There is very little not to love about St. Lucia. The beaches are phenomenal, the people are gracious, and the vibe is laid back. It was the perfect place for the final leg of our trip.

In the midst of our beach time, my husband and I wanted to experience the natural wonders of the island. We made the drive to Soufriere, first hitting the Pitons, two mountainous volcanic plugs. They are a striking sight, seeming to rise up from the sea. We next went to Sulphur Springs, St. Lucia's famous "drive-in volcano." While it isn't literally drive-in (which was a bit of a letdown), we got pretty close to the base in our little rental car. The smell of sulfur hit us almost immediately. We purchased tickets for a tour of the base of the volcano. The tour wasn't the most informative, but the guide was friendly. The most interesting fact/cautionary tale was his story about Gabriel, a tour guide who suffered serious burns while leading a tour. As a result, visitors are not allowed to go nearly as close to the still active volcano. 

After the tour, we proceeded to the mudbaths, a short walk down the pathway. Along with a busload of tourists and a few locals, we slathered ourselves with mud, warmed by the volcanic activity to a temperature of about 110 degrees. It was surprisingly refreshing, although I'm not sure that I felt the healing properties of the mud, which some locals swear by. 

After rinsing off, we drove a few miles down to a waterfall and natural spring. The spring water was perfection--warm and calm. It was amazing to climb into an actual waterfall. It was a great way to end a day, and conclude our Caribbean adventure.

After our Trinidad adventure, we hopped on the short plane to Tobago to detox. It is a gorgeous, serene island. The tranquility is a nice contrast to the frentic pace of Carnival in Trinidad.

Our favorite beach was Pigeon Point. The ocean was an amazing shade of blue, and perfectly warm.

My foodie obsession while in Tobago was curried crab and dumplings. Curry + crab + homemade dumpling to sop up all of the goodness=addictive. When I have free time, I plan on trying out this recipe:

http://www.simplytrinicooking.org/recipe/curry-crab-and-cassava-dumpling/

Or, maybe I'll just find someone in Los Angeles who specializes in curried crab.

I recently had the joy of traveling to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival. Of course, I've done Mardi Gras a few times, and Carnival in the Dominican Republic, but this was an experience like no other. What an amazing cultural experience...the people, the traditions, music. The food was interesting, as well as representative of the rich background of the Trinidadian people.

I will fully admit, I ate a lot of roti. Roti, the delicious Indian bread, is used in Trinidad to refer to an entire entree. Curried chicken, goat, or shrimp, with yummy veggies. It is typically eaten with the hands, except the the all in one "roti wraps" at local fast food restaurants. It was amazing, much better than the versions I'd had when I lived in New York. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Trinidad is famous for bake and shark. Sold in kiosks along Maracas Bay beach, and at restaurants and stands throughout Trinidad and Tobago, it is essentially a sandwich composed of a fried shark fillet inside of a fried dough-like bread. Honestly, I thought it was pretty good. I wouldn't eat it on a regular basis, like I would roti, but it was definitely an experience.

My husband and I wanted to fully participate in carnival, so we attended a fete (party). There were too many a day during the six days we were there to even try to keep up! We chose the cANYAval fete, hosted by Season Nine Project Runway winner and former Miss Universe Anya Ayoung-Chee. We hadn't heard of her prior to attending, but according to the blogosphere, her party was one of the can't miss events. It was not a disappointment. The premium alcohol flowed constantly and freely. The food was delicious and representative of the diversity of the country. We met great people. I would absolutely recommend cANYAval to anyone contemplating a Carnival trip to Trinidad.

We also participated in J'Ouvert, which many call the official opening of Carnival. We joined a J'Ouvert band, Mudders International, which got us shirts, bandanas, and a wristband and plastic cup for drinks. On Carnival Monday, we left our hotel at 2:15 AM. As is the tradition, we then got smeared in mud. Yep, mud. Some groups do paint and chocolate also, and by the end, we were covered in everything. Inconceivably, it was pure fun! We had a blast. We started dancing through the streets along the parade route at about 3:00 AM, and didn't stop until after 10:00. By the way, I'm now addicted to power soca. Look up Machel Montano, you'll thank me! We were drinking the whole way...I don't know how natives do it, because many people headed straight to dance in costume, or "play mas," with their Carnival bands. We went to nap at our hotel.

Carnival Tuesday was all of the madness and fun I expected. The costumes were beautiful, and it was wonderful to see so many people, from all over the world, celebrating together and genuinely having fun.

After all of the craziness, we went to Tobago for some R and R. Look for that blog later this week.