My last day in T&T has already been spectacular, and it's only 9:15! Dad and I were up early to do some early morning birding at Mt. St. Benedict. At first I was a little frustrated because Dad was anxious about the hike, but I could not have made it to 200 birds, actually 201, without him! Two new species: Boat-billed Flycatcher and the Ferrunginous Pygmy Owl, my first owl in the wild! Thanks, Dad!

After my last breakfast with Dad, I'm off to central and southern Trinidad to say some goodbyes and pick up some stuff for Mom. Then, more packing, quick bath for the dogs, and we're off to Piarco!

Hasta luego, Trinidad. I'll miss your beauty. See you in 2012!

"My daughter is crazy!"

"I'm ready for my flight, Mom!"

I have a great farewell lime with the few, but great, friends I made in T&T. Even Dad was in attendance. Gigi made saltfish, fried plantains, and rice, and I made guacamole with some of Uncle Tony's delicious avocados from his tree. We ate, drank, danced and reminisced on the good times. I'm the first of our Fulbright quartet to leave (Jacob is following suit pretty soon). I hope they continue to bond and have amazing adventures.

Dad and I didn't get much sleep and headed to Icacos with Sparky and the pups. The drive was a long one, a little over 2.5 hours. Southern Trinidad is so beautiful; reminds me of NE Trinidad in terms of the landscape and absence of over-development. The dogs had such a great time swimming in the ocean. Thank goodness it was low tide or I could bet my last dollar they would have stayed on the shore (they're not fans of waves). It was a blistering hot day, and I don't think I have been in warmer waters. My tan needed that final coating of sun to get me through the winter in Ithaca! :-)

I waited almost 2 hours for Avia to come over with the kids for a sleepover. Everyone was exhausted and passed out at various points during Transformers 3. Dad and I were the first to go. Should be an interesting day tomorrow. Lots of stuff planned, including some last minute bonding with my niece and nephew!

Playing photo catch-up! It's been a long, exhausting week. Here's what I've been up to in the past few days.

"We want our treats, Mom!"

Chungie Bear

Presenting at UWI

Snickers after being de-matted and shaved! All brand-new!

Waterloo Dog. I'm so happy she's out of there and at TTSPCA.

Chungie on a cannon at Fort George

Chungie at the Fort

What a day! It started with a call from Anjanie about a box left at Waterloo. A box often equates to dumped puppies. I was heading in that direction to find and hopefully pick up three puppies I saw there last week. After a quick stop at the Caroni rice fields, I drove to Waterloo, made a turn at the bridge and saw the white box that Anjanie described. I approached slowly in the car, took a photo of the exterior, and peeped in. No puppies. Phew! During the short drive to the Temple, I noticed significant less dogs, but still there were new ones. A brown female, a brown male, a white mother and her three pups. There was an eerie silence until Whiny greeted me. I saw one of the brown pups from last week. Two guys who were sitting at the benches said they saw the other earlier. With some searching around the shore, I managed to find their hiding spot in a crevice formed by broken concrete. One was easier to get out than the other. The other was is a feisty little thing! I put all of them in the crate and proceed to Balram and Radha's after feeding the few dogs near the Temple. On my way, the white mother dog barked at me and suddenly, I felt a grasp on my hand. She had bitten through my pants! I couldn't believe it. She literally bit the hand that fed her. The bite started to bleed. Balram insisted that he use his home remedy of hot onions on my wound.

I'll skip my Carli Bay excitement and move to my trip to the Ministry of Trade and Industry to pick up the export license for Zara and Sparky. I was concerned because the idiot who photocopied Zara's health certificate photocopied the back onto the front of the original and didn't say anything. I was praying that it wouldn't matter. I guess I find out tomorrow because the office was closed due to an air conditioner malfunction. I felt a pang in my brain almost instantaneously. It's a good thing I have a bathtub...

Caroni Rice Fields

Mom (that bit me) and her pups

The new Nita, Gita, and Zara litter. Sweet babies.

So many awesome butterflies in T&T.

Hungry Carli Bay dogs

Hidden Pup

My time in T&T is coming to an end in approximately 7 days. It has been the experience of a lifetime! However, I am very ready to go! I look forward to the Grassroots Festival almost immediately after I return; then a Yankees game with Chaunise, Will, and company. I miss American things! And I miss cool evenings :-)

What I'm going to miss the most is Dad (and Nita and Gita), but I will see them all in the very near future.

Today was a very stressful day. It was spent running around POS getting Zara and Sparky's paperwork today for our trip. Thanks to an American UWI vet student who shipped her dogs to San Diego, I was given detailed instructions on what to do. Today's leg required photocopying the endorsed health certificates prior to going to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. I found a place that charged $1 per copy. What a rip off! What was especially frustrating was that they photocopied onto Zara's original health certificate and didn't say anything! Grrr. I hope it all works out. I am supposed to pick up my export license tomorrow after lunch. Next leg: Continental.

Epic trip to Tobago with my Trini Fulbrighters and Anita. Castara felt like my home away from home. There was such great hospitality during the Harvest Festival. People opened their doors to us like we were a part of the community. Food, food, and more food! Even sea turtle.


Our nation's birthday was spent on the Atlantic Ocean, fishing for our lunch or snorkeling. Incredible. I could not have ask for a better time. Here's to America (particularly the State Department for making this trip happen).