Tobago Expedition: Day 18

Leaving Day.
As I finished my last minute packing, the group packed up the puppets and material for the scavenger hunt. They were preparing to head over to Speyside for Community Fun Day. Once done, we hung around in that uncomfortable “it’s almost time to say goodbye” moment. I’m not good at goodbyes, so I ended the awkwardness with a few hugs and promises to e-mail, then wandered down the road into town.
A small party accompanied me to see me off and make sure I caught the bus. Or taxi. Or shared taxi. Charlotteville, being at the far end of the island, doesn’t always get regular service. But we knew that someone willing to take me the hour and a half to Crown Point would eventually drive by. After half an hour of waiting, I lucked out. The owner of the internet cafe asked if I needed a ride. He was going that way, and would I like to ride with him? Sweet. We picked up a couple of random tourists as well, and with the truck crammed full of people and luggage, had a great drive across the island full of conversation and laughs.
We ran a few errands along the way, giving me an opportunity to see more of Tobago. It’s a beautiful island, full of greenery, flowers and lovely people. As the island is fairly narrow, the beach is never far away. A bend in the road usually brings a sweeping view of either the Atlantic or the Caribbean, with a rainforest smack in the middle. It is perfectly situated to afford the best of multiple worlds. I feel like I only scratched the surface of what this little island has to offer. This will definitely not be my last trip to Tobago.
Two and a half hours after leaving the expedition site, I was checking into the Conrado Beach Resort at Pigeon Point- the gorgeous white sand beach we found our first day here. Wishing for sun but settling for rain, I loafed around the hotel much of the day. Prior to arriving, I had received a mediocre review of the hotel but chose it for its location and the huge balconies off each room. However, I found the hotel charming, the staff friendly and helpful, and the restaurant incredible. Also, the bar is well stocked, the pool table has a great lie, and one of the best beaches in Tobago is right outside the front door. What more could you want?
The sun eventually came out this afternoon, giving me a chance to wander through a few shops and load up on Caribbean flavored coffees, and of course, the locally made rum delicacies: rum balls, rum truffles and rum punch. Then I headed back to my room to take advantage of that great balcony while soaking up the sun, and even more enjoyable, the quiet. I thought it would feel strange to be alone after two weeks of constant companionship, but it’s been nothing but wonderful.
And the food! Flying fish and chips at lunch hit the spot, but it didn’t begin to compare to dinner. A little shameless flirting with the chef (he started it) has led to a special request dinner of curried Mahi Mahi and African chapati. Served with sides of roasted red pepper sauce and pumpkin puree, it made up for all the expedition food I’ve consumed on this trip and then some. My taste buds finally have a reason to live again.
A few beers and a couple of rounds of pool at the bar, and my night was wrapped up. The desk arranged an early morning taxi to take me to the airport, and barring any luggage mishandling, tomorrow will be a smooth transition from Tobago to Minneapolis via Atlanta (I got the direct flight home- no four-city layover plan this time!).
It was the perfect day to end the vacation, er, expedition.