Skip to main content

Tobago

Image
By
This is a chapter from my third book called Love letters

This morning I was walking back home and thinking about all the lovely things I would write about Tobago. A car passes by playing "knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door" and then it occurs to me that reaching Tobago is like knocking on heaven's door. It is our own little paradise. Tobago is where you go to refresh your soul and come back anew.

I would say that Tobago is the better half of Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago's charm is known to many Trinidadians who romanticize about getting away from the curmudgeons of life. I love Trinidad too but just not in the same way. The idyllic island of Tobago is a dream come true for visitors. This little island has captivated the hearts and minds of visitors for a long time.

Things I love about Tobago are the sandy beaches, nature trails, bird watching, food joints, warmth of the people and the laid back life. The phrase, "take only pictures, leave only footsteps" comes to my mind. I would like to see that Tobago's untouched and unspoilt beauty remains through the passage of time and modernity.

My preferred way to get to Tobago is via the fast ferry. The boat trip is in itself an adventure. Speeding along the high seas like a pirate looking for treasure and watching the excited play card games. I have not been to Tobago in seven years and distance and time is making the heart grow fonder. I dream of stepping off the boat on a bright sunny morning on the Port of Scarborough. I dream of walking the roads of Tobago again.

My uncle has a house in Tobago so I am lucky to have free accommodation. My favorite memory is walking from my uncle's house in Sou Sou Lands to Little Rockly Bay. I believe it was a Sunday morning. I had just taken a Panadol to cure a headache I had woken up with. It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies. I walked past quiet neighborhoods of people preparing for Sunday church. I had to pass by the Hampden river to get to the sea. The sky and coconut trees reflected perfectly in the river water. Coconut trees lined the road and the sea shore. That morning I walked eight kilometers in total. That lovely morning is etched in my heart and mind forever.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mental health matters

By
It is 547am and I have decided to write. I have been living with a mental health diagnosis for more than 23 years. I am differently abled. Mental illness sometimes presents itself as a non-visible disability. A person with mental illness may look and function normally. Added to that we do not get to see the struggles happening internally. After 23 years I could say that I have much experience with my condition and may be able to offer words that may help others. There is plenty of stigma associated with mental illness. People think that the mentally ill are bad people, weak, or somehow less deserving of dignity and the treatment of the illness sometimes feels like punishment and is dehumanizing at times. There is plenty of good intentions and well meaning as well (do not get me wrong) but things could be better. And it happens at the highest level. A leader once said, "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." As the saying goes, who knows it feels it. I started a pr...
2 comments
Read more

Drums of freedom

By
It is 401am and I have decided to write. This Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago observes African Emancipation Day. It is a day to celebrate the journey to freedom and to honor those who sacrificed so much so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today. Yet the journey is not over. As we celebrate how far we have come, let us also ask God to open our minds and hearts to the struggles that continue. Freedom is never something we should take for granted. Every day, we witness powerful interests around the world attempting to stifle freedom in pursuit of their own agendas and self-aggrandizement. Too often, they seek to divide in order to conquer. May we resist division with wisdom, courage, and compassion. May unity triumph over hatred, truth over deception, and love over fear. As we remember the past, may we also commit ourselves to protecting the freedoms of the present and building a more just future for generations to come. Happy African Emancipation Day. May God continue to guide us o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Love and joy

By
It is 230pm and I have decided to write. I have no topic but I want to write. I am thinking about God. I am thinking about life. I am grateful for God and life. I need a writing prompt. My friend Chatty gave me a pretty verbose prompt. Sit quietly for a moment and imagine that God asks you only one question: "What have you noticed?" Don't answer with theology. Answer with your life. What have you noticed about joy? About fear? About the way people love? About silence? About time? About your own heart? Where have you sensed God—not in miracles, but in ordinary moments? Where have you struggled to find Him? What has life been teaching you that you were too busy to hear before? Write honestly. Don't try to reach a conclusion. Let the page become a conversation rather than an argument. I immediately noticed the light streaming through the window that allows me to see the world. My first thought was how much we take things for granted. It is easy to feel lacking. To feel s...
Post a Comment
Read more