Dear Tony G.,
No vitriol, maybe a tiny bit of defensiveness. I agree with you almost completely that I do not want anyone else to move to Tobago (or even to visit Tobago!
). It is getting too crowded with American and other tourists and I cringe when I read about the national efforts to promote tourism in Tobago all over the world. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could turn back the clock and let Tobago stay unspoiled and pristine? Our little secret.
But the truth is that it’s too late. There is crack cocaine in Paradise and all the crime that goes with it. Trinis and others are trying to grab their own little piece of it for the same reasons it is so popular worldwide. We can only hope that the changes are made thoughtfully and caringly and that we don’t simply love Tobago to death. I have given serious and ongoing thought to my personal impact on Tobago in general and locally in the village where we live part-time. I am trying to project out to the years when I will be able to stay year-round and speculate how I can give back to the wonderful people there. There are many ways to help including working with others to restore and protect the natural environment and to raise awareness about such issues in Tobago and in the rest of the world.
But to those of you who still insist on coming to visit this place we have fallen so desperately in love with, I promise not to ruin it.
Hugh
I have such faith in your erudite-ness ( erudition?) that I even tried to find it in the dictionary!
