Monday May 25

Todays lecture was on island biogeography and then, later in the afternoon we made a trip the National Forest Reserve here on the island. We were led on our hike by the only female tour guide on the island. Over the course of our two hour hike in and then out of the jungle, we saw two types of snakes, a lot of birds including the white-tailed sabrewing (endemic to Tobago which means it is found here and no where else in the world), butterflies, plants (heliconia or “lobster claw”, bamboo, giant trees, an autograph fruit tree) and so much more. Tired, dripping with sweat, yet satisfied and excited we emerged from the forest, and to our delight, there was an ice cream truck waiting for us near our car (apparently it was the brother of our guide and undoubtedly a ploy they use again and again on tourists). Most of us got a giant scoop of peanut butter coconut ice cream.
Everyone on the trip really wants to see sea turtles nesting (including myself and Dr. L), but the problem is they don’t come onto the beaches until it is dark (usually well after 11:30pm). Dr. L decided to postpone class on Tuesday morning (until 1pm) so we could over to Pirate’s Bay and Fort Campleton Bay to hunt for mother turtles dropping off eggs. As a result everyone went into town to “lyme” until it was 11:30pm. We walked around a bit and decided on the pier as the hang out spot. At first we were distracted by some fish swimming in the clear water, but then we say a huge ray swimming all around the pier that we followed for a while. Soon we attracted attention (not because we were loud, but because we stick out as tourists) and Squeezy and Cureem found us. Squeezy broke out his guitar and started playing for us, We all started dancing and laughing. Squeezy handed his guitar off to Ben and then he started serenading us with some good 90’s rock.
The sea turtle hunt turned out to be a bust (the locals tell us its because you need to see the “Turtle Star” in the sky and if it is too cloudy and it is obscured, no turtles will come onto land). However, we had a great time and at least for me, the dancing has caused some people in the town to start calling me “Dancer Girl”. I wonder what nicknames will surface for the students in the class.

Sunday May 24

This morning started with a lecture on why the tropics are so diverse followed by an afternoon hike around Bloody Bay River. We found lots of fish species and got to test his underwater camera (it takes pictures and videos and the quality is amazing!). Aaron has a good eye for herps (amphibians and reptiles) and spotted several lizards including a kind referred to as “skinks”.
After the hike it was time to start thinking about food. While local food is amazing, most students discovered it can eat up your three day allowance of 100 TT quickly (which is about $16 US). So, everyone decided to eat in. The only problem with this was that no one really knew how to cook the Mahi Mahi (called “dolphin” here on the island). While I am not going to open a five star restaurant anytime, I fancy myself a decent cook, so I taught them how to cook fish and some vegetables (which they dubbed “Cooking with Liz”). If they learn nothing else from this course, they will at least know how to make Mahi Mahi with a mango sauce and corn.
After dinner the group fractioned in half -Emily, Ben, Araon, and Alex V. played the card game Hearts and the rest moved down to the beach where they met two locals (Squeezy and Cureem). Squeezy serenaded the group with songs and guitar and both told funny stories. Sitting under thousands of stars, waves crashing at your feet, a soft breeze while guitar plays in the background- obviously we are having a rough time here ☺

A few things about the island:
1. Nicknames are common on the island (as evidences by “Squeezy”). Other examples are ‘Iceman”, “Ra-Ra” and “Tim-Tim”,
2. “Lyme” or “Lyming” is slang for hanging out. We get a lot of “Where you lyming tonight?” when we go into town.
3. A “rongotongo” is someone who is tough and won’t back down from a fight.

Saturday May 23, 2009 (The first real day on the island)

Friday was filled with lots of travel, but today was another story. It was our first real foray out into town and nature as a group. The morning started with an intro to the area and “ground rules”, followed by lunch and a drive up Flagstaff hill (an old lookout for pirates back in the day trying to defend against the British).
On Flagstaff hill, we saw a number of birds (including the Mot-Mot, rufus-tailed jacama, and the oropondola for those of you who may be “birders”). We also had our first encounter with the cattle around here. The cows are often tied along the roadside, but most appeared to have broken free and congregated in the middle of the road. You either honk or get out of the car and move them along to pass. We also say banana trees laden with huge bunches of fruit, as well as huge mango trees and almond trees.
After our hike it was back to the cottages for free time. After a quick round of swimming and an encounter with “Andy the Fruit King” (he walks around the beach selling all sorts of fruits and likes to give high fives and laugh almost non-stop), most of the group headed into town to sample the local food. They have one tip when it comes to ordering food here. When you are asked if you want shrimp, chicken, or fish (no menu- just three meat options), choose what you want. When you are asked if you want rice or French fries with it- choose rice! Apparently, if you order French fries, you just get fried fish or chicken and the fries. If you say rice, you get the fish or chicken with a really good sauce, rice and like 8 other sides with it. Everyone agreed the local food was amazing.

Friday May 22, 2009 (The day everyone arrives)

Our second day here started earlier than most will. We (Dr. Lehtinen, Tim, Chase, and myself- the early arrivers), got up around 6:30am to scope out some field sites for Tim and Chase’s IS projects. We headed out to the Doctor’s River which is located between Charlotteville (our town) and Speyside (the next town over). On our two hour hike we had our eyes out for two species- the Bloody Bay Poison frog and a type of guppy. No luck with the guppy, but we did find the frog. It was calling from pools of water formed around a waterfall.
After the hike it was time to head towards Scarborough (largest town on the island) and Crown Point (where the airport is located) to get permits for research, buy cell phones, and pick up the first of the day’s students to arrive- Larken and Alex. The six of us grabbed lunch (chicken and rice- so good!) and then split up. Larken, Alex and Dr. L headed back to Charlotteville to relax and Tim, Chase and I remained around the airport to wait for Emily to arrive at 4:30. After the hour or so drive back to Charlotteville, we made some spaghetti, chatted a bit and then Dr. L and I headed back yet again to the airport to pick up the remaining students (Alex, Ben, Whitney, Heidi, Aaron, and Trip).
While there were no major problems with travel, poor Whitney (on her first time traveling out of the country alone) had a flight delayed leaving Atlanta and just about missed her flight from Trinidad to Tobago. I guess everyone was already on the plane and a local came and found her in the bathroom crying and ran her through customs and everything else at lightning speed so she wouldn’t miss the plane (which was the last one leaving for the night). That gives you an idea of how friendly and helpful most of the Trinibogoninans have been so far.
Well, it has been a late night for all of us (didn’t get home from the airport until after 12am), so more to come tomorrow…

Hi all. I will be updating this blog as frequently as possible with news of our daily adventures, but internet is hard to find on the weekends and the internet cafes are only open when the locals feel like staffing them (so different from states!).

Anyways, everyone is here safe and sound. So far everyone loves it here and agrees the locals are incredibly nice and the scenery is amazing. I will post more soon!

First Day in Tobago- Thursday May 21

After a very long day of traveling, Chase, Tim and myself (Elizabeth- field assistant for the course) have made it safely to Tobago. Tim started around 2:45am, Chase at 4:30am, and myself around 6am, and we all finally arrived at our cottage around 11:20pm last night. Travel from the states to Tobago was relatively uneventful, but that was made up for on the cab ride from the airport to Charlotteville. A few things to know about driving here- they drive on the left, every road is tiny and incredibly windy (I am talking about turns that make you really nervous for what could be around the other side), and everyone drives far too fast. The cab driver didn’t seem phased by it, although the three of us where on the edge of our seats. The three of us were too pumped from the long travel day, crazy cab ride, and the thrill of finally being here that we couldn’t fall asleep right away. So we checked out the ocean (which is a mere 10 feet or so from our cottage) and chatted a bit before falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves and the hum of our fans (no AC).

Today, after waking up to roosters crowing outside my window at 6am, I scoped out the town and made a quick grocery run while the boys were still sleeping and came back to make a breakfast of eggs and toast. I forgot salt and pepper at the store, so the eggs were bland, but edible and good fuel to start our first day’s adventure. We walked into town (which only takes about 5 minutes or so) and along the way noticed lots of stray, but friendly, dogs, cats and chickens roaming the streets. There were a lot of people out and about- children on their way to school dressed in blue jumpers and yellow button-downs, fisherman coming in with their morning haul, and old men standing on street corners bantering about all the people walking by and swapping stories. We walked around for awhile and eventually came upon a little café called, Top River Pearl. We stopped in and Tim and I got big mugs of coffee made from local beans. We both agreed it was strong and delicious. Soon after that we decided we were hot and sticky and that could only mean one thing- time to go romp in the ocean. After applying lots of sunscreen (mostly at my urging because I am a pale redhead and the sun hates me), we jumped into the incredibly clear, warm waters of the Caribbean. We stayed out there for an hour or two throwing a football around with the waves lapping around us (thanks to Chase for bringing a football, a soccer ball and cards to keep us entertained). Obviously, after playing for hours in the sun, we were hungry again. We set out to town again and because we had a great experience with our brief visit to Top River Pearl earlier that morning, we headed there again for lunch. We ordered club sandwiches (slightly different than in the states with more veggies, but we all agreed it was one of the best clubs we have ever tried). Tim ordered a local juice called “Maubry” which tasted a lot like root beer and Chase and I had grapefruit juice. Full and happy we wandered back to our cottage- Chase and Tim are reading and I am of course writing this.

I imagine we will find our way back to the water before the day is over, maybe play some cards, read, explore some of the local flora and fauna, and then either make food here or venture into town for some local flavor. So far the trip is starting out awesome- stay tuned for another update of our adventure tomorrow.

Hello and welcome to the Wooster in Trinidad and Tobago blog! Over the next 3.5 weeks this site will include postings and pictures about our upcoming adventures in T&T. Stay tuned...more to come soon!