Realize I've let things go again and it's been over a week since I posted so let's get to it.

A lot of people, myself included, don't realize that quality healthcare is available outside the U.S. at a very affordable price. It turns out that many of these doctors trained in the U.S. For instance Charlie had developed some lumps on the side of one of his fingers so we went to see a hand surgeon to get them removed. The procedure was done on an outpatient basis but still required being in the operating room for at least an hour with the surgeon, anesthesiologist and nurses. The cost for all of this? Around $2,000. Just imagine what that would have run in the States.

The operation was done on December 31, 2001, so we had a quiet New Year's Eve aboard "Blue Star". Chaguaramus wasn't quiet, though. Several boats set off flares, none hitting us although some came close. At midnight many boats blew their horns. Meanwhile there was constant loud music from the New Year's Eve party at Crews Inn as well as from other places.

Once Charlie recovered we rented a car and toured a bit of Trinidad, driving over narrow, curvy roads. First we went south to San Fernando, a large noisy town where there were many street vendors selling underwear in particular. The next day, January 6, we took another tour to the north shore over roads that were even worse than yesterday's tour. Many times the road was so narrow that there was room for only one car, and there were steep hills. The locals drive down the middle and play chicken with you, a bit unnerving to say the least. The beautiful scenery was worth it, though, and we made our way to Grand Riviere where we stopped for lunch before heading back to Chaguaramus. From now on we'll use a tour company, that way even the driver gets to enjoy the sights.

With this idea in mind, we took a tour with Members Only to a steel drum factory. "Factory" is a bit of a stretch here as the building looked more the size of a large house than a true factory building, but the method they used to build the drums was fascinating. I especially enjoyed watching them tune the drums using an electronic keyboard for pitch. We also stopped at a lovely waterfall where a dreadlocked man was calmly bathing in the nude.

That evening we had a special birthday party for me and 2 of the guys from the couples we met in Curacao who all had birthdays around this day, January 8. Naturally we had it at Joe's Pizza, just one of the many occasions we celebrated there.

To be continued.