Liming...

In Trinidad, getting together with friends for food and drinks is a significant part of the culture. The call it "liming". Or, "goin' for a lime wit me bruddas." Two of the most popular spots are the beach and the river. Beaches in Trinidad are not as extravagant or "touristy" as most of the Caribbean. Trinidad depends on the petroleum industry as opposed to the tourist industry. It's sister island, Tobago, is more typical of the Caribbean tourist spots. I haven't been to Tobago yet, although it only costs about US$16 for a 2 hour boat ride to go over there. If I can just get some time set aside I plan on going over and checking it out. I'll post some pictures when I do.

However, Trinidad does have a couple of beaches that I enjoy. The most popular on the island is Maracas Bay. I've got a picture of it below.


The other place they like to go is the river. A family that has befriended me at Church, the Rojas, took me to the river for a lime. It's called the Coura river and is real popular.



Food is always a big part of Trini activities. They bring these big iron pots and either cook them over an iron gas grill that they drag along, or the build a campfire out of dried bamboo and cook their meals over that. Almost everything they cook is in the big iron pots. A couple of favorites are "pelau" and "fish broth", pictured below.


By the way, here is a picture of the Rojas family. The kids kind of adopted me and call me Uncle Dan. I think it's because I invite them over to swim in the pool here at my apartment.