MEP Caribbean Publishers: May 2010

The Military History and Aerospace Museum in Chaguaramas

While driving along the Chaguaramas main road, a huge BWIA plane is clearly visible it is here one can find the Military History and Aerospace Museum.

We started our exploration in the outside section of the museum where military vehicles, aircraft, warships, memorial plaques and even a submarine on display. We were pleased that the BWIA plane was open for viewing and jumped at the opportunity to explore.

After looking at the vintage vehicles and exploring the other military artefacts, we went into the museum building, which housed a surprisingly large number of items. We perused Amerindian artefacts, ancient weapons, model ships, military uniforms and photographs, thus gaining knowledge of Trinidad’s military involvement in past conflicts and the Chaguaramas peninsula’s role as a military base.

This museum is very educational and is overflowing with displays that would be even more useful if presented differently: for example, information printed on board rather than on paper (which degrades more quickly), or labels on all of the vehicles in the external display area. This would probably require investment by corporate, private or public donors to support this privately run museum, which deserves support to be preserved, maintained and upgraded.

Nevertheless, we had a great time at this museum and gained knowledge about our country’s military history. On my next visit I will organise a guide in advance so I can absorb all the information that is available.

Fast Facts

TT$30 for adults
Cafeteria and bar on site
Tours available for schools and big groups
Group rates available for over 20 persons
A guide can be organised for 4–5 people
Call ahead to book tour
Donations are welcome

Aisha and Ariann are ready to reacquaint themselves with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as these two travel to different places and interact with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Labels: art and architecture, discovertnt, travel and adventure

Vacancies at MEP

TEAM LEADER

MEP is looking for a Team Leader to take a substantial role in developing MEP's projects and publications.

We suspect the person we are looking for doesn't exist, but we'd love to be proved wrong. This paragon would probably be young, dynamic and web-savvy; would understand business, sales and project management; would have wide interests (publishing and the media, travel and tourism, the Caribbean in general and T&T in particular); and would relish the chance to help direct and develop a small but ambitious business.

INTERN

MEP could also use a temporary Intern for the period between now and September or thereabouts.

This person is more likely to exist, and would help primarily with research, writing, and administrative support; but also with whatever else turns up. Specific skills (e.g. photography) would be welcome. The main qualifications would be literacy and carefulness.

PRACTICALITIES

In each case rewards, such as they are, would be based on skills, ability and experience.

Enquiries by e-mail only to jtaylor@meppublishers.com with cover letter and CV please. Unsuitable applications will not be acknowledged.

For more information, please visit the Job Opportunities page on our website.

May Cross festival highlights Trinidad's Hispanic culture

The following is a post written by Ricardo Rambally, co-ordinator of Lopinot Events 2010, of the Lopinot Tourism Action Committee. Discover Trinidad & Tobago is a media sponsor of this year's May Cross festivities.

Next Monday 31 May, the “Velorio de la Cruz de Mayo” (May Cross Festival) will once again be celebrated in Lopinot at the Historical Complex from 3:30pm. The festivities will be hosted by the LTAC, the IVCC of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and YTEPP’s Tour Guide Classes of Arima and Belmont.
The celebration of the May Cross Festivity is symbolic of life and devotion as its rites aim to enrich the harvest and bring rain, and each region of Venezuela and Trinidad expresses its particular way of celebrating it. The crosses shown during the festivity in Trinidad are adorned with flowers and colourful papers, sometimes even small fruits like grapes! Fruits and crops are also placed at the base of the altar. Invocations are followed by sung rosaries and verses announcing the chants. It is a powerful example of a festival with origins both in Spain and with indigenous traditions in the Americas, and how it has been transformed by local populations.
There will be Galeron performances by the Institute, and parang performances by local parang legends such as Los Alumnos de San Juan and San José Serenaders. Parang music in the middle of the year! That’s something to look forward to.
The general public and the various Latin American and Hispanic communities are cordially invited to the "May Cross Festivity". Admission is free. We also have craft and Hispanic and indigenous cuisine on sale.

May Cross in Lopinot, Trinidad

Labels: caribbean beat, discovertnt, festivals and events, music, science and environment, theatre and dance, travel and adventure

Sue the T. Rex looms large in Trinidad

Sue, the 67 million-year-old-Tyrannosaurus rex, is currently visiting our shores in Trinidad and Tobago. Her skeleton, which was found in 1990, resides at the Field Museum in Chicago, and is the largest, most complete T. rex skeleton ever found.

The small exhibit being held here in Trinidad at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) is impressive and showcases an exact replica of Sue’s colossal bone structure and several interactive and educational displays. One of the organisers of Cayenne International Events, responsible for bringing this exhibit to Trinidad, said he really wanted the young people to come to see it.

The day we visited, a group of secondary school boys were thoroughly enjoying their time with Sue, asking questions, taking turns on the displays and even digging for fossils in the outdoor sandpit.

This is a great opportunity for the public not only to learn more about this dinosaur, but to see and experience the size of this ancient predator in person.

Fast Facts

$60TT for adults, $40TT for children
Monday–Thursday 10am–6pm, Friday & Saturday 10am–7pm, Sunday 1pm–6pm
The exhibit continues until 18 June 2010

Aisha and Ariann are ready to reacquaint themselves with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as these two travel to different places and interact with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Labels: discovertnt, festivals and events, science and environment

TrinidadTunes charts, 24 May #musicmonday

While T&T votes, here's what was hot on the download charts last week.

Labels: discovertnt, media and technology, music

Manifestos for Trinidad & Tobago Elections 2010

We don't endorse political parties. What we do endorse is that the information people need to make informed decisions – whether it's about their travel, their entertainment, their investment, their government, or anything else – is readily available. In the information age and with how easily things are distributed on the internet, it is easier than ever to access this kind of information.

In Trinidad & Tobago, election season is here (and of course, Trinis are making that age-old election-time joke that roads are being paved in record time as the compaigns heat up).

The two main political parties contesting the elections – the incumbent People's National Movement (PNM) led by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, and the new People's Partnership coalition, comprised of the United National Congress (UNC), Congress of the People (COP), Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), and the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar – have both made their manifestos public over the last week, ahead of elections on 25 May, 2010.

Click below for the full contents in PDF (in alphabetical order):

We look on with great curiosity to see what government will emerge on 26 May!

Labels: caribbean beat, discovertnt, energy caribbean, media and technology

Stonehaven Bay, Tobago

I am little reluctant to share this beach with the world, lest it be overrun by visitors and lose its charm. But Stonehaven Bay on Tobago's Leeward Coast is one of my favourite beaches. Not one to flaunt my curves on a crowded beach, Stonehaven Bay was the perfect beach for me to just relax and enjoy the calm and clear water. There were probably two other people on the beach beside those from our group, and after four hours in the water that didn't change. Yes – four hours (blissful sigh).

If you are so inclined, there are kayaks and other "small craft" available for rent. For me though, soaking in the salt until I was brown and wrinkled like a raisin was all the fun I needed.

For more on Tobago's best beaches, click here!

Aisha and Ariann are ready to reacquaint themselves with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as these two travel to different places and interact with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Labels: discovertnt, travel and adventure

The Kimme Museum

While in Tobago for The Tobago Jazz Experience, I had the pleasure of visiting The Kimme Museum in Mount Irvine (one of Discover Trinidad & Tobago's Top 10 Tobago Experiences). We arrived at about 11am and were greeted by her and her dogs at the gate. "The Castle" consisted of three levels of larger than life sculptures and paintings by the German artist. One of the highlights of the visit for me, apart from the amazing works of art of course, was the beastly cold, fresh lime juice that Luise offered us, while she explained how difficult and dangerous it was to make of her sculptures.

Fast Facts:
Visiting hours are from 10am to 2pm on Sundays. However appointments can be made to visit outside of this time by calling 868 639 0257. There is an entrance fee of $3.50US/$20TT per person.

Aisha and Ariann are ready to reacquaint themselves with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as these two travel to different places and interact with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Labels: art and architecture, discovertnt

It's all about fashion in Caribbean Beat's May/June issue!

Fashion is the focus of Caribbean Beat’s May – June issue, out now, timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Caribbean Fashion Week, staged in Jamaica in June, and Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago, which begins at the end of May.

It’s not all gowns and glamour, as Laura Dowrich-Phillips found when she spoke to some of the stalwarts who are working to put the Caribbean fashion industry on a sound footing.

Lisa Allen-Agostini measures up the saga boy style of the tailors on the cutting edge at Millhouse. We sample Brown Sugar designs from Judith Rawlins of St Kitts, and find out how Francis Hendy, a shy, retiring tailor from Belmont, became a big name in New York’s fashion district.

Away from the catwalk, Caribbean Beat travels down the river road of Guyana’s mighty Essequibo River. Paul Crask climbs Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons in search of something more profound than a cold beer at the end of the climb – but does he find it? Meanwhile, marine biologist Eric Hawk goes looking for the leatherbacks, in a seven-year quest that takes him to the turtles’ nesting grounds on Trinidad’s northeast coast.

But Caribbean Beat goes even further afield, from an early-morning jazz café in Toronto to the man who’s been called Ethiopia’s answer to Bob Marley. And we cover entertainment, personalities, food, and history, as well as our regular roundup of events, music and books that are reflecting the region right now.

Caribbean Beat is published six times a year. Other titles produced by MEP are ENERGY Caribbean, the ENERGY Caribbean Yearbook, and Discover Trinidad and Tobago.

For more information visit www.meppublishers.com, www.caribbean-beat.com, or e-mail info@meppublishers.com.

Labels: caribbean beat, fashion, festivals and events, travel and adventure

Camping in Trinidad

Three days surrounded by nature with the ocean as your backyard sounds like paradise and over the Easter weekend that’s exactly where I was, enjoying life on the southeastern coast of Trinidad…in a tent. Some people could not believe I would willingly opt to go camping especially as there are quite a few resorts and villas I could have gone to, but I think you should try camping at least once before you knock it.

Every year one of my best friends and many of her family-friends go camping in Guayaguayare for Easter, and this year was no exception. The camp site is on private property and is not visible from the road, something that provides some safety – an important consideration when camping nowadays.

Twelve tents were pitched on a grassy area among tall coconut trees and the little village that was created housed people of all ages. There was a communal liming area which consisted of chairs and tables under a gazebo tent; a kitchen area with gas burners and tables for preparing food; a batch of coolers that housed all the items that needed to be cold; a shower tent where you could choose to bathe with a bucket in privacy or use a hose with a shower head attachment.

Throughout the camp there were lights powered by a generator and on one side of the tents there were three portable toilets. Most of the campers slept comfortably on air mattresses in their tents but I roughed it and slept in a sleeping bag. It was so peaceful lying in the tent at night with the wind whipping the trees around me, listening to the sound of the waves as I drifted to sleep.

The food at camp was great. The menu included: stewed peas, crab, macaroni salad, callalloo, steak and a variety of cakes for dessert. One day we even had an entire curry meal consisting of chicken, potato-channa mix, pumpkin and rice! I also brought some vegetarian items that I was able to prepare quite easily in the kitchen.

During the day people swam, spent time at the beach, explored the surrounding area, or hung around camp chatting, playing games, reading or simply dozing under a tree. At night, we all hung out in the main area laughing, reading and playing games. I didn’t even see a frog, a great concern of mine when I thought about this camping trip. And with a swish of spray at night, mosquitoes and sand flies were kept at bay.

On Sunday we hid Easter eggs throughout the camp. The younger children ran around hunting for the chocolate treats and then sat enjoying their finds along with the bag of goodies they were given.

Camping is a lot fun and it is a great activity to do with your friends and family. You get a chance to escape the regular hustle and bustle and without the interruption of the TV, computers and other technological distractions, you end up spending a lot of quality time with your loved ones.

My home for the weekend and a view from within

Entrance to the beach

My back yard for the weekend, Guayaguayare Bay

Some of the campers enjoying a game of cricket

Guayaguayare Bay

Beautiful shore lines

Beach treasures including a feisty crab

Labels: discovertnt, travel and adventure

New Photo Gallery on Discover T&T site

We've been working on this new photo gallery feature (among many others) on the Discover Trinidad & Tobago website, and it debuts today!

We've added photo galleries to all the sections and topics covered on the Discover site. So, if you go to the Tobago Eco & Adventure section, for example, you not only have access to all our information-rich articles (also viewable by most popular and highest rated), but can also browse all the images related to Tobago Eco & Adventure, and view all of them full-size in a pop-up window.

We've got tonnes more features in the pipe-line, and are constantly tweaking the design and functionality to offer the optimal user experience. We've collected some of the best text and photography from Discover's 21 previous issues and, together with this blog, hope to bring the best of T&T to locals and visitors alike.

So check out the site, and let us know what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see, and how we can best deliver you the best user experience to you. (If you don't want to post your comments publicly, feel free to email us at info@discovertnt.com).

And in the mean time, we'll keep you posted on this and the new Caribbean Beat website, due for a beta launch later this year. More soon!

Labels: caribbean beat, discovertnt, media and technology, travel and adventure

My Tobago Jazz Experience

While Tobago Jazz started off a little slow, with the sparsely attended Jazz on de Waterfront, for me the event was a wonderful experience. There were a number of late starts and long intermissions – but the wait was well worth it.

I was unable to attend all of the festivities due to my clear lack of stamina and over zealous enjoyment of the shows that I did catch. Two-hour sea baths followed by stewed chicken and dumplin' didn't help either.

I was only able to attend Jazz on de Waterfront, World Music Night, Jazz in de East and the Beach Jazz Fiesta. If I had to pick my favourite shows it would be a tie between World Music Night (that featured Solomon, 3canal, Ziggy Rankin, Dil E Nadan, Shurwayne & Y.O.U., Lord Nelson, Mavis John and the most talented Erykah Badu) and the Beach Jazz Fiesta (with Alternative Quartet, Caribbean INXS, Clive Zanda, Sean Thomas, Kariwak Players, Etienne Charles, Elan Parlé, Kay Alleyne and Chaka Khan).

For those among you that perhaps aren't that in to jazz, the Tobago Jazz Experience was so much more. From soca to purely instrumental jazz, there was something for everyone. Well done Department of Tourism and Transport... see you next year!

Labels: caribbean beat, discovertnt, festivals and events, music

Introducing the newly renovated Macqueripe Bay, Trinidad #traveltuesday

A scenic drive off the main road in Chaguaramas will lead you straight to Macqueripe Bay.

Recently renovated, the premises boast beautiful landscaping, which includes colourful plants and a water feature, both of which will be more impressive once this harsh dry season ends. There is a large parking lot and changing room facilities available. On the day I visited, there were no food vendors and while it might have been because it was a weekday, I would probably still opt to bring along refreshments the next time I visit.

Two areas of benches and tables are laid out for relaxing and hanging out before you get down to the actual beach. By adding a curved walkway after the first set of stairs, the walk to the beach is not as steep as before, and a group of elderly people enjoying themselves on the beach proved that the path is manageable.

Another feature of the renovation was the increased width of sand on the beach. While there is a lifeguard hut on the beach, when I visited no lifeguard was present. Hopefully that is rectified soon as this beach’s main attraction is its calm and clear water, which is great for swimming.

Aisha and Ariann are ready to reacquaint themselves with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as these two travel to different places and interact with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Labels: discovertnt, travel and adventure

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MEP Caribbean Publishers

Friday, 28 May 2010

The Military History and Aerospace Museum in Chaguaramas