In Search of Swiss Family Robinson and Other Outsider Views of Tobago

This year I went to Tobago three times.  The first, my usual after-carnival cool down, included the standard Trini tourist itinerary.  Curry crab and dumplings at Store Bay, lounge at the beach bar on Pigeon Point, and an evening “cook” at the guest house.  I usually stay within 10 minutes of the airport/store bay/pigeon point hub. My other two trips opened my eyes to so much more of Tobago, and I fell in love with the sister isle.

When my American friends visited from Miami, a trip to Tobago was an obvious choice.  We headed directly to Store Bay and Pigeon Point and got the standard fare out of the way.  We then checked into the Blue Haven hotel, which overlooks a beautiful hidden gem Bacolet bay.  There is nothing like the sound of crashing waves to lull you into a restful sleep.

The next morning we headed out early in search of the Swiss Family Robinson tree.  One of my American friends named Elvis is very into botany.  He knew of Tobago as the location for the 1960 Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson, which featured a majestic Samanea Saman tree.  When we first met years ago, Elvis asked if I knew where to find the tree.  And I, in turn, asked many people from Tobago but no one ever had a clue.  Elvis learned through the internet that it was in Goldsborough.  That morning, we asked a hotel employee where is Goldsborough, to which she replied with disdain, “Country!”

Goldsborough is on the Southern coast of the island, along the scenic winding road to Speyside and Charlottesville, two popular destinations on the opposite side of the island from my usual hub.  We were told that if we blinked, we would miss the town, and sure enough we did.  As we turned around, we stopped to ask some public works employees liming at a parlor if they knew where to find the tree.  “A tree?  All yuh looking for a tree?” they asked incredulously.  “It must be up so.  But all yuh cah just go up so without talking to Manso.”  They directed us to Manso.  Elvis was very excited that we were so close.  I, on the other hand, felt a rising sense of anxiety.  I pictured Manso as some sort of stern village elder, or worse a ganga farmer, and was trying to figure out how I was going to do the cultural translation required to explain why I had brought these American tourists to look at a tree.

Thankfully, as soon as we turned off the main road, Elvis exclaimed, “there she is!”  She was not in Manso’s territory, but in the yard of Roberts’ mechanic shop, along with some old cars and appliances.  Mr. Roberts was very sweet and humored us as we took pictures and measurements of the tree.  Elvis later mailed him a DVD of Swiss Family Robinson.

We continued to Speyside through rural villages with their quaint parlors, pretty churches and Scottish names.  As we descended into Speyside, we had a postcard perfect view of Goat Island and Little Tobago just off the coast.  A short while later, we sped past the tiny islands in a glass bottom boat to go snorkeling in Angel Reef.  I am not a very strong swimmer and told our guide that I would stay close to the boat.  He wouldn’t have it.  He held my hand and gave me a personal tour around the vibrant reef.  It was like underwater art with fish of all shapes, sizes and brilliant colors, large turtles lazily feeding, and coral carved by nature.

The perfect end to the outing was a delicious leisurely lunch at Gemmas treetop restaurant.  I am very grateful that my foreign guests prompted me to see a side of Tobago I had never seen before.

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