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Just Fun, that's the name of Captain Stefan Philipps' boat.
The name is emblazoned on the hull in blue, hand-painted letters.
“No Fuss”, meaning no stress, is happily written next to it.
Everything is easy on the bright red and yellow painted ship that rocks in the turquoise Buccoo Bay.
Everything is relaxed here in the Caribbean.
The flag of the twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago flies over the bow.
The captain stands casually on the deck and watches as his guests have to learn to deal with the no-hassle.
They snorkel around the reef quite hard until they finally notice that all the colorful fish they are looking for are romping around directly under the boat - and can be observed through its glass bottom.
You could have just stayed on board and watched them over a cocktail.
“They're all my friends, they're staying with me,” the captain calls down to the holidaymakers, who are now grinning at themselves, and he laughs loudly and exuberantly, as you often hear in Tobago.
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Phillips grew up here in Buccoo, in a little house on the hill.
He worked as a diving instructor, then as a fisherman, for five years he has been organizing glass boat tours in the bay, during which one can also observe the endangered leatherback turtles.
Hatched: The rare leatherback turtle breeds on Tobago's beaches
Source: Getty Images
He only drove once, he says, to Jamaica.
Let's see how it is on the other Caribbean islands, the famous holiday destinations.
“Too loud, too crowded, too many tourists” - after three days he returned to his homeland, from which he no longer wants to leave.
The small neighboring island of Trinidad in the south of the Caribbean is currently inaccessible to tourists due to Corona, but was anything but overrun before.
There are beaches here that holidaymakers dream of: beautiful and yet lonely.
In a world in which every photogenic spot seems to be besieged by people with selfie sticks, one wonders in disbelief: How can that be?
Tobago offers original charm of the Caribbean
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A certain nonchalance is one possible reason.
And so there is no reason for many islanders to indulge too much, says Steve Felgate, especially not in the tourism industry with its long working hours.
If you want to make a career or achieve something, you'd better go somewhere else.
At the same time, as a tourism expert, he also sees the advantages of the neglected vacation industry.
"It's emptier here than anywhere else, and you can still experience the original charm of the Caribbean."
Locals are happy about foreign visitors, but they are not fixated on tourism alone
Source: Getty Images / Michele Westmorland
Felgate has embarked on the island, promotes ecotourism on Tobago and deliberately only employs locals.
It is understandable that they value a good work-life balance, after all, they live in a pretty pleasant place.
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“When I first came here in 1996, the island was extremely popular with holidaymakers.
But in the years that followed, the government did far too little for tourism, ”says Steve Felgate.
The 68-year-old Englishman, owner of the luxurious resort “Castara Retreats”, sits next to his guests on the otherwise almost deserted beach and sips a rum cocktail.
“The infrastructure got worse and worse.” Therefore, the service in the hotels and restaurants is not the best everywhere today, and some of the facilities also have to be renovated.
In the luxurious and sustainable resort "Castara Retreats" you spend the night in pretty wooden bungalows with a view of the sea
Source: pa / robertharding / Alex Treadway
That scares off some vacationers.
Compared to other Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago are also less dependent on vacationers because of their rich natural gas and oil reserves.
At 2.8 percent, the unemployment rate is lower than that in Germany.
At night the sea sparkles like a starry sky
"Just fun" and no stress, that could be the motto of the entire island.
It is characterized by palm trees, white beaches, turquoise sea and permanent sun.
Added to this is the seclusion and the largely intact nature.
The "Main Ridge Forest Reserve and Creation Site", part of the tropical rainforest, has been a nature reserve since 1776 and is therefore probably the oldest protected area in the world.
Tobago is ideal for a Robinsonade, and the island is also the model for Daniel Defoe's novel “Robinson Crusoe”.
Coconut palms, turquoise water and white sand: At Pigeon Point Beach, the island shows its calm side
Source: Getty Images / Westend61
But also as a travel destination for well-groomed, decadent idleness.
In many places you have the feeling that you have been placed in one of these kitschy murals from the eighties.
The fun program can look correspondingly casual: sleep in in the morning.
Relax in the afternoon on the palm beach with a lemon lime bitter in hand.
Admire the pink backdrop in the evening.
The sunset makes everything, even the skin, glow reddish.
At night you can swim at No Man's Land in the middle of a magically sparkling sea - bioluminescence is the name of the phenomenon in which plankton shines like thousands of stars.
Barbecue on the beach and provocative dances
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On a motorboat tour along the west coast towards Fisherman's Bay, a group of dolphins suddenly appears and accompanies the boat.
They play with each other and keep jumping out of the sea.
Shortly afterwards, yoga teacher Judha Pacheco pulls a large cavalla, also called horse mackerel, out of the water with a line to which a bait was attached.
The boat moored on a deserted beach, you waded through the water with a view of the jungle on land and grilled the fish on an old grate that once belonged to a washing machine.
Is that healthy?
The rum, mixed with fruit juice, will disinfect it.
Hummingbirds flutter in the lush green trees, otherwise the beach is quiet.
Tobago is the place for anyone who loves fresh fish
Source: pa / robertharding / Alex Treadway
It gets loud and funny in the evening when the Tobago people dance to Caribbean sounds - and even prudish Europeans widen their eyes.
The dancers move extremely provocatively, wiggle their butts and make such clear rhythmic movements that as an observer one inevitably has to think about sex.
What the islanders, when asked, deny with a grin.
You enjoy life and exercise, that's all, they say, and given the tourists' imaginations, you can hardly stop laughing.
Enjoy the time - you can do that on this island
The island shows its calm, almost meditative side on the following day at Pigeon Point Beach, where you feel like you're in a movie between coconut trees and thatched huts.
An elderly man is sitting on a rock in a long robe in a striking zebra pattern.
He looks out to sea, but keeps closing his eyes.
That way he could better feel the wind on his face.
For him, the wind stands for everything that is invisible and yet noticeable.
Like the presence of God or the soul of his wife who died two years ago.
He misses her very much, says the 70-year-old, "but here I am with her, here I can enjoy every moment that I still have".
Enjoy the time you have, undisturbed, to yourself.
It is clear that you can do that better in Tobago than anywhere else.
Sunset at Pigeon Point Beach: The beach is the perfect place to switch off
Source: Getty Images / Mark Meredith
Tips and information
Arrival:
For example with Condor directly from Frankfurt am Main or with Caribbean Airlines from Düsseldorf to Tobago.
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Corona situation:
Due to Corona, the entry of tourists is currently not possible, the borders are closed, current information at Auswaertiges-amt.de.
Accommodation:
The Caribbean island relies on ecotourism.
In the luxurious and sustainable “Castara Retreats” resort in the bay of the same name, you spend the night in pretty wooden bungalows with a view of the sea.
The double room costs from 120 euros, the minimum stay is three nights (castararetreats.com).
The
“Golden Apple Villa” with a view of the town of Castara has two bedrooms and is within walking distance of the beach, for rent from five people from 50 euros per day, minimum stay three nights (via booking.com).
Further information:
visittobago.gov.tt
Source: WORLD infographic
Participation in the trip was supported by Tobago Tourism. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.de/unabhaengigkeit.
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