A very busy Saturday - Part 1

Wowie! What a day we had. Flat Blake went on a whirlwind tour of the capital of Port of Spain, but first off he went to be part of a very special team. Flat Blake was a Christmas angel who helped to wrap toys for children from needy families in the rural parts of Trinidad and Tobago. At Christmas time there are many people who can't afford all the special things we usually have - toys, clothes and even food, so many good people get together to help these poor families have a happy Christmas. You should always try to help others less fortunte than youself whenever you can. To help and to love..that is what we are on this planet for.

Flat Blake had a grand time hiding in the toys and helping to wrap presents! He is full of happy Christmas spirit now!

He was such a big help and really had a great time.

After wrapping the presents Flat Blake was off on a drive around the Queen's Park Savannah which is said to be the largest round-about in the world. I'm not sure how true that is but it is pretty big! 

Here you can do a virtual tour of the Savannah and its buildings: http://youtu.be/nynOHoXb5u4

The savannah is a lovely green space in the heart of Port of Spain. Some call it the lungs of the Capital as all the trees and greenery help to provide fresh air to the many people living there. On the savannah you can see many people running and playing different sports and at carnival time it is home to the Greatest Show on Earth - Trinidad carnival! Carnival is when people dress up in glorious costumes and dance behind music trucks or steel pan bands for two wonderful days. It is a big street party and a whole lot of fun. Carnival is for all ages and there is a special children's carnival that takes please before the main event. You can see a little video of Kiddies carnival here:

http://youtu.be/IwbVLXgVPOU

But back to the Savannah. Around it you can see coconut vendors, and sno cone vendors, historic buildings and the zoo. At Easter time many people come to fly kites here. 

Blake is standing in front of Queen's Royal College a very historic school in Trinidad.

   

I'm hungry!

Great news!! Flat Blake is up and about and he is feeling hungry! His flu is almost gone and he is all set for his day out tomorrow. But what shall we eat?? I know..let's try some yummy Trinidadian food. Flat Blake says yes..his tummy is growling!

"Oh yummy"..says Flat Blake. "What IS this?" Flat Blake is having a delicious Trini lunch called "buss up shut" or "buss up shirt" and curry. No it's not really a torn up shirt..it is a special type of Indian food called roti, this particular type of roti is torn up and soft so it has the nickname "buss up shirt" it's real name is paratha. To go with it we have curried meat and vegetables like channa (chick peas), bodi (which is a type of bean) and curried mango, very, very, very yummy! Flat Blake ate so much he may not fit back in the envelope! BURP!!

You can watch the video to see how paratha is made:
http://youtu.be/vsJGRtGRByM

In the background happy Trini Christmas music called Parang is playing. Trinidad is a mix of so many different people from all over the world - English, African, Indian, Asian, French, Spanish, Syrian, Lebanese, Portuguese, Chinese...you name it, we are a land of many people who live happily side by side. Parang music is traditional Christmas carols sung in Spanish by people called Paranderos. Here you can listen to some wonderful Parang music...we are certainly catching the Christmas spirit! http://youtu.be/QWJMm49ZCog

Missing in Action

And just WHERE has flat Blake been these last two days? Poor fella he is in bed with a cold! He and Ryan have both been sniffling and sneezing and feeling just awful, but don't worry we have been taking good care of him. He has been having lots of orange juice and getting a lot of rest. He is feeling So much better today. Good thing too as we have a busy day ahead tomorrow as we are going into the capital city..Port of Spain! Stay tuned for more adventures!

I see the Sea

Flat Blake was so happy to wake up and find the sunshine streaming through the window. "Now THAT's more like it!" He thought. Ryan and the rest of the family were already up and bustling about. "Good Morning!! Come on Flat Blake" said Ryan.."We have to go!"

"Yippeeee" said Blake. "Where are we going?"
"We are off to school" said Ryan.
"Oh goodie" said Blake.  "I LOVE school...you learn all sorts of neat things! Sometimes you even learn about other countries..that's why I'm here...my teacher is a lot of fun and very smart, and she asked Real Blake to send me off on an adventure to visit you because he is too big to fit in an envelope!" "Let's go to school!"

So off they went. But on the way Flat Blake spotted something that made him wave his arms in excitement! "It's the SEA, it's the SEA!!"

And it was...

Ryan's mummy pulled over so Flat Blake could get a better look. There was a little area with umbrellas and tables set up for people to admire the view.

The water looked brown to Flat Blake, but Ryan's mom explained it was because the tide was very low and also the water in the Gulf looked brown because it was so close to Venezuela and the waters from the great Orinoco river emptied into the Gulf, turning the water brown with all it's silt and leaves.  This place is  called Flat Rock and it is located in the city of San Fernando. Trinidad has two cities - Port of Spain the Capital, and San Fernando in the South. The Gulf of Paria lies to the West.

Flat Blake had a great time in the sunshine staring out at the water and the boats passing by. 

Then they were off to school. Ryan took Blake for a tour of his classroom and then they played on the  slides for a while.

Blake even helped to decorate the Christmas tree in the Principal's office.

That was a lot of fun! He climbed almost to the very top to put the decorations on. He was glad to be of help. The Principal was very pleased with Flat Blake.

The school bell rang and Ryan had to go off to class, so Ryan's  mummy took Flat Blake to the mall to have lunch and see the decorations. Can you see him??

Look closely....

I'm sure you see him now!! What a very lovely day we had today!

I wonder what Flat Blake bought at the Mall??? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm :)

Welcome to Trinidad!

In the middle of a torrential downpour, on a dark, gray day on the island of Trinidad, Flat Blake arrived. The postman popped him into a mailbox just when he was feeling really tired from the very long trip by 'plane. Blake felt he could sleep all day in the nice, dark mailbox, but soon his curiosity got the better of him.

 "Just where is Trinidad?" he wondered,  as he peeped through the bright red letter box at the rain falling down in sheets. "I can't see very much with all this rain, and my envelope is getting a little soggy. I thought islands were supposed to be sunny, bright places..not cold, damp and rainy!"
He had forgotten that in Trinidad it was the rainy season and that he should have worn his raincoat for the trip! On this island we don't have spring, summer, winter and autumn - just the dry season which is from January to June and the rainy season which is from July to December. Trinidad lies at 10 degrees North - which is very close to the Equator, so even in the rainy season we still have lots of sunshine...just not today. He stuck his hand out of the post box and 'plop!' A big wet raindrop landed in it! "Wow!!" thought Blake..."The rain feels warm..not like the freezing cold rain where I am from...I should like to go out and play in it!"

All of a sudden he heard a squeak..and the top of the post box opened. A smiley little boy with curly hair was looking down at him. His name was Ryan and he was 4, he was going to be Blake's friend and tour guide for the next few days. Blake was very excited and Ryan was too! Ryan quickly grabbed Blake's envelope and brought him in out of the rain, which had now died down to a drizzle. Ryan was very happy to come home from school and find this new friend in his mail box. They were going to have great fun together!

The first thing Ryan did was take Blake up the steps and plonk him on the couch in the porch. Blake could not believe his eyes!! 

There right in front of him was the sea!! "Wowie!!" He thought "I AM on an island!!" Out in the water he could see a few large tankers and other smaller boats. Way off in the distance he could see the outline of tall blue mountains. Hmmmm...I wonder if that is Tobago? I was told that Trinidad is actually a Nation of two islands - Trinidad and Tobago."  But it wasn't Tobago, as Tobago is very small and lies to the North East of Trinidad. What he was looking at was the mountains of Venezuela which is a country in South America. Once a very, very, very long time ago Trinidad was attached to Venezuela by a thin strip of land but over time the sea wore it away and Trinidad became an island. The name of the water Blake was looking at was the Gulf of Paria - or the  Gulf of Whales - the very same water Christopher Columbus sailed in when he was on one of his adventures to explore the world.  Blake pulled out a map to see where he was and quickly found the little dots of Trinidad and Tobago. What a great adventure he was going to have!!

Sweet Dreams!

                   Good night Flat Blake. Sweet Dreams! We have a very fun week ahead.