SURVIVEIN' TRINIDAD

As anyone who pays attention to what's going on in T&T will know, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) took place over the last few days. CHOGM takes place every two years, and is a meeting of Commonwealth nations to discuss those issues of concern to them/us.

Honestly, I did not pay much attention to what was taking place this weekend outside of watching a segment of the opening ceremony and some highlights on the news. I had no interest in the encore performance of the circus that came to town during the 5th Summit of the Americas so I stayed away. I do however promise to catch up in the interest of staying informed :)

On to my post :D. In order to commemorate 60 years of the Commonwealth a new $100 bill was released. There was an ad running in the newspaper for about two weeks, but a lot of people still seem to be out of the loop when it comes to this latest development. If people here don't know about it, I imagine that a lot of foreign based Trinis don't either.

Soooo, before you embarrass yourself publicly by shouting out "DIS MONEY FAKE!!! WHEY ALYUH GET DIS?! AH GO CALL DE POOLEECE!", when someone gives you one of the new $100 bills, take a look at the photos below and get acquainted with your new money lol.

Love it? Like it? Hate it? Could care less lol?.....The back reminds me a bit of Eastern Caribbean currency...that's as much of an opinion as I have on it.

Consider yourself updated :D.....TOODLES! ;D

Fish broth??.....Chicken soup???.....Lipton tea???......No darlings, that's a container of the water that's currently flowing out of my pipes. There is NO BETTER WAY to start your work week than by being late because you have to wait for the water in your taps to clear up. I ♥♥♥♥♥♥ WASA!!!


DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN YOUR WORK WEEK STARTS LIKE THIS?!?! ;D

As promised, voici les photos de ma visite à Grenada!!! :D.....I can't stress enough just how much fun this trip was.....and I was only there for the weekend and didn't get to do half of the activities planned. Just imagine how great my next visit will be......JIIIIZZZZZZ!!! :D:D:D:D

Grenada really is worth the visit if you're in the mood for a weekend getaway or impromptu mini-vacation. The entire trip (airfare and accommodation) cost me less than $2500TTD (roughly $400USD), which meant that I didn't have to break my piggy bank to have a great time ;D

So dear readers, without further ado, here are the photos. You can also view them up close in my Picasa album.

Clockwise L-R: The line of passengers waiting to board the smallest plane I've ever been on. The flight attendant briefing us on what to do if said small plane has a malfunction. A quick stop at St. George's University to meet a friend. Students playing dodge ball on the court...apparently the big Friday night lime.

Now I'm back at the resort which was ABSOLUTELY BEE-YOO-TEE-FUL!!! The room was very spacious and included a lounge area, dinner table and kitchenette. The room opened up to a view of the pool and the Caribbean Sea....the perfect way to start the day :D. The buildings of St. George's University also graced the landscape.

The package included a delicious continental breakfast at the resort's relaxing and inviting bay side restaurant.

Arawak artifacts at the resort and sunset as seen from the plane on the trip back home. I'm still trying to figure out why LIAT took us to Tobago (which was NOT on the return ticket schedule) and then to Barbados for a flight destined for Trinidad.....I guess you can do that kinda stuff when you have a monopoly.

LIAT...bleh!!! I did have a safe flight and my baggage wasn't left behind so I guess I should be thankful. And finally, the lights of Trinidad signaling the official end of my mini-vacay....sniff, sniff.

I do hope you enjoyed the trip to Grenada :D. I've more or less chosen my next stop, but I'm still deciding on the other destinations on my island-hopping tour . If you have any suggestions of places to visit and accommodation I am all ears.

Until we blog again.......toodles ;D

Soooooo, guess where I went last weekend?......NOOOO! Not "to hell" for telling that woman that staring at me would only serve to further shatter her already fragile sense of self-worth!!! I WENT TO GRENADA SILLY!!! :D:D:D:D

I've always wanted (and planned) to tour the Caribbean, but living abroad meant that my vacation time was mainly spent on trips home to see my friends and family. Now that I'm back, I can actually use my vacation time and (long) weekends to get away.....and TRUST ME! When you live here, the urge to get away can sometimes become overwhelming.

It's ironic that at one point I couldn't wait to visit T&T and now that I live here again I'm always thinking about getting away. I guess the difference then was that whenever I got fed up of being home I could comfort myself with knowing that I was heading back to the US. Now that I'm back "for good", I sometimes feel trapped because there's no "only 3 more weeks" countdown to comfort me.....Thank God I wasn't deported and my visa is still valid lmao.

Anyway, I was really in the mood for something different. I didn't know where I wanted to go or when, but I knew I wanted and needed to go somewhere. A few hours of fiddling around on websites led me to airfare and accommodation that were too good to pass up, and so my destination was confirmed....Grenada it would be!

This was my first trip to the Spice Isle and I had such a wonderful time that I am already planning a trip back. I didn't get to do a lot of the stuff I had planned (snorkeling, diving, sailing, etc.) because I was only there for the weekend and preparation for snorkeling and diving required at least a day of training :(....Despite that disappointment I was able to capitalize on food, shopping and multiple trips to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited.

If you love traveling I would suggest that you put Grenada on your list of places to visit, and while you're at it, add True Blue Bay Resort & Villas to your list of places to stay while there. If the rates don't make you fall in love with True Blue, the location, ambiance and staff definitely will.

Visiting Grenada was just what I needed to get me going again :D. I feel rejuvenated and my love for traveling has been rekindled. I have also gained a new appreciation for living in T&T. I never really paid much attention to the "Trinidad is one of the most developed Caribbean islands" claim, but I now understand why so many CARICOM nationals rush to settle here.

My appreciation for our advancements notwithstanding, I do sometimes wish that T&T would return to that 'island paradise' mindset that we now only really experience during Christmas and Carnival; that 'hakuna matata' state of mind that keeps us calm even while stuck in traffic and reminds us that smiling really isn't as difficult as we think it is....I'll keep hope alive :)

Photos from the trip are on the way :)

I received the following flyer via email from a coworker. Please copy and circulate the image because a little can go a long way. You may not have information, but someone else may see it and be in a position to offer some assistance to the family, friends and police officers searching for this missing young lady.

Please don't just dismiss her as a possible runaway or sigh, mumble at the state of things in T&T, and then go about your merry way. We need to start looking out for each other again if we really want to make positive changes in our country.

If you have any information on Andriana Phangyou please contact the numbers listed in the flyer. She may not be in danger, but if she is, the need to find her is even more urgent.