine my ABSOLUTE HORROR when the bus pulled into a clearing, in which maybe a dozen or so old buses were parked - buses doubling as shrimp kitchens, with smoke coming out busted windows and where locals were cooking and serving food. The food I had just ordered and paid for, I don't eat street food, especially in strange places. I just don't. At this point I thought I would cry. I took the styrofoam box and got back on the bus, hungry, angry and knowing all too well, the food would not touch my lips. The rather expensive food too, I might add. Shrimp Farm, my ass. Food - dustbin. I had too many thoughts of me ending up in Honolulu Memorial, or whatever the hospital there was called, from food poisoning or worse. Worse yet, I had a 17-hr plus trip back - and being stuck on the plane with ummm...stomach issues was not on the cards for this trip.

There were some highlights, like the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, and the beautiful, absolutely beautiful natural landscape and there was an actual surfing competition at the Banzai Pipeline.

Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, Oahu, Hawaii.
Fave part of this crappy tour

But I was bored, and slept for the rest of the tour.

On my own, earlier in the trip, in-between rain showers, I did the zoo and Waikiki Aquarium, and of course, the shops, since they were dry - no rain inside! But again, was not excited too much. I love walking through museums and galleries, and seeing castles, temples, ruins, doing a moderate hike, or something adventurous. Great food, maybe some wine tasting, clean and fun foodie experiences, interesting day trips/tours and meeting new people. Island vacations - not for me, unless as I said, there is really something fantastic about the island. Something more than drinking out of coconuts and tanning. I don't need a tan! I am dark chocolate brown. A tan?

I would do Hawaii again but under different circumstances and definitely not the overly touristy Oahu.

Last year, I walked through the amazing history of Madrid and Rome, and loved it. Not sure what this year will bring yet. On a budget. Still thinking. Plotting. But the crazy notion I had of "no vacation" has been thrown out the window!

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Flip Flop Adventures

Sunny flip flops for the beaches of Tobago

Though I feel lazy to blog, it is one of the most relaxing times of my day. Another relaxing time is sitting on a beach, letting the sun bathe you in its heat. That was part of my weekend, in sweet Tobago. I had not been to Tobago since my friend had gotten married about 2 years ago. Shameful I know. But when you have been stuck in the cold for months and sunshine is a luxury, Tobago is no longer a weekend luxury but a necessity. So off I went, flip flops in hand...or in this case, on feet, and 20mins later, my plane was sitting on the hot runway of Crown Point International and an hour later, I was walking to Pigeon Point beach where I spent the rest of the afternoon, eating cheese paste sandwiches, lolling around in the clear warm water and gaping at the various shapes and sizes of the white people, while shaking my head at the fake accents of the black Tobago men trying to impress the white people. It's amusing as well being back in the land of the funny catcalls, which never fail to make me laugh.

It's been a good visit home so far - between the running up and down in Trinidad and the bummin' in Tobago with friends, it has been lovely. The weather has also held up pretty well. That may be an understatement. The weather is great but it comes with an intense heat that not even people born and bred in the tropics can tolerate. One exception was the day we drove up to Mount St Benedict, when it rained and cooled the place down just a bit, but it made for some interesting views like this one.



View from Mount Sr Benedict: The dark blues of the rain clouds coupled with the mist - dark and gorgeous


And zen is watching the sun going down on the beach in Tobago, after a great day.

The view from my beach chair in Pigeon Point, Tobago

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Life in Flip Flops - An Ode

Photo courtesy CleveMed Blogs

I first want to thank the awesome Karen for choosing my cyber corner as Blog of the Week. I was tickled and though I just mind fart here half the time, nice to know someone likes it.

I had my last exam today. Well, technically I still have another exam after the next 2 weeks of a silly blocked class but at least for now, I can sleep and do normal human things. I am beyond tired. I did not sleep last night. I had this fear of oversleeping. When the body is tired and wants rest and demands it, sometimes even knowing you have something urgent as an exam cannot get your body and mind to respond to stimuli like alarms. I put on 3 alarms on my phone and 2 on my laptop and still felt that a 90 min nap was going to somehow be my undoing. Two classmates were victims of oversleeping this morning, so the possibility was very real. At least in their case, they literally live minutes away from campus. My bus-train-train-train-walk fun was not going to save me from the consequences of oversleeping. But I was good. I finished the exam and then as I sat on the train back, I started crashing. I crashed for a couple hours, woke up, streamed last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy and now I am so hungry I am going to have this evening's second helping of pelau.

There were just a couple photos I wanted to share - nothing earth shattering but I read a lot of things during the week. Sadly most of it is school work, but I do love the odd news story.

First...

Photo courtesy Yahoo News (I think)

The big uproar about the President of the United States wearing flip flops this week, was amusing. Isn't AIDS still a global epidemic? Isn't there a war going on? Don't the American press have anything better to do than report on a man's choice of footwear while he is on vacation? I mean, really - what is the big deal? If he were meeting, I dunno, Vladimir Putin at the White House with a pair of rubber flip flops on his feet, then sure...national emergency. But the dude was on vacation. In Hawaii. I have been on vacation in Hawaii. Guess what? People wear flip flops there. It's a flip flops kinda place. And as my blog name suggests, I cannot hate a man who kicks back in a pair of flip flops.

It reminded me of this British dude I know. We went to the beach one weekend, back home, in the lovely and awesomely hot Trinidad, and he was wearing a pair of green sneakers, or as the Brits call them - trainers. Besides being a hideous shade of green, my main concern - sneakers? On a hot day, on the beach? The sand was pretty hot and I asked him if he wanted to borrow my extra pair of flip flops (when I say life in flip flops, I am not kidding). They were not hot pink or cuddly blue or anything. They were regulation black, standard, boring, unisex flip flops. He insisted he was fine with his green trainers. I insisted in my mind that those things were too hideous for me to be seen in public with him. The truth was, and I learned this after a few minutes of failed coaxing, growing up and living in London, he had never ever EVER worn a pair of flip flops and he sheepishly admitted that he did not know how to walk in them. Flabbergasted I was, lemme tell ya. Never worn flip flops? That is a tragedy too enormous for my poor Caribbean mind to comprehend.

Montego Bay flip flops from Payless
are a staple in my cupboard

I mean, being here this time of year, I can understand the need for boots and closed toed shoes. Everytime I am late and rummaging through my cupboard for a hat or a scarf or some other cold-beating accessory that I may have unceremoniously flung in the corner, I notice my cute purple flip flops - alone, unloved, waiting patiently for warmer weather. Flip flops I beat every weekend back in Trinidad.Wake up Saturday morning, pull on a pair of jeans, a cute tank top and a matching pair of girlie flip flops - head to the mall, the movies, the restaurant. God, I miss that. On the bright side, life in fluffy socks, fluffy slippers and boots means the emphasis on pedicures is not that intense. So Mr Obama, rock those flip flops. My only concern with the photo are those macaroni legs, honey. I love you, but not the legs.

Well, my ode to the flip flop went on longer than I expected so my other mindlessly random photo, I will post tomorrow. Maybe I can do mindlessly random photos every day. It is such a blessing when I can sit in bed, with my laptop, typing a blog post and not feeling harried or guilty because I need to get back to the books. I can write more than 200 words about rubber slippers and how much I love them.

I'm so tired and hungry though. I don't know if I can even make it to the kitchen, I am so exhausted. And to think I wanted to go out tonight. This right here, home in socks and jammies - best night ever.

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