myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Dear Terence

To come to the conclusion that you have reached must have taken a lot of soul-searching and heart-ache. Yours is perhaps the saddest post I have come across on myTobago - excluding that of Andy Harries.

Carnbee has had its share of robberies with threats of violence these past few years - some of it on tourists who should have known better, but also on residents, by those who do not value honesty and Tobago values from within their own community - a minority who are a plague on society.

It makes me wonder how serious about crime prevention the THA are when the police force are still under-staffed and under-funded, when at the same time they spend TT$19m on the purchase of Goat Island.

Some may say that buying back the Island is an investment for the future.
What future when people are robbed and attacked in their own homes, with what seems like increasing frequency, in a quiet suburban area?

I have been the 'victim' of three minor crimes during my 10 visits to Tobago and have accepted that I was a tourist in the wrong place at the wrong time. No confrontations or personal injuries thankfully and I have been able to reconcile these incidents as 'one of those things'.

However - I have thought very long and hard and cannot remember suffering a single incident of crime anywhere else during my 30-odd years of travelling around the world (and I've been to some places with bad reputations) only in Tobago have I or my friends had things stolen whilst on holiday.

I still haven't ruled out further visits to Tobago - we love the island, the people and the fishing is world-class - but I don't wish to expose my wife to a potential situation that you and others have had the great misfortune to experience. I don't wish to tempt fate, so if only for a year or two, we will be giving 'bago a miss I'm sad to say.

I'll get my fix through the forum and that will have to do

All the best
Steve

I sympathise with all the folks that have had problems on their hols / visits. Reading through this thread, and others, made me wonder if problems such as the ones listed here are the same in numerous holiday spots? Perhaps its because this site is such a good source of open information that folks know to the nth degree whats happening.
I'm sure that grotty things also occur all over the place in tourist resorts - be they Tobogo, Spain, wherever, that don't get highlighted / discussed.

Would I visit again - as Steve has said, I will watch and read over the next few months and make a decision for future.

I wonder if Tobago if Tobago tourism are aware of the concern / impact of the many people that are regular visitors?

Steve Pitts wrote:Dear Terence

To come to the conclusion that you have reached must have taken a lot of soul-searching and heart-ache. Yours is perhaps the saddest post I have come across on myTobago - excluding that of Andy Harries.
Steve

Your right there Steve.
My wife is heartbroken and it has shattered my dream.
But would not compare to the courage of the Harries family.

Steve Wooler wrote:Hi Terence
Please be assured that my comments above were not directed at your specific case, of which I have no knowledge.

No problem Steve.
Just wanted to say where I was coming from , so to speak.

I am so sorry that you had a bad experience ,but please don't call that Tobago.The people are good hearted people of various faithes and beliefs,so the minority,usually from a couple of other islands near by are the problem(exceptfor the twins )
David

The disquiet for me is that both the April and September 2007 reports indicated that cutlasses were brandished and that the directly reported incident involved violence.

All over the world tourists and local people can be subject to pick pocketing. We are about to go to Madrid which is notorious for pick pocketing and scams to relieve people of their valuables. As long as you are aware and make it difficult for such practice to take place, then you will be relatively safe. You have to take calculated risks in this life otherwise you would stay at home and go nowhere. And yes, in Madrid, violence comes in the form of bombings and the latest in the last few days two armed opposing gangs slugging it out on the Metro.

As Steve said it is important to take precautions such as locking the door at night. However, we shall be staying at Castara in a property near Blue Mango, where even with a locked door, a determined person could gain entry quite easily. Whilst there should be two other couples in the property, I still have a feeling of vulnerability. It will be our first time in Tobago, and whilst reading other people's comments helps to subdue some of the concerns, I have no real way of understanding the potential risks I and my husband are putting ourselves in.

Saying all that, a few years ago, we visited another small Caribbean island, hired a car and drove to a remote part of the island, near the beach and got out to admire the view. We saw a group of local people down on the beach with fishing boats, and one of them sent a gun shot over our heads. I'm sure it was not aimed directly at us, but was a warning that what they were doing on the beach was no business of ours. We quickly retreated, and did not inform the police.

At least we will be visiting Tobago with our eyes open.

Caroline

Hello Caroline,
At a guess you are going to be staying at the property where we have spent 2 fantastic holidays, and will be going back again in February. I have never felt vulnerable staying there, and we spent every evening sitting on the veranda soaking up the ambiance. The Boathouse restaurant is only a few yards away, with a residential property just over the road from you, so there will always be people close by.

I think you will find that when you get there, you can't help but relax!

Enjoy your holiday, Gill O

Castarians(?) no problem,they will protect you and take the p*** out of you but not hurt you,so feel safe.
David(OOOOOOO so close)

Thanks Gill O for your advice. It made me feel more confident.

Caroline