Trinidad and Tobago, come and see Castara's dirt oven

THE EDITOR: As a born and bred Tobagonian, I take great pleasure in showing off the beauty of my island home to visitors. Over the last few months, I had many opportunities to do just that, the most recent being a trip to Castara last week.

One of my friends was a bit "land sick" after the drive from Scarborough, but with the assistance of helpful villagers we quickly located the tiny pharmacy and she got some relief.

Anxious to let my friends experience all that the village had to offer, I inquired about the famous dirt oven, quite unaware that because it was about 2 pm we would be just in time to purchase freshly baked loaves.

Following the instructions, we walked "behind de supermarket" and witnessed the baker expertly removing the bread from the oven. I was pleasantly surprised to see more than a dozen visitors standing around, chatting in their various languages and waiting to place their orders.

We spoke briefly with a couple who indicated they were from France. I couldn't help wondering how they found out about this tiny village tucked far away on Tobago's northwest coast. And I was a bit mortified that they were having the "Castara dirt oven experience" almost before me, as this was my first time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the items we purchased – they were satisfying and delicious – but I was especially impressed by the atmosphere of laidback hospitality. Villagers and visitors seemed to be very comfortable with one another, liming, sharing beers, etc. It felt like we were all family.

I salute the people of Castara on this project and I invite all of TT to come and see for yourselves.

BERNADETTE PHILLIPS

Scarborough