Word of Caution

[Barry]

My family and I have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Tobago. We were completely captivated by the island and its inhabitants, their friendliness, generosity and welcoming smiles. Despite this I would like to remind people that they are still in the real world. The day we left, local radio was reporting that a couple from Miami were incautious enough to pick up two adult males travelling from Crown Point to Scarborough - I don't know the time of day. The two men overpowered them at knifepoint, stole money and credit cards, locked them in the boot and drove off in the car. Luckily they managed to open the boot and jump from the moving vehicle.

Prior to this, on the odd occasion that we listened to local radio, the most serious reported crime was the theft of $2,000TT worth of Tarpaulin from the back of a lorry. From everything I have read and from my experiences serious crime is rare in Tobago - but it does happen. Common sense dictates that you should exercise similar precautions to those you would at home - I know Steve has frequently advised this.

On the face of it, the actions of the two Americans may seem foolhardy but it is easy to get caught up in the overall benign atmosphere that permeates life in Tobago.

Just remember, there are scum-bags everywhere - even on Tobago.

[Bren Tierney]

Hey Barry,

Very well put and the comments about 'having your wits about you' are apposite. Alas, it sounds like our American cousins were guilty of possible naivity, which thankfully didn't lead to anything more serious than skinned-knees/elbows, loss of wallets and dented pride, and possibly shock, but it could have been worse. Invariably Americans are open and gregarious folks with a natural ability to be helpful (offering a lift), so it's unfortunate that this ended up coming back to bite them. Lesson learnt.

I do have to agree strongly though (as you drive in-country through major traffic inter-sections and try not to interrupt the local's game of cricket) that invariably, the worst crime a Tobagan can be accused of is incorrectly umpiring a game of cricket and calling someone out when they aren't!

We hooked up with the minibar waiter from our place (the Hilton Tobago), no names no pack-drill, and he took us in his own car, on his days off and when we weren't diving, to the rain forests and other more 'local' townships and villages. And other than being offered a great laugh (everyone on Tobago seems to want to laugh at just about anything, it's in their nature to be happy) and some of the 'local tobacco', we never once felt insecure or at risk, even in the market in Scarborough.

I guess it comes down to a situation where you meet and deal with people who have, palpably, something to lose if things g sour: in our case, had we met with any mishap, then our 'guide' would have been for the high-jump, lost his job and been in all manner of grief with the local police. In the Americans' case, they met two unknowns by the side of the road whom they didn't know from Adam and with what to lose in the even of it all going wrong? Nothing.

Thankfully, Tobago is, geographically as well as culturally, very far removed places like Kingston, Jamaica, and long may it be the case.