📍Maracas Bay, Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹

Stories from Trinidad and Tobago might have been different from what you're used to because I experienced this destination differently as well. T&T was marked by the people I met and the fact that I finally truly rested, slept well, ate delicious food, and left the proper tourist sightseeing for a future visit.

I spent the last day at the most popular beach, Maracas Bay, and although it's considered the most beautiful, I wasn't overly impressed. So, if you're looking for authentic Caribbean beaches, it's definitely recommended to head to Tobago.

I also tried shark meat, which is a must here. The main local specialty is "Bake & Shark" (a sandwich with breaded shark meat and various toppings), and they say the best one is right at Maracas Beach. I wasn't overly thrilled; the meat is soft and lacks a strong flavor, and everyone says the real charm is in the toppings.

Next time I come, I'd love it to be during carnival time, and I'll definitely have to visit Tobago.

This isn't the end of my Caribbean adventure; two new islands are waiting for me, and I'm really looking forward to continuing my journey. Life is simply better in the Caribbean 🏝️☀️🌊

📍Dominica 🇩🇲

Dominica is a Caribbean island where one indigenous tribe, the Kalinago, has survived to this day.

Members of the Kalinago tribe live on the northern side of Dominica, and it's possible to visit their traditional village and see how they once lived. They have managed to preserve some of their customs and traditions, but they haven't been able to resist the advancements of the modern world entirely, so they now live in "normal" houses and engage in "normal" jobs, while the remnants of their original village are now just a tourist attraction.

They have their own language, which was fading away over the years, but efforts are now being made to revive it intensively. On the Kalinago radio station, one word from their language is said every day in prime time, so everyone gradually learns to form sentences in the hope that one day the language will come back to life. They don't have traditional names, but they have a day in the year when they get baptized again. They chose it to be "World Indigenous Peoples Day" when they go to the shaman and during the ceremony, they take new, but actually old, traditional names. The shaman has a list of names, and then they can choose which one they like the most.

They have their land (which actually belongs to no one, but is communal) and laws, independent of the Dominican government. A chief takes care of their matters.

Earlier, a Kalinago woman wasn't allowed to bring a man from a different tribe into the community, while a man could bring in a woman of different origin. Similar to Islam and many other ethnic communities and religions, so we come to the conclusion that the world is so different yet so similar. Today, the story is different, and there are many mixed marriages, so it's even hard to guess at first glance who has Kalinago ancestry.

We came to this part of the island, which is over an hour's drive from the capital of Dominica, hoping to actually see Kalinago people in their traditional attire. However, they only dress like that for larger groups of tourists, usually from cruises. The tour with a local guide, from whom I learned all these pieces of information, lasts for an hour and costs $ 10. The nature is surreal, and although the journey to the village is long, the landscapes you pass through are worth the visit, especially the part where you see the sea in front of you all the time.

How do you like this mix of greenery and blue? 🌴🌊☀️

📍Dominica 🇩🇲

On Dominica, you won't find those paradise beaches typical of the Caribbean, which I was really longing for, so the first sight of them here was a bit disappointing for me. However, Dominica has so much more to offer besides beaches that, in the end, it didn't bother me at all.

And there are those in the Caribbean and Maldivian style everywhere, but those with black sand not so much. The sand is black because Dominica is an island of volcanic origin. The most interesting beach is "Champagne Beach," where when you dive, you see bubbles in the water, which is the result of volcanic origin and activity. They say the underwater world is fantastic, and Dominica is one of the best world destinations for diving.

These photos were taken on the beach in front of my hostel, the "Roseau Hostel," where I found my new buddy who loves to pose almost as much as I do 😁. My favorite photos are the ones taken at night; the moon was shining so brightly that the scenes looked like they were painted 🌅🌚🌊