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given race names like Dragonfly and Spring Feet. On Easter
Monday and Tuesday the goats, dressed in colored coats,
race along a track, urged on by barefoot jockeys pulling long
ropes. Crab races are also held, should the goats not provide
sufficient amusement.

I did manage to snag several
beach hours at Tobago’s
lovely Pigeon Point, where
activities included paddle
boarding, kayaking, kite
boarding and my personal
favorite— lounging on the
beach with chatty locals. I
was eager to get out in the
wilderness after hearing the
islands’ offered primo prime bird watching along with sight-
ings of howler monkeys and nesting sea turtles. But my one
long hike on lacked any sort of wildlife as a storm brewed in
the distance. Seems all creatures save my guide and I were
smart enough to take cover.

The best natural encounter by far took place during an even-
ing boat ride in Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp and Bird Sanctuary.
We floated through spooky dark canals vaguely reminiscent
of the Amazon, ducking under mangrove branches and
watching white egrets and blue herons gracefully skim the
silvery water. As 4 p.m. approached, we stopped far offshore a
small island for the daily arrival of hundreds of scarlet ibis, the
national bird. Sure enough, we began to spot a few red dots
on the horizon, then more and more as the graceful birds flew
in formation and roosted in the island’s mangroves as the set-
ting sun glowed over the treetops. The only thing missing was
the beat of a steelpan band in the background for the perfect
ending to a Trinbagonian adventure.
“ Turns out Tobago’s goat races are legendary.
Racers train by swimming in the ocean...”

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