I'm in Trinidad this week. So let's do the geek-travel check list:

1. Cell Service? Yes. Roaming on Digicell (I found out that Digicell just started here recently, and previous to that time there was a monopoly run by the TTST, which is 51% state-owned). I heard there's a buck-a-minute surcharge, but I don't really care. I'm on business travel! (Note to upper-crust work types that may read this, and you know who you are, you didn't read this).
2. SMS? Yes. Multimedia SMS? No - so no pix via cell phone. I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way (snap-snap, download, upload) to get you some quality Trinidad, digitally.
3. Blackberry? No. So no checking of the work email.
4. Internet Access? Well, you're reading this aren't you? So that's a yes - the Courtyard here has complimentary WiFi, and I also wrangled a complimentary beer from the front desk - I am that good!

Now that's out of the way. I travelled from Fort Myers to Miami on a puddle jumper, which was kinda nice. The trip flies over mostly uninhabited swamp (a/k/a the Everglades), which is pretty neat to see. I had to wait around in Miami for about two hours, and I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't much care for Miami, it's traffic, it's airports and the general attitude over there. It's a strange vibe that I just don't get. Perhaps the fact that I got my laptop stolen there might have something to do with that. At any rate, let's just say there's no fear of me pulling up stakes and moving to Miami any time soon, for anything. But don't get me wrong, I know some nice people in Miami, but 5 out of 2 million isn't that great.

Alright, enough on Miami and it's seedy airport (at least the international terminal for American Airlines anyway)...off to Trinidad! And business class at that. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean (and why not?) on the ol' iPod, and read X-Men Ultimates volume one. I think I'm going to get back into reading comics again, now that I have all this free time on my hands :) The flight was uneventful, that is, until landing.

When I travel internationally, I do so as a seasoned traveller - I don't dress up for plane flights since this is not 1960 - so I typically tell the customs people that I'm here for vacationing. And by that, I mean spending big bucks and not taking work away from the indigenous people. That goes for when I'm on business too. But I wimped out this time and told the guy I was here for some business meetings, and then he asked to see my return itinerary. Of course, I'm living in the age of electronics! It's in an email somewhere, I'm sure...I mean, I'm pretty green so I don't print stuff out unless I have to - so no, I didn't have a printed itinerary. Luckily Yvette had one.

So, we got past customs. Y and I are walking down the hall and all the lights in the airport go out for about 5 seconds. And when I say all, I mean all. No emergency lights or anything. So that was a bit of a scare. Y grabbed onto my arm and screamed like a little girl for a bit - but let's face it, she's not that tall, so that's not unexpected. As I was reaching into my pocket for my trusty Treo flashlight (a/k/a screen of backlit-goodness), the lights got power again, and all was good. Or so it seemed. I don't think there's much in the way of backup power around the airport in Port of Spain - or perhaps they just shut things down after 9pm: the lights were mostly out in the bathrooms, taxi stand, and outside the airport. So, overall, the airport experience was only slightly seedy and unnerving. Then comes the taxi ride.

I had to stop by the ATM at the airport - I only had a few USD, and no TTD. I read in my Rough Guide to Trinidad & Tobago that the cab ride from the airport to the hotel should be USD$30, and that's exactly what the driver quoted. That wasn't so bad. The cab was an old BMW 5 series diesel from about 1986, white, with a maroon velour interior, and power windows! I noticed there was no air freshener - no crown-in-the-rear-deck, no evergreen tree rear-view mirror hanger, no nothing. That was not such a big deal, and I found out why later. We loaded the suitcases into the trunk and hopped aboard. The taxi started on the second try, which isn't bad for a 20 year old diesel. Apparently the cabbie was ready for this, because he didn't shut his door until the car started. Oh, and FYI - this is a left-side-driving, right-side-seated country. So we're off like a herd of...something that herds. I whipped out the laptop and GPS to track our progress (not that it mattered because I haven't installed Eartha Explorer on this laptop, so I basically got GPS tracking information and little else. I did manage to see that we drove about 40mph for most of the trip).

Y and I traded tidbits we learned about Trinidad prior to the trip. I noted the leatherback sea turtle nesting grounds on the north side of the island, and the roti sandwich stands. Y informed me that Trinis love them some fried chicken! KFC is the fast-food restaurant of choice on the island - so much so in fact that Trinidad has the highest KFC per capita in the world. I would've thought we could beat that in the southern US, but hey, I've been wrong before...once.

So we're tooling off down Churchill-Roosevelt Parkway, and that's when we are treated to a veritable, no, friggin' cornucopia of nasal delight! Perhaps delight is too strong a word. No, the word I require is more like...yes, that's it: we were treated to a friggin' cornucopia of olfactory overload! It started first with the diesel fumes, and the Jet A fuel from the airport... then we passed a swamp...then a chicken farm...then some sort of chicken processing plant, which we learned was a KFC warehouse/facility (for what, I don't know...chicken nugget fabrication? I don't eat KFC so I have no clue what's on the menu... chicken lips and toes for all I knows). Anyway, then there was a bit of skunk for a bit. Then more diesel, this time from a bus or two and an old truck. And the grand finale: a garbage dump. Literally. Right on the highway. Which got me to thinking: Curacao, for all it's polarity, was actually a pretty nice island. Sure, there were really poor people, and really rich people, but overall the land was nice. Yeah, there are a lot of petroleum processing plants, but that's mainly in Willemstad. I like Curacao.

Thus far, I am not so enamored of Trinidad. Granted, I've seen it from the back of a cab, for 30 minutes, at night, after two plane trips and waiting around and being tired. So I'll hold off on judgment just yet - after all, who knows what lies in store when the sun comes up...