Im trinidadian and I personally love the festivals in Trinidad i haven’t been There since a kid but it was so many vibrant colors and so many festivities. I remember it was all good vibes. I wanna Go back now but it’s so much going on in the city that my family don’t want me to go back . But they send me post cards and video chat me at the festivals. We have festivals here in Rochester called the Carifest and it’s sooo fun it makes me feel like I’m back in Trinidad and it’s so much things to do great food they bring people from the Caribbean to play dancehall and soca music. I love to rep my country because I get to be around all my people and just enjoy everything. my Mom’s friend actually went to Trinidad recently and said that she was over prepared because people “ weren’t wearing enough clothes “ she loved it and she didn’t even know that she was actually hanging with my family the whole time. We are planning to go to Trinidad next summer to visit them and I’m sooo excited to see my brother and enjoy my beloved country. So much wild life and new experiences to participate in. I actually am planning to be apart of the parade and I cant Wait to wear my headdress. I really hope we really do go because it’s long over do .The carifest has been going on for many years in Rochester New York and it’s really a big thing for the community it had lost a lot of funding so it was one year that they didn’t do it but ever since then it’s been back and it won’t go nowhere no time soon.
Too bad this delightful, observant, lovely woman has to travel at such a "breakneck" speed. Imagine what she could write if given a week or two of time to reflect. This series just makes travel seem exhausting.
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I am really enjoying this series and love the writing. It's refreshing to read honest accounts of vacation spots, the good and the bad, and it's good to be forewarned of high crime areas and tourist traps. Love the pictures of the Trinidad mas costumes. Jada often finds friendly people to help her navigate her unfamiliar surroundings. Looking forward to more especially her visit to India where I will be traveling soon.
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I read each dispatch and get the feeling that Ms. Yuan is seriously overwhelmed. It's not actually enjoyable to read this series. It's stressful.
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I have an honest admiration for how ambitious this series is. I don't imagine this being an easy schedule. But, I do believe that a golden opportunity is being missed by the writer to go beyond the cliched and predictable to truly deliver a perspective befitting The Times and its readership. 'Carnival in Trinidad' has been done scores of times and has become the most expected topic for anyone to write about the place. Next is the crime. Again, I admit, this is a very ambitious undertaking, but, its my opinion that the pieces can benefit from better preparation and observation to give a more balanced, less repetitious view of the places on the hit-list.
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I’ve read all the posts by Ms. Yuan on her travels.
In at least two of them, she has managed how stressed she is by the travel and how much time is being spent planning for the next trip or trips at the place she is currently in.
There’s little insight or seeming enjoyment of where she is at each location. I love the Times 52 places report each year (and base some of my travel on their recommendations), but I’ve gotten nothing out of Ms. Yuan’s reports.
Next time, get two travelers to split the trips so they can spend more time in a location and actually experience it. And maybe get writers who can do better than an amateur blog report.
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One of our fondest memories of a Trinidad -- probably 30 ears ago now -- was a visit to the Asa Wright Nature Center. There is a verandah overlooking a vast forest/valley, and the most beautiful birds come to feast on the fruit that is put out to attract them for visitors, including mostly bird watchers and nature photographers. It was a magical afternoon that we will never forget.
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Amen to that. The northern mountains of Trinidad are a universe apart from the hustle and bustle of Port of Spain. And Asa Wright Nature Centre (not Center) is a gem, a model of how to run an ecolodge - not ostentatious luxury, but simpler comfort in a wondrous, serene tropical forest setting. Been there 6 times and am eager to return yet again.
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The robber had been “casing” me
I’m puzzled by the writer’s reference to “the natives” in this piece. I’m not sure to whom exactly she is referring. Or perhaps, this piece was written as an example of writing that would have been done 60 years ago.
- Mystified
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We refer to other New Yorkers as natives all the time. I know what you are getting at but I'm pretty sure Ms. Yuan ust meant "the people who live there".
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What a fun, debauchery. It is to be expected. Historic English explorer Sir Richard Burton (1820-1890) said it best "These children of passion and instinct, in the slightest interim, act out the terrible deed, and, as readily repent, when reflection returns." It's what they do..
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I've read every one of Yuan's weekly pieces here, and reliably, there are comments that imply her personal experiences are shallow, misguided, or just plain wrong.
I think these responses come from a jealous place, as this is indeed a dream job for anyone who is truly interested in travel.
I haven't been to most of these places and I look forward to the flashes of experience, insight, interactions. Why not give the writer the benefit of the doubt, instead of laying in wait each week?
She is a wonderful writer, and I love reading about what impressed her the most in this very whirlwind timeframe.
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So far these blogs have bee pretty useless. The only thing I really got out of this one was that Trinidad isn't very safe, especially for a woman traveling alone, and that St. Lucia might be a relaxing vacation, but she wasn't there long enough to really find out.
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Indeed. Yuan's writing comes across as sophomoric at best. She throws in cute lines here and there, brags about visiting 10 years ago during a sailing trip, mentions the lack of clothing far too many times and complains about having difficulties making an Instagram post.
This one can be summed up as: She took a cab ride and then hung out at a bar.
Yuan suffers from "clear" syndrome. "That became clear", "to be clear", "let me make this clear" and other similar phrases using the word "clear" are to the English language as to what syphilis is to the human body.
Instead of "That became clear" in the first paragraph, with something like "And found I was when my taxi..." or "I experienced this first hand when my taxi..."
In football they have backup quarterbacks. In hockey there are backup goaltenders. Can we get a backup "writer" for this series?
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I live on the Island of Bonaire, which is not far from Trinidad. Since Trinidad is close by, I thought that I might visit sometime. After reading this article, I did some web searches on Trinidad. The crime rate in Trinidad is eye popping. There are about 40 to 50 murders a month in Trinidad. Visitors are cautioned against visiting remote beaches, because they could become victims of crime. There are reports of home invasions at short term rental properties, and visitors are cautioned to only rent at properties that are guarded, walled and gated. There are reports of car jackings and visitors being robbed at ATMs. After reading about crime in Trinidad, I decided against ever visiting. In contrast, Bonaire is peaceful and, compared to Trinidad, crime is rare.
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I visited Bonaire over this past Christmas and I LOVED IT! You truly live in paradise!
Love all these dispatches....too bad the Times couldn't give you two years to check out these places, stay a bit longer, meander, relax, etc. Alas, it's a job, right? And writers have deadlines. :)
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FIrst of all people need to realize that the peaceful islands of yesteryear are no longer. Trinidad is one of the most industrialized country in the third world. I believe we are the largest exporter of natural gas to the US. And yes with an oil economy corruption is rife and our position right off the coast of Venezuela and our open seas make the island a major drug toute. Use common sense. There are places here where I live in the States that I will not ever venture out at night. The same goes for Trinidad. There is much to enjoy including the bird sanctuary, the scarlet Ibis, other cultural events including incredible art and artistry, but please don't go anywhere thinking it is all sand, sun and rum punches.
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It's a very outdated statistic that we (Trinidad) are the largest exporter of natural gas to the US. We have not exported LNG to the US in any substantial quantity for more than ten years. The current statistic is rather much more dismal. We scarcely have sufficient gas to keep all of our LNG trains running and the US is within grasp of soon becoming the world's largest exporter of LNG. I've lived in rural Trinidad for 34 years just up until 2016 and worked in the energy industry as an Analyst during my last 9 years there. I cannot honestly say there are ANY areas in Trinidad where I feel safe venturing, even the rural and gated ones. It is woefully common to read and hear instances of working professionals being tailed home from work and attacked in their own homes. Many of these go unreported but show up on social media sites as advisories from victims to other citizens. Many young professionals hoping to start families are considering migration options. This ought to be as sobering a fact as can be needed to realize that we aren't the Trinidad we used to be.
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We took a family cruise that stopped at St.Lucia several years ago and since then I vowed NEVER TO STEP FOOT ON THAT ISLAND EVER AGAIN! We were harassed by the locals at every single turn. When we boarded the bus that would take us to the beach the workers were rude and unpleasant. When we arrived at the beach we were CONSTANTLY harassed by young men in groups who wanted us to buy things from them. They would not leave us alone. My husband found a conch and one of the men on the island tried to force my husband to give it to him. It was so bad that another group of people on our cruise ship bonded together with our group just for some sort of safety as they too were being harassed. I thought that we were going to be robbed or beat up on that beach. I am a New Yorker born and raised but I don't think I have ever felt more threatened and uncomfortable in my life. I was shaking the entire time I was there. My advice to anyone who is thinking of visiting is to be very very careful.... Do your research and homework well. And beware of the stray dogs they are everywhere.
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St. Lucia is not safe either. I spent three months there in Marigot Bay, and 90% the villas (including the one I stayed in) are surrounded by high fences topped with razor wire and have guard dogs and video cameras. If you can overlook the open sewers in Soufriere and Castries, and the shanty towns in between, I guess you could call it 'nice.'
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After reading a few of these columns, I'm not sure this "52 places in a year" assignment is such a good idea. This is the third column I've read where I just get the sense that this reporter is rushing around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to cover these destinations. The reporting is pretty light and the insights that help make good travel pieces useful is missing. You just need more time on the ground. Reading about a harried person's few hours on the ground is not very interesting Slow it down!
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Agree! Top 10 is plenty.
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I completely agree! I feel the anxiety of rushing through each location far more than the joy of exploring somewhere new. Maybe they should have gone with two writers to allow for more enjoyable reporting.
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A travel warning has been issue by the State Department for Trinidad and Tobago, which advises tourists from venturing into Port of Spain after dark and to take other precautions because of gang activity and the potential for terrorism. In fact, the US military prevented a terrorist attack the Carnival this year. Travel but be safe. Cheers!
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladviso...
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/09/politics/trinidad-carnival-terror-attack-...
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Chattanooga ...love that city ...but as for boutique hotels you missed the original..The Bluff View Inn and also I think the Chattanooga hotel is nicer than the Westin.
I am so enjoying the 52 Places Traveler series. It's the first article I read each Tuesday. Thanks Jada Yuan for sharing your personal odyssey. I don't do Instagram but want to let you know you have a fan.
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Luckily you were looked after in Trinidad by locals who spontaneously protected you, as they often do with foreigners. What a shame you didn't have time to see more of this beautiful island and it's incredible kaleidoscope of people, the vast majority of whom are god-fearing, fun-loving, kind-hearted souls.
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The dangers of Port of Spain should not be underestimated. The Carnival may be beautiful, but one should also have a high tolerance for the stray dogs, etc that roam the city. The hotel I stayed in was very nice -- it was surrounded by a wall with razor wire. I'd be careful about encouraging the "average tourist" to visit.
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Jada, this piece captures the joy you experienced in these vibrant islands. Kudos to the Times for its position on encouraging travel to places devastated by the latest hurricane.
Women in particular should be extremely cautious when travelling to the Caribbean islands, based on my experience. And always verify that the form of payment at the hotel you will be staying at! No one should risk going to an ATM at night.
I look forward to your upcoming article on Puerto Rico!
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