Saturday, 16 February

Another relaxing day at sea as we sail from the Lesser Antilles toward the coast of Venezuela, for tomorrow's landing in Trinidad (the southernmost of all the Caribbean Islands).  At this morning's tours presentation describing the first three ports in Brazil, I decide to add one more shore excursion to those I booked before sailing.  Since we will be anchoring near a small village about a 45-minute drive from Belem, I think a tour is a good idea, although HAL is providing free shuttle service into the city.

After a lazy Chinese lunch in the Lido--including light-colored hot & sour soup with shrimp (indeed very spicy)--I relax until dinner, which includes excellent aged beef carpaccio and lightly breaded chicken cacciatore (unfortunately the first dish which tasted overly salted--but I ate it anyway).  Since I napped in the afternoon I was able to stay awake for the 10pm show, starring the "Unexpected Boys," a quartet of not-unattractive young men from New Jersey, singing Broadway and Frankie Valle songs.

Sunday, 17 February

I awake just as we are sailing into Port-of-Spain, Trinidad (formally Trinidad and Tobago), harbor.  The city looks very industrial, with many multi-story commercial structures, but the surrounding hillsides provide welcome relief in varying shades of green.  I have room service breakfast in order to make my early morning shore excursion, but then face a long waiting line as the local authorities take their time in clearing the ship for entry.  The excursion begins with a drive through the city center, with everyone very busy getting ready for tonight's start of Carnivaal.  In Trinidad, Carnivaal
 is associated primarily with the celebration of the two-island 
nation's independence in 1962, rather than the spiritual associations of Rio's Carnivaal which is tied more closely to the pre-Easter calendar and thus on different dates.

The tour continues through more residential parts of POS, including one Strret where rich merchants built mansions in various European and Asian styles at the start of the 20th century.  We stop for a brief tour of the lovely Botanical Gardens, a tranquil spot in an otherwise crowded and hectic city, but we can still hear the drums of bands practicing for tonight's festivities.  After this stop we drive out of the city and up into the hills for a panoramic view of city and sea before continuing into the countryside for a visit to the hillside St Benedict's Convent.

But you will have to wait for the next posting for a continuation and the next day's adventures in Tobago.