Ronald Olsson

> I thought that for a second, *EXCEPT*.... Isn't .tt the Trinidad &
> Tobago area? The link is real and points to a .TT @ddress. Though it
> looks like he/she is away at school (Boston University), this sounds
> like a concerned citizen and more likely to be "in the know" than most
> of us (I don't know your situation).

Yes, the tt stands for Trinidad & Tobago, but that doesn´t prove that cyb is
a TT sitizen, and be "in the know" does only mean that "cyb" has been
reading about in in the paper, or heard about it from somebody else, or, if
he/she has been in TT during the past few weeks, seen in on TV. My
situation, I´ve been visiting Trinidad & Tobago since 1989, in all about 15
times. I´ve have many very good friends both in Trinidad as well in Tobago,
I´m in touch with them more and I´m reading the paper via the Internet every
day so I´m quite well updated.

> By your own logic, visitors are usually rich enough. Heck, most of us
> could pull US$300/day or more from the ATM machines. I don't believe
> that someone whose morals allow them to kidnap is always going to stop
> short of tourists.
>
> And cruising sailors have reported high crime in the area. Not
> kidnapping or violent crimes that I recall, but a lot of theft.

Visitors are for sure rich enough compared with locals, but the fact is that
all kidnapping has TT local business peoples or others who are supposed to
have a lot of money, as the target. They, the kidnappers, aren´t stupied,
they know very well that they would get really big problem if they would go
for a visitor. And all who comes by a crusier aren´t rich eighter. As far I
know, no visitors has been kidnapped. And crime in the harbour area isn´t
something new in T&T, or any other country with a lot of visitors via a
harbour, or into other caribbean islands visited by crusiers.

> The southern Caribbean isn't as safe as it used to be.

True, but it also depend on the visitor if their visit is safe or not.
During 1989-1992 I´d spend a lot of time in Trinidad, both in the central
part as well the area outside PoS, La Saiva Maraval. I use to walk from La
Saiva across the mountains to Maracas Beach and Las Cuevas, more than once.
Doing that in now would not be to recommend for someone who don´t use to be
there. At that time also I´d go by bike on smaller roads countryside around
Chauguanas but I´d never do that after sun set. That was dangerous already
at that time.

Tobago is different, it safe and quiet. But it also depend on the visitor
too if their vacation will be safe or not. I´ve sometimes met visitors, both
males and femals, who seems to left their common sense at home. Sooner or
later, in one way or an other, they always get in trouble.

Ronald