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A pleasant surprise

Published:Sunday | September 26, 2010 | 12:00 AM
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Our driver (and comedian) Carl Gajadhar stops for a pic.
The Anglican archbishop's residence.
The prestigious Queen's Royal College, part of the 'magnificent seven'.
The majestic Centre for the Performing Arts hosts everything from ballet recitals to soca concerts. - Photos by Daviot Kelly
If you're looking for a spicy or salty treat up at Look Out, just check Rollie John, who's been selling his stuff for about six years.
The view from Look Out gives you a great shot of the Queen's Park Savannah.
The people's pan man, Trevor Alexis, performs at his usual spot. Drop a few Trini dollars in his pouch if you like his musical offering.
The architecturally awesome Hyatt Regency where the Flow's World expo was held.
A section of the well-kept Brian Lara Promenade; perfect for taking a stroll and seeing the business district of the city.
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Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Surprises can sometimes be a good thing. The plan for visiting Jamaican journalists to Flow's World expo at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, didn't involve a trek around the capital with a tour guide. But the Flow folks thought it would be ludicrous to bring visiting journalists to the capital of the soca island and not show them around, even for a little.

So on Friday, September 17, members of the media team were given a little tour. Our first spot, Look Out. We ask the driver Carl Gajadhar if their lookout point is pretty much like ours in terms of what some people do when they get there.

"Not anymore, 'cause they would have too much of an audience," he cracked. Ask him about most things, he has a joke for it, even if it's about Trinidad's overly-talked-about crime rate. Look Out is a peaceful place that gives you a panoramic view of the city including the famed Queen's Park Savannah. Up there we met Rollie John who sells everything spiced, from pineapple and mango to cherries. According to Denise Williams, proud Trini and Flow public relations manager in Jamaica, Trinidadians put salt and pepper on everything and Rollie proved her right.

The magnificent seven

After descending, we take a combination of twists and turns to see some of the city's fine buildings. The Centre for the Performing Arts looks a lot like the Bird's Nest in Beijing and other new buildings intermingle with those built in centuries past. There is a corridor of structures known as the 'magnificent seven' that are the clearest signs of the island's colonial past.

"It's more like the magnificent one because only Queen's Royal College looks good," Gajadhar joked again. The college is to Trinis what Jamaica College is here; a prestigious boys' school that goes way back. Other places along the strip include the Anglican archbishop's residence and Stollmeyer's Castle. Other glimpses included the Botanical Gardens, and Williams, who has lived in Jamaica for 15 years, explains that the main shopping district where you get all the good deals is set up in grids, just like downtown Kingston.

Speaking of Kingston, we note the other similarities between Port-of-Spain and our capital city. We passed homeless people, traffic and street vendors; just like home. But for us, Port-of-Spain is much cleaner! What was slightly surprising was that the land of soca, at least where we went, wasn't playing any. The radios gave us a mix of pop, alternative, contemporary and more than a helping of dancehall.

If we didn't know better, we'd think we were home.


Daviot Kelly's trip to Trinidad was sponsored by Flow Jamaica.

daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com