LSCC Caribbean tour: Day 15 – the final knockings
By Tour Correspondent Eric Shadick
Farewell at last to the Hilton, its lovely omelette lady at breakfast and its less attractive expense account clients. Farewell too to the hustle and bustle of Port of Spain’s traffic – we’re going back to Tobago, man!
And in no time we’re there. There’s been a power cut all morning on the island, so Biggs’ hasn’t opened yet. Never mind, Drunken Joe’s is, and they apologise for the beers not being as cold as they should be. No matter, there’s Lovers’ Rock on the sound system and a chance to chill out watching the world go by at the crossroads.
I never fully understood the reasons behind our varying travel arrangements between the islands, but eventually Reg, Terry and Andy join us. They’re followed by Wath and Christine who’ve been enjoying the Toucan’s pool and they report that Diane is now waiting for us at Biggs’. Time is running out, but we have to go. All too soon we must say goodbye and return to the airport for the eight hour flight back to cold and rainy Gatwick.
At the end of Lord of the Flies, Ralph’s rescuer assumes that the kids have been having ‘fun and games’ and asks with a smile whether any boys died. “Only two” is the answer. If you’re familiar with the story, you’ll know that it certainly hasn’t been fun and games for Ralph, unlike our time in Trinidad and Tobago, but we won’t forget that someone did indeed die during it all. By all accounts, though, Peter Clerk was a life and soul sort of guy, so he’d probably have wanted us to continue our merry way.
And what a time it’s been! If it’s not on the web site, then it must be on Facebook, and if you haven’t seen it yet, have a look at the video of the one-sided confrontation between Andy Jones and the southern lapwings on the golf course. Thank you organisers, fellow tourists, opponents, bar staff and taxi drivers for a great two weeks. This is day 15 signing off.
Editor’s note: Thanks Eric for the daily updates – they have been invaluable notes from a great tour. And thanks to Richard Kembery for the photo (Eric is 2nd left)
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