CruiseMon has said it before . . . anyone who thinks "an island is an island" is a jaded fool. Here on Trinidad & Tobago one finds perhaps the most eclectic array of inhabitants to be found anywhere in the region: African, East Indian, European, Chinese, Lebanese . . . and then there's the decidedly South American wildlife: red howler monkeys, agouti, armadillos, and reportedly the best birdwatching in the Caribbean.

But CruiseMon's favorite thing about Trinidad & Tobago is this: it's the birthplace of steel-pan music.