myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi to all Tobago lovers

first please apologize my poor English. But there is no Tobago Forum in Germany and we would like to share our opinions and impressions from the lovely island Tobago with others.

We (my wife Micky, aged 47, and me, Ulrich, aged 49) spent our honeymoon holidays on Tobago from may 7th to may 21st. Our hotel has been the "Kariwak Village" which we can highly recommend to everyone.

What I want to express here: Tobago is a place where we want to be.
Without willing to be a braggart, first I want to say that I´ve been in most parts of Germany of course, in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, France, Italy, South-China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Bali but never felt so welcome, so friendly treated and a such impressive landscape as Tobago.
Of course there have been differences: Immigration procedure on the airport was same as everywhere, not a single smile from the staff.
But the taxi-driver already was friendly and singing, in spite of the very short trip to the hotel.
At "Kariwak Village" a warm welcome but our suit-cases I had to carry myself to our room.
But what a wonderful garden there, palms, flowers, birds etc. How nice it must be if there has not been such a long and extremely dry "no rain period" as it has been this year.
In the first days we rent a car and "explored" the island. And we had very different impressions: Lovely landscapes but also edges being dirty. People there didn´t seem to take care about their environment very much.
Most people along the road greeting friendly and a bit astonished when we waved, but also some not looking so friendly.
So many place worth to stay longer and we first did at "Englishman´s Bay".
Caribian feeling, sunshine, clear water, a coconut falling down from the palm 20 cms beside me, white sand, warm wind - a paradise. But again - empty plastic-bottles and other rubbish only a few meters away from the beach.
Charlotteville - a place seeming to be forgotten from the world.
The road through the rainforest - Micky said: There is something wrong with the car, listen that noise! I stopped and it has been a bird crying so loud. A bit of jungle feeling.
On third or fourth day we went to "Pigeon Point". And we had another impression than that described here at "beaches". Just one safety-guard at the entrance, another walking around the bach. But we made photos and video, noone cared about. Only few people there, a very relaxed and smooth atmosphere, whole area cleaned, clear water, pelicans fishing, a nice place to stay and doing nothing. But the second time being there I walked around the corner where the windsurfers have their place. And there - thousands of empty oil-cans, plastic-bottles, etc. etc. Why the people there destroy their paradise? That was very strange to see.
At "Kariwak Village " after some days we felt to be members of the family. We had a room in the garden, surrounded by palms and flowers, all member sof the staff being friendly and helpful, the meals prepared delicious, a quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
There has been a lot of other impressions during our stay, but Tobago is so special that my English is too poor to decribe all these. I think that Tobago is a place you love or not. Tourists looking only for beach, sun and fun may not feel so good there.
But for us it has been a great experience. For a longer time already we are thinking about to leave Germany - Tobago may be the place to go.
We would be thankful if anyone here could give us advices about living on Tobago. For that please contact us directly by e-mail: [email protected]
By the way, any other Germans here on the board?

Best regards

Ulrich + Micky

Hi Ulrich & Micky

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Tobago with us. You certainly have no need to apologise for your English – you put 99.9% of us Brits to shame.

I had to laugh at your comments about Immigration Officers. Yes, why are they always so unfriendly, everywhere in the world? I must ask my step-daughter – both she and her husband are Immigration Officers at London Heathrow.

Yes, you are quite correct about the litter situation. Remember, however, that MOST of the beach rubbish is left by tourists, not by locals. It is true that the beach areas used by fisherman tend to get scattered with old boats and other detritus that can make them look a bit of a tip, but that’s true of most fishing areas in the world.

I have noticed a substantial increase in the problem of beach refuse over the last few years. I’m sure most people will join me in urging the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to get on top of the problem before these wonderful assets and the reputation of the island are damaged. It is true that the THA can’t do much to educate the inconsiderate tourists, but they could make it easier by providing litter bins. However, I somehow suspect that given the intellect of these litter-bugs, they probably still won’t use the bins.

We were horrified to come across more than a dozen paper plates, cups and empty wine and beer bottles on one of Tobago’s most beautiful beaches – Back Bay. We cleared them up, which was a disgusting job, but I just can’t comprehend the mentality of people that do this. Why do they go to these wonderful beaches if they don’t love the natural, clean, beauty? Surely they themselves are horrified when they see litter? I imagine them returning to the beach a year or two later and cursing the people who left the litter – forgetting that it was themselves. I sometime think I’m not part of this world!

Part of the problem is the undeveloped nature of Tobago. That is one of the island’s most precious commodities, of course, and one of the reasons we love it so much. It just wouldn’t be the same if we had litter bins and beach wardens and other signs of commercialisation at these wonderful deserted beaches.

I think there is an answer, however. Have you visited Pirate’s Bay at Charlotteville? As you arrive at the beach there is a wooden toilet block/changing room. Next to it is a little local ‘shack’ where a guy sells local fruit. Now, I don’t know whether he’s just enterprising or if he is there in some official capacity. However, regardless, he’s a total credit to Tobago. He looks after the beach and visitors, is friendly and helpful, but never hassles you.

The last time we went to Pirate’s Bay beach, there was just one lady swimming alone in the sea. She had left her towel on some rocks. The tide was coming in and the water getting very close to her towel. The guy from the stall wandered over and moved the towel to higher rocks and spread her sarong out so it would dry in the sun. I thought he knew the lady. After her swim, she came over and thanked him. It was obvious that they did not know each other.

Later, I was standing near a fallen tree. Suddenly, part of the rotten trunk broke and fell into the sand. The guy immediately came over and started clearing the rotten wood, saying that he didn’t want anyone to have an accident.

The point of this is that Pirate’s Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches on Tobago. There is not a drop of litter in site, because it is looked after by someone who very obviously cares for the beach. He seems to have genuine pride for his village and Tobago and looks after visitors. The wooden toilet block is discreetly situated, so doesn’t intrude on the natural beauty of the beach and the wooden vendor’s shack almost enhances the rustic feel. You are safe. You are looked after and whether it’s genuine hospitality, a paid job or just local civic pride is totally immaterial.

Now, the situation at Pirate’s Bay made me realise that this is a scenario that could be reproduced at most of Tobago’s lovely beaches as a local government (THA) initiative. The cost of building the wooden changing rooms/toilet and a vendor’s stall are negligible. The ‘warden’ would have the sole rights of maintenance and care of the beach for a basic salary, plus what could be earned from the stall. Not only would it preserve the cleanliness of the beaches, but it would largely solve any security issues – either from visitors swimming in strong currents or near dangerous rocks, or from the occasional toe-rags who steal tourist’s bags on the beach.

Sadly, there appears to be a lack of commitment to tourism in the T&T government. As an oil-producing nation, they consider tourism beneath them. They may feel differently in the THA, but the population of Tobago is only 4% of that of Trinidad and, more importantly, Tobago is a revenue drain rather than a revenue earner. The main T&T government may pay lip service to tourism, but they actually do nothing. Both Tobago and tourism are irrelevant to them. So, little old Tobago struggles on regardless and the best intentions of a lot of local people, both in the THA and general business, are but a drop in the ocean, simply because Tobago is not given the resources to put plans into action.

Anyway, that’s my rant for the day over.

I am genuinely happy that Club Pigeon Point have taken heed of the publicity and reduced the obvious presence of the guards. This is the second report I have heard to this effect, so I will modify our http://www.myTobago.info/beaches.php Beaches section accordingly. Please remember, though, that by visiting Pigeon Point you are unwittingly condoning a situation that prevents local people from free and public access to their own beaches. The owner of Pigeon Point is a very wealthy man (he makes all the Carib and Stag beer, among many other things) and has considerable influence. Money talks, I guess, and this may be why the situation has not been resolved. He can’t legally stop locals wandering up the beach, but he just gives them so much hassle that it’s not worth their while. This is wrong and the only way that the situation will change is if visitors express their disquiet with the situation by refusing to go to Pigeon Point. It can be our way of giving something back to the people of Tobago.

Moving on…

There are a many German-run and/or German-owned businesses, guesthouse and villas on Tobago. Use the search facility and search for posts by Patrick Dankou and Tanja Mohammed of Yes Tourism and Jorg Kilian of Tobago Sunrise (use the Author search). These are also good people to contact if you want to know more about Tobago from a German perspective.

We also have 5 registered users (visitors) from Germany, but only one regularly contributes to the board – Nick Lambert of Trier. To be honest, I am not convinced that Nick is a genuine German. I think he’s either English or from outer space! If you want to see the board from a German perspective, see the topic “information for and from airlines…” just a couple of posts down this General Questions forum.


Joking aside, your question did get me thinking, wondering about the demographics of our membership. The new forum board has only been running for eight weeks, so the current 225 registered users isn’t necessarily a representative sample. Of course, not all these users have posted messages. Many people register simply to use the “watch” facility so that they will get email notification of posts in topics that interest them. However, it’s still interesting to look at the user demographics:

• United Kingdom (*1) – 61%
  Trinidad & Tobago (*2) – 16%
  North America (*3) – 14%
  Central Europe (*4) – 8%
  Rest of World (*5) – 1%

Membership Numbers:

• *1 - England - 125 members; Wales – 8; Scotland – 4; Northern Ireland – 1
  *2 – Tobago – 26; Trinidad – 11
  *3 – USA – 21; Canada – 10
  *4 – Germany – 6; Holland – 2; Norway – 6; Denmark – 1; Sweden – 1; Czech Republic – 1
  *5 – Saudia Arabia – 1; China – 1

It will be interesting to see how this alters over coming months as the board develops. We are in the low season now and people are more interested in their Summer holidays than Winter holidays, so it’s a slack time for the site, but readership continues to grow, month-on-month, and I know from previous year’s statistics that volume should rise sharply from July.

Anyway, I've rabbited on enough. Thanks for sharing your views with us and keep smiling!

Wow - never expected such a reaction!

Dear Steve,

it seems as if people who love Tobago are different.
In your answer you treat us friendly and welcomed though we never heard or seen each other before. Also we already received an e-mail from a gentleman who is willing to help us with advices about living on Tobago.
And that was same on Tobago itself.
The Tai Chi instructor at "Kariwak Village" and his lifemate became friends within some days (maybe it helped that I´m a Tai Chi instructor in Germany). They even came to the airport at departure-time to say good-bye, and - the flight was late three hours. So we could spend some more time together.

Our time on Tobago has been much too short to allow a final statement about people there and their behaviour in environment questions. But what we´ve seen that there is much to do. Maybe the way as the "Seychelles" are running this matter could be a solution.

Finally I want to say for now that you and your wife did a great job by creating this board and we will be guests often.

Have a good time

Ulrich

Hi Ulrich

Sorry, that was rather a long one, wasn’t it? We call it verbal diarrhoea in English. Fortunately I’m a fast touch typist, but my fingers were having trouble keeping pace with my mind.

Yes, I think there is something different about Tobago - and in turn the people who love it. There always has been. So, it attracts those people who value those things. It costs nothing to be polite and friendly. I live in a urban country district and walk my dog every day. I go past houses now occupied by people from the cities. Most of them won’t even bid you “Good day!”. I refuse to allow this. I still call back “Good Day” no matter how many times they have ignored me. It becomes quite funny seeing how embarassed they become. One or two are now starting to nod their head. We are winning!!!!

I was interested by your comment about the way the Seychelles are handling the problem of litter (I assume). I only went to the Seychelles (Mahé) about 15 years ago and didn’t like it particularly (wrong island, I know), so have no knowledge. How are they handling the problem?

Keep smiling

Dear Steve,

it´s funny to hear about your experiences when being out with your dog and say "Good morning" or just "Hallo" to people passing by. The same I do (the difference is we have two dogs) and first people are astonished but then mostly smile and also say "Hallo".

About "Seychelles" I only know from a forum here in Germany. When thinking about where to go for honeymoon holidays I tried to find informations there. As far as I understood the government there have their focus on tourism-industy, but try to be away from mass-tourism. That might be cause they don´t have other incomes like TT with oil-industry. They spend a lot of money keeping beaches etc. clean and also have a maximum of visitors. But on the other side they keep prices very high by taxes. That has been one the reasons not to go there and also some at the forum told that native people there are not so friendly and only trying to earn money from their visitors and not welcome them as friends.

So there are two sides of the medal. But the idea to take care about environment is good anyway. Maybe Tobago people can find their own way.
Our impressions are very fresh but we´ll keep going on thinking about to go to Tobago and see what we can do there (for Tobago and for ourselves).

Keep smiling too

Ulrich

Steve, regarding the litter problem I found an interesting solution last year on a gulet cruise in turkey - all tourist boat operators and fishermen cleared up any mess found in the coves and beaches - having been made to realise their living depended on these remaining beautiful and clean!

Hi Sue – welcome aboard!

When you said gullet boat, I thought it was a typo and you actually meant “gullet”. Noticing that you were British, I assumed that meant some sort of “pig-out” cruise (if you were French, I would naturally have assumed it was a gastronomic cruise). However, Jill has just taken great delight in telling me how ignorant I am, not knowing that a “gullet” is a traditionally designed motorised wooden sailing vessel found in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Yes, this is where the Tobago local government, the THA, need to educate everyone in Tobago. With all due respect, they have nothing but tourism. If they don’t look after their asset, it will eventually jump up and bite them on the backside. Tobagonians are all so proud of their island, so it amazes me that they allow this situation to go unresolved. With an official unemployment rate of 25% (and actual unemployment considerably higher), they could easily and cheaply handle a regular clean-up program. Sadly, it seems to be down to a lack of commitment.

Ulrich, my wife Jill started me doing the same as she does – giving the big “Hello” - at supermarket check-outs. I don’t know about Germany, but here all the check-out assistants have long miserable faces (probably because of the boredom of the job). It’s amazing to see them ‘perk’ up and start smiling when you talk to them and make a little joke. It’s nice to leave people smiling. It costs nothing!

Did I here my name - OK here I am...Deutschlands most aktive mytobago-forum-poster....

Hallo Ulrich, hi to all the others!
How glad I was to read about someone elses expieriences with falling coconuts (see my regular attachment)! 20 centimeters - sometimes mutch for a man, but so little for a life! But, as already posted, death by falling coconut at Englishman-Bay wouldn't be the worst way to say a final goodbye to my touristic activities.

Back to the serious beaches, as we say in "outer space": Luise Kimme could be the right adress to get some information about living in Tobago. She is a really nice, dynamic lady & artist with her own and very impressive museum at Bethel. to contact something like luise-kimme.de /com . Google ore will help you.
Grüße von Tobago-Liebhaber zu Tobago-Liebhaber
Nick