116
DECEMBER 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
Upon your arrival, a taxi takes you to your accommodations
at
The Villas at Stonehaven
,
where you check in, drop your bags,
inspect the Jeep that’s been arranged for your stay, discover a
private infinity pool out back with a view of the ocean, and fall in
love with the beauty of it all.
A er bonding with a neighborhood cat who’s figured out that
vacationers give good le overs, you tear yourself away from the
pool and drive west to Pigeon Point for a private cruise along the
island’s Caribbean coast. Your
Tobago Waterholics
captain insists,
repeatedly, upon being called “Captain Jack Sparrow” (like his
adopted namesake, he sports dreadlocks and a shiny grill). He
takes you past secret waterfalls, secluded beaches and hidden
coves. Idling in Englishman’s Bay, where
a forest abuts a sliver of sand, Captain
Jack suggests that you catch lunch from
the boat, with the idea being that you’ll
commandeer one of the grills at a beach
calledNoMan’s Land. “No fish, no lunch!”
he chides. “No pressure!”
You’d like to say it doesn’t take long to
reel in the bright red snappers that you
and the jolly captain toss onto the grill,
but the truth is that a kindly fisherman
provides the catch after your attempts
yield li le more than used bait. But no
ma er. Standing there under a palmtree,
your toes in the sand and the crystalline
water halfway up your calves, picking
apart tender flakes of saltyfish cradled in
agrape leaf, youare struckby the thought
that failure has never tasted so good.
A er a quickwade in theNylonPool—
a popular swimming area on a sandbar
of ground-up coral, supposedly named
by Britain’s Princess Margaret for its
sparkling-clear blue water—you’re back
on land and driving east toward a spot
in the lush Tobago Forest Reserve called
Gilpin Trace
.
Tobago is a world-class des-
tination for birders, and you’re there to
meet up with their most popular guide,
noted local ornithologistNewtonGeorge,
a charming, easygoing gentleman who
convincedDavidA enborough to feature
Tobago inhis landmarknature series “The
Trials of Life.” The hike that follows goes
like this: George spots something colorful
in the distance, asks if you see it, frames it
for you in a telescope, asks again, points
with a green laser, asks again. Repeat.
The last meal of your trip is at the
homey seafood restaurant
El Pescador
,
where you order the jumbo lime shrimp, sweet plantains, rice and
steamed vegetables. The dish, with the help of some local Angos-
tura 1919 rum, lulls you into a reverie. Youare brought backby your
waiter, who politely informs you that the drumbeat you hear in
the distance is the weekly “Sunday School” party ge ing started
around the corner. You like the sound of that: dancing, drinking,
street food, the smell of the ocean. You pay your bill and walk
toward it, stepping to the rhythm being carried over the breeze.
Hemispheres
editor at large
SAM POLCER
wishes that 85-foot
monkeys played more of a role in his major life decisions.
BOARDING PASS
From the revelry of Carnival and the nightlife of Port of Spain to the lush forests of Gilpin Trace, there’s far more to the
Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago than surf and sand—though there’s plenty of that too. United can get you there with nonstop service
from its hubs at New York/Newark and Houston, which connect with dozens of North American cities. Before boarding, consider purchasing
a day pass to relax in a spacious United Club; memberships are also available.
For more information or to book your flight, go to united.com.
THREE PERFECT DAYS
||
TRINIDADANDTOBAGO
STANDING OUT
The
Hanuman Murti, one
of the world’s tallest
(
and most colorful)
depictions of the
Hindu Monkey God
