Trinidad to London!

Carlos and I on our way!

 After having the most wonderful experience with our first guests, we were excited at the prospect of hosting more people like them. But before we could accept new visitors, it was time for us to embark on our own adventure to go to Sweden!

Carlos and I were SO excited! It was our first international trip together as a couple and what a big trip to start with! The initial flights were frustrating as the tiny LIAT (the taxi-cab of the Caribbean skies) plane took us to about 5 different islands before we could go to Barbados (which is right next to us).

Some little island in the Caribbean

 By the time we got on the large, comfortable flight to London I was tired but couldn't get myself to sleep properly. We were so excited to be on a big plane together and we acted like kids, or as we call it in Trinidad "Never See Come See" while we posed with the freebies on the plane and got comfortable.

Carlos as usual was thoroughly enjoying getting alcohol whenever he wanted (Venezuelan + Trinidadian culture = borderline alcoholic) and I was sneaking pics as much as possible to document the experience. We were also loving the real-time map on the video consoles, showing us where we were and how long the trip remained. Although this is probably so common to travelers nowadays we were totally enjoying the novelty of it.

We were finally on our way to the big UK! We were loving the customer service on the flight and the sun was setting beautifully over the Atlantic ocean. Watching the sun felt a little symbolic, like we were embarking on something special and the world was giving us a little wink.

Carlos posing with his freebies!

The sun giving us a goodbye wink

Where we were

Rocio y Leo

We were so lucky to have met Rocio and Leo via couchsurfing. When we messaged we knew instantly that they were kindred spirits and we would get along great. That still didn't stop us from feeling hella nervous about the whole experience, as they were still complete strangers that we were welcoming into our home! But they turned out to be the perfect first guests.

Our perfect first guests from Chile, posing for me with my favourite wine from Chile

So much happened during their stay with us I can't go into full detail!  They were actually backpacking through South America and we didn't even have a vehicle then, so when they arrived we met them in Port of Spain and had to take public transport (or 'travel' as we say in Trinidad) to our home. We instantly clicked and we were really happy to have met them as they were exactly as friendly and interesting as their profile made them seem. They had huge and extremely heavy backpacks, and other bags which they carried on any available upper body part aside for their heads. We struggled to help them with all of it, and immediately something crazy happened! Carlos lost his wallet!

We were now about halfway to the taxi stand and he realised he must've left it in the taxi we just came out of. So we all were super worried and stressed out as he literally ran to the taxi stand to try and retrieve it! After a strenuous 10 minutes, with the sun setting in the city and it began to get dark, he returned - victorious!

We struggled to get their luggage into the local maxi-taxi, but we eventually made it home safe and sound. We were super excited to show them the house and then calamity struck AGAIN!

Baby Rajah

A couple days or maybe week prior we got a brand new member of the family - a tiny kitten we named Rajah. We left him in a bedroom with a little laundry basket and some ribbon to play with, but we stupidly strong the ribbon across the basket so he had a little maze to go in and out of. When we got home and opened the front door we heard the most horrifying sounds emanating from the bedroom. Rajah got seriously stuck!

We rushed to save his trapped, swollen and cut leg and in a panic we all tried to set him free. Poor Leo was on the reciprocating end of my shrieking and snapping to "JUST GET A KNIFE!" and he took it SO well afterwards, even though I was somewhat horrified.

I was in an emotional mess afterwards, feeling embarassed and also thinking we could never be parents because we can't even take care of a cat!


But Rajah is a trooper (he was a stray we found abandoned after all) and although he had a massively swollen leg the vet was optimistic and in the end (after some TLC and medications) he healed and pulled through just fine!

Rocio and Leo were even more admirable because they didn't let it phase them at all! They just kept on being understanding, friendly, funny and good natured overall. So as a thanks in a way we were excited to show them as much as we could of Trinidad and share fun experiences with them.

Even though we didn't have a vehicle at the time, it just so happened that one of our friends also met a couple of tourists that same week - and in his efforts to impress one of them he planned to drive them around to popular attractions. He included us as well so we made it into what we call, "ah big lime". 

The first thing we did with them was we decided to have a makeshift BBQ on the beach! We all met up and using our oven grill, some rocks we found on the sand and some coals - we made a happy little set up which all of us enjoyed.

Our makeshift BBQ on Maracas beach!

The 'men' doing their thing

Roxio and Leo enjoying the 'lime'

When the sun came out the next day we all headed to the same beach - Maracas Bay - and took in some sun, sea, sand and most importantly...bake and shark! Again my friend drove us in his car and we stopped at the popular 'lookout' to take in the views of where we were headed, and check out some local treats on sale.

Carlos and I posing in front of the view of Maracas Bay

Rocio and Leo

In Trinidad we are blessed with a rich history of many cultures intertwining with each other from all over the world. We've been under different 'rule' by Spanish, French and English and aside for the African slaves brought here, there were Indian indentured labourers, and loads of other families from China, Syria etc. who moved here as well. This resulted in a world of delicious food options and combinations that we enjoy to this day. The best way of showcasing the variety is seen in our choice of snacks available; chows, preservatives, sweets, and so much more! Here are some below:

Our wide variety of treats available

Some of the 'chow' that we make - basically out of any solid fruit - mixed with salt, pepper and seasonings

The next treat we love to share with every guest is called 'bake and shark' - which is basically a sweet fried dough with fried shark fish fillets. We adorn it with a sprinkling of a lot of various condiments ranging from ketchup to tamarind sauce. It's delicious!!

Bake and shark with local fruit juice and a local STAG beer in the background

Maracas Beach

Rocio and Leo in the Caribbean Sea

We had a blast and it was a beautiful day! Maracas is also perfect for body-surfing Carlos is a pro lol

Carlos 'playing d ass' 

We also took them all the way to Grand Riviere to see the Leatherback turtles, but alas we don't have a lot of photos to show you. We'll save that for another post with other guests :)

Back at home we had a fun scrabble competition (which I won!) and I also gave them a course on cooking Trinidadian Chicken Curry! They documented everything from seasoning the chicken, the blend of spices to the final product. They repayed the meal with a gorgeous pasta dish that they cooked for us the next day, and we invited our friend and our new Finnish friend to come partake as well.

Seasoning the chicken for curry

Chicken Curry Dinner

Chilean Pasta Lunch!

Roxio and Leo shared so many great stories about their adventures in South America, and were so giving, friendly and helpful - they felt like extended family. They even helped me make some DIY decorations for our upcoming wedding, and Rocio gifted us handmade crochet coasters which we still use up to this day! After the experience hosting them, we KNEW we were going to keep hosting for years to come.