This is a general shout out and blogger rant to all the people in Tobago who work in the tourist industry or what purports to be a tourist industry.

I don’t live in Trinidad anymore – some days I’m sad about this, but all it takes to remind me that I’m glad to visit but not stay in Trinidad is a two week refresher in Trinidad itself. However, the frustration I feel at Trinidad, is nothing compared to the contempt I generally feel to those in the Tobagonian tourist industry.

A couple points about why tourism in Tobago cannot and will not ever grow or be significant

1. Tobago needs the tourism but the tourists do not necessarily need Tobago yet the powers that be that control tourism cannot see that the problem is the people themselves.
2. Customer feedback is a waste of time. Abject, absolute waste of time. Tourist “people” in Tobago ask for an exit survey when you leave. You can make the most wonderful suggestions – do not bother – it is a colossal “make work” project, so a politician can say that they are trying to improve things.
3. Tourists need efficiency and facilities. The airport is neither efficient or has facilities. Until some money is spent to upgrade Crown Point – it will just be the same unconcerned staff with their nonchalant attitude about you, your time or your business. I always fly to Tobago from Trinidad, either very early or very late – since I don’t want to have a problem with these people – they couldn’t shit in a swimming pool.
4. Have you all heard that computers have revolutionized the world – “we can use them to make things go faster”. Customs and immigration use a considerable amount of time going through papers and documents and using stamps but never seem concerned about getting the people through as soon as possible.
5. Smiles are free, even if your people seem to be broke all the time.  When I have to beg for a coffee or almost slap someone in a grocery to give me a bottle of rum, while she dusts the aforementioned bottle of rum and people are behind cussing, will make tourists homicidal.
6. I’ve never had to pay a bill or use a bank, but I have heard of waits of two hours at a bank for service. Which tourist in their god damn mind would come back?
7. Hustlers made people hate Jamaica, and unless you’re a German woman looking for a black Tobagonian penis (Germans are especially unwelcome in Tobago for the way they behave); hustlers are not welcome. I hate people grabbing at me and trying to hustle me for anything.
8. Why should Sugarlips, Tight Chest, Dimples  (actual names on the beach… seriously) be hustling to rent  chairs and umbrellas on the beaches (at Store Bay for example). Having these hustlers is just terrible and gives tourists the impression that Trinis and Tobagonians are some hungry, starving people who can’t find jobs. These guys can’t hustle me, since I’m hard with them and don’t even talk to them until I am ready …
9. Everything is so expensive. Food is brutally expensive, when compared to other islands. I have no issue with being charged US prices, but then give me US or Canadian service with the same portion size.

   You all claim it is expensive to import things into Tobago … what about other islands, don’t they have the same issues? Tobago still has a long way to go in order to meet the standards of the other islands and tourists are having to pay too much for what they get in return. When the tourists go to other islands, they realise this and never return to Tobago.

10. Spend money on “Tourist” police, like other tourist destinations. Police who specially trained to deal with tourist and civilian matters.  Spend money on presence also – as a Trini, I can handle myself in Tobago, but other people have issues with this.  Trinis like value for their money, don’t you think that tourists also like get value for their money.

Fix all of this and maybe then one old British couple won’t be able to wreak havoc on perception of Tobago and then they will want to come and spend money in Tobago.

=============

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beautiful place, poor tourism in tobago, terrible people, tobago, why tobago sucks

When you’re from Trinidad, you think that the world has things that are better, prettier and more well known. I can safely say that driving along the Leeward Coast of Tobago has to rank amongst the prettiest drives with some of the beach vantage points in the world. Many Trinis/Tobagonians take these things for granted, as most do not have a basis of comparison to other more celebrated places.

The stretch of four large beaches after Moriah that are easily accessible by road … there are a couple other more remote beaches, but for a long day trip (8am - 6pm) from Crown Point, if you take a swim at these 4 beaches

1. Castara Bay : The home village of T&T’s 3rd Prime Minister is in a small friendly village with a decent beach facility and villagers who actually welcome a tourist or two, unlike places in Trinidad. The village itself is known for the fish and there is a fishing facility in the middle of the beach. While you’ll always see some fishing activity, please ask before you run over and volunteer your muscles in the search of a great story to tell your friends at home. There is another smaller beach, known as Heavenly Bay, just around the headland on the northern end of the main beach, but I personally have never made it over there.

   

   

2. Parlatuvier : This beach is surrounded by the village itself. There is a school that is practically on the beach – how cool would it be to go swimming instead of playing cricket or football at recess and lunch time as a young boy. The bay is quite the photographed princess with her rugged rocks closing in from the sea. The water does get deep rather quickly though but this is good since there is excellent jumping and diving from the long pier.

   

3. Englishman’s  Bay :  This is probably my favorite beach in Tobago. It’s definitely not touristy like Store Bay or Pigeon Point, since you have to drive down a dirt track to get there (if it rains, the track can be muddy) - there is good snorkeling and generally calm seas – depending on the day of course.  Although it’s gotten a bit more developed in recent years, it still feels like the complete deserted beach you could imagine if you were shipwrecked on a Caribbean island.

   It’s a lovely green-blue sea surrounded by a wall of shady almond and coconut trees. When it rains, the Rockly River that runs at the back seems filled with energy and sandflies *lol*. The beach slopes steeply down to the sea which has short but often large breakers, which is challenging for the new sea bather but if you’re a good swimmer and adventurous, this is definitely Da’Beach.

   

   

   

   

   By the way, Eula’s is the only restaurant around these parts, but remember you’re only 45 mins away from fresh food in Pigeon Point or Store Bay. Is convenience worth the risk of no running water around your food? Just my thoughts!

4. Bloody Bay : This beach for all its natural beauty is set a little way from the main village, unlike most other beaches, hence it seems always deserted, except for yachties and fishermen. The beach facility here is almost brand new with a “tourist” office … that never seems to be open.

   

   

   

   

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: castara bay tobago travel log, englishman's bay tobago travel log, parlatuvier tobago travel log, tobago travel log

Getting from Trinidad to Tobago is an easy plan; no hassle, short flight, no crazy drivers that one has to worry about in Trinidad. If you’re in Tobago, after taking the 14 minute flight from Trinidad, your next steps should go something like this …

1. Call pre-arranged taxi rental company to pick you up from airport and head straight to the rental company. Fill out paper work and take car out.
2. Depending on what time you get in, there are two logical options
   1. If you come in anytime BEFORE sunset, go directly to the beach – Store Bay or Pigeon Point. They’re close (2 min drive in either direction) and proceed to eat and get your water or tan on.
   2. If you come in anytime AFTER sunset, go directly to the hotel, check in and go for dinner and check back to hotel for drinks. If you’re new, you won’t know any places to go for drinks. (MyTobago.info maintains an excellent listing of places to eat in Tobago – updated every three months and has pertinent info.)

In High Season (Christmas time [Dec 15- Jan 3rd] or the two weeks after Carnival) Always prearrange your accomodations and rentals from Trinidad … if you don’t, you will probably not have availability or you will be charged a king’s ransom – either way, not a great start to a trip.

We couldn’t find a taxi, so I went up to a guard, asked him where to find a taxi, he directed me to another guard booth. She said there was none, but then asked a friend who with her liming to give us a lift to our homestay. Of course, he couldn’t do it immediately as he was looking in the parking lot for his keys to his house (seriously!) … so now it is the three of us (female guard, her friend, and me) looking through an empty parking lot for a bunch of keys. After we found the keys, the friend gave us a lift to the hotel … no cash, compliments of the car keys

After getting to the hotel, it was late – hence dinner and drinks – however trying to find an open bar on Christmas night is next to impossible – but we were quite lucky to find a local bar that was serving.

In the morning, we collected our car and went off to Store Bay for a couple hours in the water. The other thing about Store Bay is that it is the collection point for tours to the Buccoo Reef, Nylon Pool and Coral Gardens. Driving into Store Bay, many guys will wave at you trying to sell you tours at different prices – there are only 4-6 boats that do the tours on any given day – twice daily (leaving between 11 and 11.30am or 2 and 2.30pm).

The tours consist of the following sequence of events:

• Journey to the Buccoo Reef
• Snorkel in the Coral Gardens
• Swim in Nylon Pool – use the coral sand to exfoliate your skin
• Stop off at No Mans’ Land for some BBQ and Rum Punch (optional and usually on a weekend, depends on weather, and depends on nice you are to the tour guides)

If you want to get a decent price – talk to a couple guys. They’ll give a piece of paper with their names and phone numbers and ask them their price (a good price is something between $50 and $70 TT ($8 – $11 USD)). All the boats are fairly do the same route, all have glass bottom sections and they all leave around the same time.

Once you’re set, then you’re off for breakfast at the Store Bay food sheds and then hit the beach and go on your tour. BTW – if you’re in Tobago, you have to do the tour – it’s completely worth it, just to bathe in the Nylon Pool.

Store Bay

Nylon Pool

No Mans’ Land

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: buccoo reef tour, how to get to coral gardens, how to get to nylon pool, is nylon pool expensive, no mans land, nylon pool

It’s been about 20 years since I last went to the Pitch Lake in La Brea. One might ask why I haven’t been back to this geological phenomenon located right in my “backyard” in Trinidad in so long … well it’s simple really … it’s always been there and will always be there.

As for the facts

• The Pitch Lake is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world, located at La Brea in southwest Trinidad.
• “Discovered” by Sir Walter Raleigh in the year 1595 … never mind the local people knew about it before time.
• Can be used to pave roads … except that the roads leading the Pitch Lake are amongst the worst in Trinidad.

There are various legends associated with the lake. Local tribed believed that it was the wrath of their Gods that was inflicted on them after killing a Hummingbird – to punish them, the Gods sank their village into the pits of hell and what bubbles up are their spirits and remains.

Getting to the Pitch Lake is easy trip from Chaguanas, but when hunger strikes, it calls for a sidetrip to Debe – the capital of all things fried – Indo-Trinidadian style.

First on the menu was Saheenas. Look at them .. so sad … being trapped in their oily prisons … we had to release them … in our bellies

Next on the hit list was the various other friends and family of the Saheena

• Aloo pies (Fried dough stuffed with seasoned potatoes, curried chick peas (Channa), mango pickles (Kutchela) and two types of mango chutneys)
• Baiganie (Fried dough stuffed with strips of whole eggplant, curried chick peas (Channa), mango pickles (Kutchela) and hot sauce – like an eggplant fritter)
• Multiple doubles … no explanation required

For those uninitiated in the Trini protocol of anything …

• Nothing – Plain, boring and the mark of the utter tourist
• Slight – a touch of pepper and sweet chutney – typical tourist order
• Regular – Typical Trini order – a little bit of all chutneys and pepper sauce
• Heavy/Plenty – Venturing into no man’s land, unless you the know “Doubles man” chutneys well and know that he doesn’t have a really hot pepper sauce.
• Kill It – The mark of the expert white rum drinker aka Alcoholic (no more taste buds), the mark of the “Iron Stomach and Rectum” or a “Doubles man” with the hottest hot pepper sauce possible. The “Doubles man” will give you a slight nod of recognition.

Then it was time for a sweet or two …

Starting from the top

• Above the glasscase (from the left)
  • Rice cake : Rice Krispy squares with Cinnamon
  • Jalebi :  It is made by deep-frying batter in a kind of pretzel or circular shape, then soaked in syrup. Sometimes rosewater or lime juice is also drizzled over it.
• First shelf of glasscase (from the left)
  • Chocolate Barfi : Carmelized condensed milk, with sugar, chocolate and nuts
  • Jam Cookies
  • Kurma : Muslim sweet that has now become ubiquitous all year around in Trinidad
  • Regular Barfi : Carmelized condensed milk, with sugar and sprinkles
• Bottom shelf of glasscase (from the left)
  • Coconut sugar cake: Carmelized condensed milk, with sugar, chocolate and nuts
  • Almond Fudge
  • Nut cake
  • Some unknown thing at time …

So after our early lunch, it was on the Pitch Lake. A tour of the Pitch Lake can be as long or short as you want it. Our tour guide Jonnie was an affable fellow with a big toothless smile … well his first two teeth were missing … we assumed that it was to pay the pimp of the lake. However, he took his time and showed us all around and took us on the paths safely.

So the first pass around is to see the machinery used to harvest the Pitch from the lake. The story is that the labourers would have to fill 24 of these trolleys in a given day for the work to be completed.

After the trolley was filled, it would hauled up to the refinery to be processed. Again was a semi-manual process with hitches having to be attached to each trolley.

The top layer of the lake looks like an old parking lot. However, unlike any regular parking lot, the surface yields very easily. On hot days, it can be quite unsafe to walk on certain areas and of course driving on the top is forbidden, as a car or even a cow would sink into it fairly quickly.

The top layer of the lake is known as the skin. It can be easily peeled off and is quite dry and flaky.

The tar is also over 350 feet deep at the center of the lake, which is shaped like an inverted cone. The Trinidad Geological Society has a nice amateur rending of what it looks like.

So continuing on, we went to the most famous part of the Pitch Lake. As well as regular tar, there are also lighter distillates visible on the surface of this waterhole, as well as the soft creamy colored substance at the bottom of the hole, which is known at the “Mother of the Lake”.

After walking around the rest of the lake, then it was time to wade through the sulfurous waters in and around the lake. The gas action and methane bubbling through the lake is always evident.

The waters themselves are quite clean and are supposed to be very good for the skin.

And of course, you can pick up a water lily or two.

And you can always grab a 6 pack of Carib, park your car and head back into the pools for a relaxing bath.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: doubles in debe, eating in debe, hummingbird legend, la brea, pitch lake, trinidad, trinidad's pitch lake, what to eat in Trinidad

This is the reaction I got tonight from the folks at home (note Trini English)…

• <Dad> Where are you out to tonight?
• <Me> Hosay
• <Dad> Huh? Yuh mean in St. James? But it not safe down there … it have so much crime there
• <Me> I’ll be fine …
• <Dad> Who yuh meeting?
• <Me> People ….

Anyway for years I’ve heard about Hosay in St. James, but it was one of those things you learnt about in your Social Studies class, but no one I knew ever went to Hosay, especially as it was in “North”.

In a nutshell, Hosay is observed with a parade full of colorful tadjahs in commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussain (Hussein), the grandson of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the year 680 AD. There are 5 families in St. James that each make their own tadjah in their own idiosyncratic style.

Hosay parades take place in two Shiite communities in Trinidad: St. James, in the western section of Port-of-Spain, and Cedros, in the South. The colorful procession in St. James is the largest (five tadjahs) and draws thousands of spectators of all religions every year. The Shiites of St. James spend a considerable amount of time and money in the building of miniature temples (tadjahs, taziyas, hosays, mausoleums) with bamboo, wood, paper, and tinsel to depict the tomb of Hussain.

These tadjahs range in height from 10 to 30 feet and are hauled through the streets on parade days accompanied by the beating of drums (tassas) and two standards in the shape of half-moons, each carried separately on the shoulder of one man at a time. The half-moons (one red and one green) symbolize the deaths of both Hussain and his brother Hassan; red for the blood of Hussain that was shed at Karbala and green for the poisoning of Hassan, 11 years earlier. The drums and flags are symbolic of those used in wars in the 7^th century. (I’ve lifted the history and account can read from Best of Trinidad)

So back to the hunt, so armed with knowledge for our local expert Anisa, we went walking through St. James for all the other Tadjahs. Some tadjahs were already locked up behind bars, but with Anisa’s help, we were able to stroll around and walk into people’s yards to take pictures.

Anisa also explained the family history and the order of the tadjahs in the parades. It’s based on longevity as follows:

1. Panchayatee (Bay Road) Hosay – belonging to the entire Shiite community and located on Mathura Street (previously on Bay Road)
2. Ghulam Hussein Hosay – named after one of the local icons of Hosay and located on Western Main Road
3. Cocorite Hosay – belonging to the community of Cocorite at the western end of St. James
4. Balma Hosay – belonging to the Emamali family and located on Clarence Street;
5. Bisnath Hosay – belonging to the Bisnath family and located on Bournes Road.

Definitely enlightening to find out the process, the number of volunteers and the overall cost to upkeep this tradition. Each family raises money to build their particular Hosay – which is no mean feat in itself.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: hosay, night, st james, tadjahs, trinidad

What do I do in Trinidad? Every post on Lonely Planet, Couchsurfing seems to ask this, when it comes to Trinidad. Aside from the ridiculously obvious ones … there is actually tons of things to do in Trinidad … but it would take the full year to do this list in Trinidad, since many festivals coincide with religious holidays.

This is my personal list of 100 things to do in Trinidad … building over time.

1. Have a piece of Trini KFC at the world’s busiest KFC restaurant in Independence Square, Port of Spain. (Beijing doesn’t compare …)
2. Go to South Trinidad to a little town called Debe (pronounced Day-bay) … and have one each of the following - ”doubles”, “aloo pie”, “saheena”, “baiganie”, all with slight pepper and wash it down with a freshly cut cold coconut.
3. Get video at night from Lady Young Lookout
4. Tour the Carib Brewery in Champ Fleurs
5. Go drinking in a traditional Trinidadian rumshop …
6. Have a cold coconut outside the Queens Park Savannah at 1am
7. Order Char Sue Kai Fan in a Chinese restaurant with tons of pepper.
8. Go to a traditional Parang Lime
9. ………………………………………….in Paramin
10. Attend a traditional Hindu wedding and eat your food off a washed Banana leaf
11. Driving through the Coconut trees on the Mayaro – Manzanilla stretch
12. Go see the view from Fort George
13. Then drive and see the view from Mount St. Benedict
14. Go birdwatching at the Wild Fowl Trust in Point-a-Pierre 
15. Then do some birdwatching at the Caroni Swamp & Bird Sanctuary
16. Turtle Watching in Grande Rivière (Mar-Aug)
17. More birdwatching at the Asa Wright Nature Centre
18. Take a trip “Down the islands”
19. Go bat watching at the Gasparee Caves
20. Have a “Bake and Shark” at Maracas Beach 
21. Play All Fours in a rumshop lime – note… Trinis do not play Dominoes
22. Go surfing at Toco
23. Make a footprint in the Pitch Lake
24. See the Sunset from the Temple in the Sea 
25. Hike to the two highest points in Trinidad : El Tuchuche and El Cerro del Aripo
26. Have a lunch picnic in Galera Point, Toco
27. Attend the Panorama Steel Pan finals (Carnival Season only)
28. Play Mud Mas
29. Tour the Angostura Distillery and learn about Angostura Bitters
30. Watch the West Indies cricket team play at the Queens Park Oval 
31. Have dinner with the Yachties
32. See the sunset from Naparima College 
33. Have a Christmas dinner with Ponche a Crème, Pastelles, Black Cake and Sorrel
34. Walk the entire length of the Brian Lara Promenade
35. Have breakfast at the Breakfast Shed
36. Take a picture at the Maracas Lookout and have some preserved Mango.
37. Cross the stage for Carnival
38. Play mas in Carnival Band
39. Go to a cooler fete
40. Go to an all inclusive fete , then another, and another
41. See Machel Montano perform
42. See David Rudder perform at the Normandie Hotel
43. Learn to wine!
44. Go see the Nylon Pool
45. Hike to the Paria Waterfalls
46. See the mud volcanoes in the Devil’s Woodyard in Hindustan
47. Learn to make deyas in Edinburgh Village, Chaguanas.
48. Go to a Chutney fete in Rienzi Complex, Couva
49. Attend a political rally – PNM, UNC, NAR,COP – doesn’t matter – same bullshit anyway – but entertaining nonsense.
50. Go to a Calypso tent.
51. Have drinks at Smokeys & Buntys
52. Go to Argyle Falls in Tobago 
53. Hosay in St James. There are 5 Hosay yards connected to the St. James observance, the Cocorite Hosay Yard, Bis (Bisnath) Yard, Balma Yard, Panchaiti Yard and the Ghulam Hussein-Ali Hosay Yard.
54. Phagwa in Saith Park, Chaguanas or Felicity.
55. Divali Nagar (City of Lights)
56. Midnight Doubles at the Doubles Factory in Aranguez
57. Visit the Dattatreya Mandir in Carapichaima.
58. Visit the Treveni Mandir in Hardbargain
59. Take picture in front Hardbargain village sign
60. Touch all four corners of Trinidad
    1. Toco (North East)
    2. Icacos Village (South West)
    3. Amoco Jetty – Guayaguayare (South-East)
    4. Tetron Base – Chaguaramas (North West)
61. Visit all the islands, “Down de Islands”
62. Go reef swimming off Little Tobago
63. Go “shopping” in the malls : Gulf City, West Mall, Valpark, Long Circular – note not made for North American, European or Arabic standards.
64. Go see the view at day and night from San Fernando Hill
65. Go to a Curry Duck lime and play some Windball Cricket
66. Head down to Manzanilla Bay for Ash Wednesday
67. Have dasheen parata roti at the Tobago Blue Food festival in Bloody Bay

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 10 fun things to do in trinidad, 10 must see items in trinidad, 100 things to do in Tobago, 100 things to do in Trinidad, at night, best 10 things to do in trinidad, best things to do in trinidad and tobago, day, day trips, fun things to do in trinidad, night, Ten-Essential-Things-to-Do-When-You-Visit-Trinidad-and-Tobago, things to do in trinidad, things to see in trindad, top 10 things to do in trinidad, what to do at night, what to do at night in Trinidad, what to do in Tobago, what to do in trinidad

There are very few things that will drive people in Montreal to violence …for instance, saying one of the following  in Montreal will almost surely lead to a “Big Momma Beat Down”

• Saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs are better than Les Canadiens
• Saying that Toronto or Parisian Bagels are better than the Montreal version.
• Wondering in public, how the hell is “poutine” not a registered food group
• Saying/thinking/implying that there is a better “Shish Taouk” sandwich anywhere than the version that’s inhaled on a daily basis in Montreal.

I for one believe after 12+ years in Canada, 60+ countries of eating strange and insane foods, there is no better fast food chicken sandwich in the world than the ones you can get in Montreal. The same way I believe that there is on better fast food fish sandwich than Bake and Shark in Maracas Bay, Trinidad.

In Montreal, there are three brand name contenders for this honor :

• Amir
• Bashas
• Boustans

In fact, there is a facebook group called “Instead of Having a Cigarette after Sex, I have Sex after Boustan!” After these three brand names, there’s really a bunch of individual “Shish Taouk” vendors, who also have decent or good “Shish Taouk”. In addition, to the discussion, there is even questions about what to call the damn chicken sandwiches … I’ve gone to Israel to ask for a “Shish Taouk”, only to be told it was a “Chicken Shawarma” that I was looking for.

Imad Smaidi, the normally genial proprietor of the downtown Lebanese restaurant Boustan, veritably bristles at the mention that his shish taouk is considered by many to be the best in the city. It’s not the rating that irks Smaidi. It’s the appellation.

“Please,” he implores. “Call it its true name: chicken shawarma. This has gone on too long.”  The whole article can be found on Canada.com

Does that stop the “Shish” machine? Nope … it will always be a “Shish Taouk” to me.

As for finding “Shish Taouk” in Toronto – don’t bother, it’s horrible and pathetic. I’ve tried looking for years and there is really no comparison, so don’t bother. Toronto shawarma places are not Lebanese operated. It is possible to find better “Shish Taouk” in Ottawa, but if you’re going to Ottawa to find it, you might as well drive along to Montreal and get the real deal.

The best Shish Taouk places in Montreal are:

1. Abu Elias on Cote Vertu in Ville St-Laurent
2. Boustans is the best downtown – no exceptions (Amir’s on Crescent St. used to be phenomenal, but then the whole McDonaldization of Amir, merely lends itself to being average). Below is the famous trio (Shish Taouk Sandwich, Garlic Potatoes with extra garlic sauce, grilled eggplant, pickled turnips and hummus.)

Places like Basha and Amir are good but they are not the best. They’ve becom the McDonalds of Lebanese fast food, though still good but not nearly the best.

One can also ask the question, “Is Shish Taouk, all you can get in Montreal?” … obviously not …  one can find all the familiar Lebanese/Middle Eastern staples (Merguez, Falafel, Brochettes, Fatouche, Taboule, Humus, Shawarma, Shish Taouk, etc)

As for authentic  Lebanese cuisine in Montreal (outside of Shish Taouk), a good selection list would be the following:

• La Sirene de le Mer (Good Lebanese seafood restaurants)
• Restaurant Daou (More Lebanese good cooking)
• Restaurant Souwar (On Cote Vertu with a speciality in Lebanese & seafood)
• Le Petit Alep (I’ve yet to figure out the difference in Syrian vs Lebanese food)
• Nuits d’Orient Restaurant (Great Leb food in Laval, if you’re venturing that far outside)

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Best Shish taouk in NDG (or nearby)‎, Best Shish-Taouk/Shwarma in Montreal, Best Sish-Taouk/Shwarma in Montreal, Great shish taouk‎, Montreal, the best shish taouk and shawarma in town and other Montreal ..., what is the best shish taouk in montreal, What is the deal with shish taouk?‎

Growing up in Chaguanas or Central/South Trinidad meant that going up “North” was a prettybig event. My parents being your very typical Indo-Trinidadians didn’t like the hustle and bustle of “North”. As you might figure, going up “North” meant that you were going to Port of Spain and the North Coast.

In Trinidad, we use four directions

• North – means Port of Spain, Diego Martin
• South – means San Fernando
• East – means Arima
• Central means Chaguanas

If you get in a taxi and ask if they’re heading north, they will invariably think, you mean Port of Spain. Note that West doesn’t exist in Trinidad. There is the West Coast of Trinidad but generally you won’t hear a Trini using “West” as a direction.

“North” for me, always meant Port of Spain, in fact from the ages of 3 – 15, I’d actually only been to Maracas Bay, a grand total of 5 times and the family never went further than that. Let’s call it a ”safety first” philosophy on my parent’s part, since the roads were pretty pathetic and there were always landslides and there was a noticeable lack of guardrails blocking you from driving over the cliffs.

As for all the beaches in Trinidad, I didn’t get to Blanchisseuse till after I had actually left Trinidad. It tends to be a haven for Trinidad’s upper class, in that every old family with money had a house up in “Blanchie”. Of course, my folks don’t have a house in Blanchie … and while living in Trinidad, I never attempted the most famous hiking trail in Trinidad, which is the trail from Blanchisseusse to Paria Beach until much later. I’ve liked “Blanchie” because it is a relatively secluded beach that requires some effort and work to find and is definitely not the human zoo that other popular beaches like Maracas and Manzanilla can be.

As for the the trail; it is about 5 1/2 miles and begins from the Spring Bridge, which is basically the end of the road.  This route is mainly a coastal hike that begins on a gravel road and then continues along a forest trail. The hike is has a series of uphill and downhill portions interspersed with beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea. Paria Bay has a wide white sand beach and a short  20 minute hike leads to Paria waterfall where there is a deep clear pool below the falls. There are lots of companies that will lead on the hike, but I’ve never had to use one, since my friends are quite capable. 

How to get there:

• From the airport : Head out from Piarco Int’l, head west on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, then north on the Tumpuna through Arima till you reach the Arima-Blanchisseuse trunk road and then it’s another 90 mins on winding roads till you reach Blanchisseuse

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blanchisseuse bridge, Marianne, River, trinidad

{September 11th 2010} Everytime someone goes to Vegas, they talk about the food, the shows, the gambling and those weird Hispanic guys who slap the hooker flyers on their hands at you to get your eye contact. People will tell you about the 2 ft high Hurricane slushies that you can buy at the front of the Imperial Palace and about the dancing girls at the front of the Mirage. They’ll tell you about how great the Bellagio was and that the shopping in Caesar’s Palace is absolutely ridiculous.

What don’t ever seem to hear from people is that if you take a shuttle and head over to Fremont Street in “Downtown Las Vegas”, you can have a great experience at 1/2 the price of everything on the strip. Need souvenirs … head over to Fremont Street. Need $5 blackjack to waste your time away, then head over to Fremont Street. Need to see all the impersonators in full costume … head over to Fremont Street. Need that 2ft slushie Hurricane with a half a bottle of Everclear … well … don’t get that … I think my crotch hurt from that Everclear stuff. You get the idea!

I might have forgotten something else … it might have been a ridiculous fishtank …

Actually, I think I might have forgotten the Fremont Street experience in Viva Vision across the last 6 years. Over the last couple of years, things have gotten substantially better on Fremont Street. The staples like Binions, 4 Queens and Glitter Gulch are still there, but definitely I think you get a better run for your money at Fremont Street.

2005

2008

Even from 2010

You have to head to the Golden Gate casino. This was the first casino in Vegas. There are interesting historical notes inside the hotel like a piece of the first phone line to be built into Vegas. Just walking to the back of any of these casinos will give you a sense of how Vegas has changed over the decades. Ignore all the feedback about how it is a man made ghetto and the sense of desperation and blah blah blah … never let someone else paint your imagination.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: experience, fremont street, must do in vegas, things to do in vegas, viva vision

then there is only one place you go to … don’t stop, dont pass GO, do not collect $200, proceed directly to the “awesomeness” of Iron Barley. This fine establishment is definitely not the height of culinary excellence. They do not pretend to be anything more than what they are … a place that makes ridiculous hot dogs.

Iron Barley is one of those places everyone has heard about but will get around to visiting “one of these days.” Well, “one of these days” is becoming less and less of an excuse, especially when the place has been on TV a couple times for their Monte Cristo hot dog.

Our server Mark, embodied the apparent spirit of Iron Barley: casual, friendly, and humble. If you’re looking for cleavage or giggles over light beer, this is not the place for you yet our server was able to speak like the very accommodating owner of a house we happened to stumble into after smelling good food from the street.

Now from the video is the real deal … I have to say that as a non cheese eater who really hates the smell of anything sweet, this hot dog was an assault on my senses, however our 98 lb Filipina test eater Faye was obviously up to the challenge. Note the size of the double hot dog to her body.

Note in the picture below the relative sizes, there are no tricks of perspective – we used a very simple camera

As for why is “Iron Barley” called “Iron Barley” … our server Mark mentioned that everything is cooked in Iron grilles and that they use no other cereal/grain than barley. For instance, take the Oak smoked double cut pork loin, with barley risotto … that barley risotto is cooked in pork stock, with tomatoes, peppers and two types of sugar, among the ingredients and it is phenomenal.

Finally, the meal ended up with a Peanut Butter Chocolate cheesecake that had cumin and black pepper in the crust,  a habenero chili spiked whipped cream, floating in a strawberry habanero coulis.

All in all .. one of the best places to drop by in St Louis.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: iron barley, iron barley review, monte cristo, monte cristo hot dog review, pictures, st louis