Happy 4th of July from Trinidad

Yes, Yes, Yes I am still here in Trinidad but to relax on this 4th of July weekend I decided to take an overnight trip to Tobago.  Eric, a fellow crew member, and his wife Kelly were already there and they were kind enough to let me stay with them in their hotel room because they had two beds and we were all leaving the next morning.  Sounds all well and good....it should have been but.....  I arrived to the airport a little more than 45 minutes before my flight.  Waited in line to check in and when I reached the counter the clerk said my flight has 'closed' 3 minutes ago.  I kept asking what that meant and her response "It closed!".  Finally I was able to get her to tell me what my next steps should be which was to check in as a standby passenger.  No problem I thought because I have flown standby my entire life - no biggie.  I turn to my left and saw a large large gathering of people in line trying to fly standby to Tobago.  When I reached the counter here is how the conversation went:
Me:  How long is the wait?
Clerk:  Can't say
Me:  Okay, can you tell me how many people are infront of me?
Clerk:  Can't tell you
Me:  Alright, how come you can not tell me?
Clerk:  Because it causes conflict with others who I flying standby
Now, as soon as I heard that last statement I knew I was going to be in for a treat (and not one you look forward to either).  I suspected that their system of standby was not based off when you checked in with the clerk but random order upon when the agents felt like for a variety of reasons.  I was indeed correct because the man who checked in before me left 2 hours before I did.  What? you ask yourself, 2 hours?  Yes, I know, I waited around the airport for 4 hours until I was able to get on a flight which takes 20 minutes to reach Tobago. 

By the time I landed there really wasn't much sun left so I walked the 5 minutes to the hotel and the three of us relaxed by the poolside until we got ready for dinner.  The hotel was extremely relaxing; I am definitely going back there another weekend! Here are some pictures so you can live vicariously through me.  We ate dinner at a local place that was owned by a German.  The food was yum - and since he was German, part of the veggies that came with my ribs included red cabbage german style - delicious!

Kelly and Eric had the flight back to Trinidad which left 30 minutes before mine.  Their flight was on time however mine was delayed and I arrived back an hour after originally scheduled.  This weekend was not my luck at the airports!

Tonight the entire crew contributed to making a Fourth of July grill out to bring a little home to Trinidad.  We found a disposable grill and made brats and hamburgers.  Kelly and I cooked the sides - pasta salad, baked beans and deviled eggs.  Everything was delicious and fun had by all.  The one thing we forgot to pick up - fireworks!