The People:
We’re a real melting pot. About 40% of the population is Indian, with a little less being African. Then most of the rest is mixed race, with some Syrians, Chinese and a few white Trinidadians, like my close friend, Nigel Camacho. As our national anthem goes: “Here every creed and race finds an equal place.”

The Places & sights:
I’ve got to start with Maracas Beach, north of Port of Spain. There are nicer beaches in Trinidad, but I can’t think of a drive as awesome as the one to Maracas through the Northern Range. When friends are visiting from abroad I always take them here and they think it’s very special. It’s popular with Trinis too, as it’s a great place to chill out. You’ll often find a game of beach cricket or football being played here.

When I was growing up, I’d go with my brothers and sisters to Maracas from our village, Cantaro, but my parents told us boys we had to walk. It would take us an hour and a half over the hills, but it was always worth it! The batting order was generally based on age, and as I was the second youngest of eleven, I batted number 10 for quite a while.

When I go to Maracas these days, I always have some bake-and-shark, which is a must for anyone visiting Trinidad. So too are our rotis.
Obviously sport is important to me, and as well as impromptu cricket and footie matches on the beach, I’m also very keen on golf. A couple of my favourite courses are the St Andrews club in Maraval – it has quick greens and is very tricky – then there’s Mt Irvine in Tobago, owned by a Mr Yorke, no relation to Dwight, although Dwight staged a successful tournament of his own last year which he actually won himself. We both play off a handicap of five and are passionate about our golf.

When I want to get away from it all, I spend about three weeks a year in Tobago. I often take my daughter Sydney there to rent a house near Pigeon Point, or to Tobago Plantations, another very nice golf course. Coco Reef is an excellent hotel to stay in while you’re there.

The Attractions:
I have to start with Carnival, which I try my utmost not to miss. I’ve played Mas with a few different bands including Poison, Hearts and Tribe who had their 50th anniversary this year.  I always have a big party at my house on the Sunday night before Carnival. It’s a tradition now.

We’re also very proud of our eco-tourism here on Trinidad & Tobago. We have over 400 different bird species, as well as several mountain ranges, two protected swamp wetlands – Caroni and Nariva – forests, rivers and plains. So there’s enormous biodiversity.

Sports tourism is another area in which I think we can flourish as we have great sporting facilities. A new National cricket academy is going to be opened at Pointe-a-Pierre which will offer places to kids from the age of eleven. I’m hoping that I can do some coaching there so that I can give something back to the game.

Finally, there are two places I should mention to anyone coming to Port of Spain. My favourite restaurant is a place called Satchmos, which serves delicious seafood. And the biggest nightclub in the Caribbean is Zen, where I’ve enjoyed some fantastic nights out, although I don’t lime as much as I used to!

Date for the diary:
I really recommend the Jazz festival in Tobago at the end of April – a great event that attracts many famous artists from around the world.

The Facts
Population: 1,297,944
Currency: The Trinidad & Tobago dollar, although US dollars are widely accepted.
Language: The official language is English, but Spanish, and to a lesser extent French patois, Hindi and Chinese, are spoken by some segments of the population.
Location: Trinidad and Tobago are the most southern islands in the Caribbean, located a mere seven miles off Venezuela’s north eastern coast.  Area: Trinidad is approximately 185 square miles (4800 sq km) and Tobago 116 square miles (300 sq km)
Climate and weather: Trinidad and Tobago has a warm, sunny climate all year round. The average daytime temperature is approx 28 degrees Celsius. There are two main seasons, the dry season from January to May and the rainy season from June to December. In the rainy season,
mornings are usually sunny, followed by rainy afternoons and fair nights.
Taxes: A departure tax of TT$100 must be paid by everyone when leaving T&T – except citizens 60 years old and over. A Hotel Tax of 10% is standard to all hotels and guesthouses.
Electricity: 110/220 volts. If this voltage is different from your home country, some hotels offer adaptors, or these can be bought from local hardware and electrical stores.
Telecommunications: The international dialing code for Trinidad and Tobago is 1-868 followed by seven digits.