Trinidad

I decided to take a flight from Georgetown, Guyana to Trinidad two days before actually going. The airfare was $180, but you can catch a flight for as low as $145 if you book a little bit more in advance. Because I was unable to find any hostels online and because the cheapest hotels I could find were still a bit expensive, I decided to couch surf instead.

I met a guy named Charles who picked me up at the airport and who was kind enough to host me and show me around the island. One thing to note, I found it extremely difficult to withdraw money in Trinidad. My chase credit card would not work in any of the 6 or 7 ATMs (and one bank) that we visited (including the royal bank of Trinidad and Tobago and scotiabank, which is the most international and most likely option for successful transactions). However, what I could do was use it at grocery stores and gas stations, where I would pay for my friends and then they would give me cash in exchange (since I had not encountered any cash-back options either).

In total, I spent a week in Trinidad. During my time, I visited Maracas beach, which is probably the #1 tourist attraction on the island. Also, Charles and his friends took me to three pools, which is a semi-secluded series of natural pools for swimming in. This location can be reached if you continue on the same scenic route that takes you to Maracas and requires a little bit of walking after parking. Another integral part of the Trinidad experience is to eat at KFC, as the people of Trinidad LOVE KFC and take much pride in the many KFC records they have broken. Though I was not able to make it to Tobago during my week there, I have heard from EVERYONE that Tobago is the place to go. It can be reached via ferry for $100 TT or approximately $16 USD roundtrip and departs multiple times throughout the day. The port is located fairly close to the city as well.

Coming from Guyana, I found Trinidad to be SOOOO much more developed and civilized. Most of my time was spent just hanging with Charles's friends, and I can honestly say that out of all the people I have met during my entire trip, I never felt like I’ve had more in common than with the young (upper class) Trinidadians that I've met. What is interesting about the social structure here is that here, the upper class is not solely whites. Here, you can also see blacks (and Middle easterners) among the elite, which is much different than what I have seen in places like Brazil and the Guyanas. It seems as though in Trinidad, people mix much more socially (and racially). Although, there are also still stories of ‘keeping it in the family’, as the island is fairly small. According to Charles, this is particularly true for Middle Eastern communities on the island, but also with a few whites that date back to the colonial days. Another interesting thing to note is that Trinidad has really strong ties with Canada. Every one of Charles’s friends had either visited Canada, is/will be working in Canada, or went/is going to school in Canada.

Fir all of those interested in visiting Trinidad and Venezuela and have been inquiring about the ferry, THE FERRY TO VENEZUELA IS CURRENTLY OPERATING (as of May 5^th)!! It costs $92 USD for a one-way ticket (and $180 RT) along with a $13 USD departure tax (the tax is slightly more if you are doing the reverse trip from Venezuela). The ferry leaves from Pier 1 only once a week on Wednesdays at 9:00 AM, but you need to arrive there at 7:00 AM for check-in. If you are traveling one way, YOU NEED TO HAVE A RETURN TICKET TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY. Otherwise, they will make you purchase a round-trip ticket ($180 plus departure tax). The return ticket can then be refunded in Venezuela, but only for half of its price, which means you still waste $45. Fortunately for me, there was wifi available at the pier and, even though I had planned on waiting until the very last minute to book my ticket back home, I was able to book a cheap flight back to the US within the 20 minutes I had left. The ferry is very nice and safe to ride. It takes approximately four hours and the scenery is very beautiful (consisting of small islands all along the way). Well worth it.