myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi we are come to Tobago for Christmas & new year 2012. We where thinking of renting a Suzuki Jimny convertible so we can go sight seeing & get some sun at the same time. If we where to leave such things as snorking gear, beach towels & matts in the car while we where away from it would they get stolen?
Richard

Hi Richard

Welcome aboard.

In a word - yes! But, dont' automatically assume that any such theft will be by locals - visitors can be equally to blame!

Hi Steve
So would we better to get a hard top car in your opinion ?

Or maybe go with the soft top and take a back pack to keep all your gear in. Job done!

Let's put it this way: would you happily park an open vehicle with possessions on the back seat, on Halstead High Street? (No disrespect to Halstead - which I passed through less than an hour ago). Even if the local louts hadn't the remotest idea what the snorkelling gear was, I wouldn't want to guarantee it would still be there when you got back. If you want a soft-top - and they are great when you are on holiday - you must put the top on when you park up and/or take your gear with you.

Convertibles are for temperate countries. If you drive "topless" for a few hours in Tobago,
everybody will suffer severe sunburn and don't even know why.
The possible theft of beach gear is only one of the problems with a convertible
The "Jimneys" are bumpy rides and you will feel a longer excursion in your back the next day.
My recommendation is, if you don't plan to go "offroad", get a normal car with air conditioner.

And, do not forget that showers somes comes Very Quickly..

When we started visiting Tobago the car numbers had just reached 'PBB'.

The commonest form of air conditioning was having all the widows open. Drivers would use the right hand to 'hold the roof on' and the left hand to steer. As nobody would be seen dead in a stick shift car (other than a handful of ancient Morris Minors and Land Rovers) the gears looked after themselves.

Sadly this aspect of island culture is fast disappearing as more and more travel around behind closed, heavily tinted, windows.

Jimny's are fun vehicles within the holiday, wind in the hair, sunglass wearing, spirit but don't forget that Trinidad and Tobago are blessed with a huge choice of economic reliable Japanese cars and a range of MPVs including some very useful models we never find in the UK. Something for everyone.

Would your things get stolen?

Depends on where you park. Some places are a dead cert. for thefts. Others no problem, especially in daylight.

Unfortunately, a Jimny screams out " Tourists with money to burn and probably plenty of goodies lying about waiting to be taken".


Frank