If you’re wondering why Port of Spain Trinidad gets the opportunity to host the biggest hemispheric summit, it’s because that country is one of the most developed in the Caribbean. It has been an oil producer for over a century and Port of Spain downtown looks like any medium sized city in the United States. But because of the combustion that accompanied the 34 leaders and their delegations who descended who descended on Port Of Spain for the summit, that city had to be cleared out. Residents took it as a free holiday and headed for the water – Our special correspondent to the Summit Janelle Chanona and 7News cameramen Alex Ellis followed.

Janelle Chanona Reporting,
While the world watched the 5th Summit of the Americas through the eyes of the more than fourteen hundred journalists in Port of Spain to cover the event, most Trinidadians kept their distance…literally. The most popular spot for spectacular panoramic views of the Caribbean capital city is St. George’s Lookout.

According to local contractors, the long term vision for Port of Spain is to relocate the docking area so that impressive high rises like that of the Hyatt Regency can be duplicated along the coast. But until another economic boom can push that idea forward, local vendors and craftsmen used the 5th Summit and its world wide audience to attract attention for Trinidad’s diverse collection of talent and services.

Thomas Chanona,
“The fact that they are actually meeting in Trinidad when I have met with the different Ambassadors from the South American Republics and being in Trinidad for the first time and seeing what the infrastructure is, what the possibilities are and the local Chamber of Commerce has seen it as an opportunity to showcase Trinidad.”

Conservative estimates suggest that the Patrick Manning administration spent a whopping US$250 million to prepare for and host the Summit, spending significant sums on security, a new fleet of vehicles, infrastructure, and the rental of two cruise ships to lodge delegates and the media. While the jury is still out on whether the investment will pay dividends in the future, Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert says one of the real successes of the Summit was the cooperation of the Trinidadian people who turned the bustling metropolis of Port of Spain into a virtual ghost town.

Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert,
“If you understand what has happened, the city is very quiet and it is quiet because our citizens have managed to say to the summit and are supporting it. So we have had the full cooperation of our citizens and we are so proud and we are asking them wherever they are to continue.”

So where did Trinidadians go? The coast of course. No trip is complete to Trinidad unless you visit Maracas Bay. But before we hit the beach, we have to stop at Eden’s Sweet and Sour Hot Spot…a modest food stall that offers a bounty of bottled goodies.

Like Belizeans, Trinidadians are very proud of their food and I have to say mostly their food is very very nice and that is only because I haven’t tried all of it. But Kevin Sammy, our local tour guide, he is going to introduce us to something called pineapple chow.

Kevin Sammy, Tour Guide
“Yes I am. It’s made with some local seasonings, it shadow benny, and it is mixed with garlic and pepper sauce. On your way to Maracas, it is the first stop. You must have a pineapple chow.”

Janelle Chanona,
Kevin you’ve lived in Belize, what is Shadow Benny, what do you associate it closely with?

Kevin Sammy,
“It is cilantro I think it is.”

So now we have try it, thumbs up.

Like the pineapples, Maracas Bay does not disappoint. While the beach offers relaxation, the cool waters of the Caribbean Sea is both refreshing and exhilarating. And while you’re enjoying the sun and sand, there’s another “must stop” joint right across the road- Richard’s Bake and Shark.

“The best way I can try to describe it is a fried jack stuffed with fish but this isn’t just fried jacks and fish, this is Richard’s Bake and Shark which means you can have any of ten or fifteen different sauces so Kevin is going to try to guide me through what toppings I should select.

Okay I have two concerns at the end of the line. One is if I will be able to taste the fish and two if I will embarrass myself trying to take a bite.

Well I think I did it justice.”

Tasty food is just one of the things Trinidad is known for. As you look around the island nation, many of the scenes strike familiar chords. And even though it’s currently being renovated, it’s hard not to be impressed by the architecture of the Red House, the seat of power in Trinidad.

Calypso is to Trinidad. One of the island’s most popular artists, Black Stalin, was recently awarded a doctorate by the University of the West Indies for his work and inspiration to the world of music.

Dr. Black Stalin, Calypsonian
“Where the music came from it is not often you reach to the point where you could be honoured in such a distinguished institution for the contribution that you make because it is like a ghetto music. Calypso started from down, it represented the poor people, it represented the masses, the suffering people of the country, and keep doing it all these years –it is so nice to know then that it could reach a point where people in the house of learning can acknowledge the contribution that calypso made. So I think not only for Black Stalin, I am happy to get it, but I think for other people in the calypso art form, I think it is a signal that once you realize that the work you are doing means making a difference in somebody else’s life, you should keep doing it because there is a beautiful reward at the end of the rainbow.”

For Prime Minister Dean Barrow, therein lies another commonality in the region.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow,
“We have produced world class thinkers, noble laureates in economics and literature, leaders of global institutions, cynosures in the arts and Olympic champions in sports. And our positive record as part of the hemispheric process for more than 40 years is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the benefits of cooperation among the nations of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean.”

And to be certain, the leaders of CARICOM and other regional bodies will always count on such strong and significant cultural ties as the power to bridge any divide. Reporting for 7News, I am Janelle Chanona.

7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift