12 hrs, 10.4 kms

Once again I'm flying over a country with easiy recognizeable geography . I can visually trace the hiking route I took from Port of Spain to Chaguaramas. Once again I hop on the bus from the airport to the city (buying the ticket in advance this time!) And once again I make the journey from Port of Spain to Petit Valley (in a van, not on foot this time!) I'm going to do some exploring during my last 2 days, but I'm not going to take any big risks--I'd hate to spoil this trip that has gone so well thus far.

After dropping off my stuff at Tony's Guesthouse, I head back into Port of Spain to finish exploring the city (it hasn't even been officially Parkbenched yet) On my way I realize I missed some of the most interesting parts--like the main shopping area, the cathedral and the new auditorium which is the most visible landmark from the air. I guess I don't really need to rush around cramming in new towns--I've done plenty of that. Let's just take our time and soak in Port of Spain.

I start with the cathedral, then work may way down Charlotte streets, bursting with activity ... sometimes ducking into one of the indoor galleries that take you from one street to another. One of my missions of the day is to enjoy all the delicious Caribbean snacks that I'm going to miss once I leave. The bread pudding is as good as ever, but the jerk chicken is a bit disappointing.

Down where the high rise government buildings are along the shore, there are a series of bas-relief murals telling of the contributions of the various cultures that make up what is now Trinidad. For the native Carib, the picture is of them hunting... for the South Asians, images of women dancing, drum playing, sitar playing and elephants... for the Arabs, images of women belly dancing, a guy shaving a kebab... a fat Arab smoking a shisha...

Wait a minute... is this mural really about cultural contributions, or just annoying stereotypes? Anyways...

Nearby is another monument to all the Trinidadians who have won Olympic medals--which is quite an impressive list for such a small country...

I head back up north to check out the very modern and stylish auditorium made of huge arched metal tubes and glass... looks pretty expensive... Finally I do take my videoclip in a plaza with a monument to some British guy (I forget who...) and figure, I'm good... I've explored Port of Spain.