* Piarco Airport is the international airport
in Trinidad, Crown Point is the airport in Tobago. You might notice
people rushing off the plane in Piarco at carnival time; they're
not just glad to be there. The line for non- resident aliens (that's
you!) can go out the rear of the waiting room and the customs
officers are notoriously slow; try to be among the first in line.
Have your passport and immigration form ready (you get the form
on the flight down, have it filled out).
* Luggage pickup takes place on carousels
in the next room. Get one or two of the carts along the wall,
and inch slowly up to the carousel (people will be three or four
deep around it) and wait for your bags to come out (they are also
notoriously slow). Look for your arriving flight number on the
carousel to find the correct one. If you stand there politely,
you will get to see your bags go around a few dozen times over
the shoulders of the people who are piled four deep in front of
you; these people will then form long lines ahead of you at the
customs desk..
* Customs in Piarco Airport use a red line
/ green line system; all persons with items to declare get in
the long red lines to have their luggage searched. Persons bringing
in expensive gifts, cameras, electronic equipment, certain foods,
even radios, are sent to a window to pay duty on them (I have
been charged anywhere from $10 TT for a radio to $400 TT for a
television set). Each person can bring in gifts worth about $300.00
U.S. without paying duty on them. If you have nothing to declare,
march boldly up to the short green line and hopefully they will
let you through.
* Taxi rates are fixed by law, but being
a Yankee tourist you don't know what they are. The rate to downtown
Port of Spain is close to $230 TT (about $36 US). The rates increase after 10 P.M. In Trinidad,
an airport cab will take you to the door of your destination,
but normal cabs will not (see Transportation).
* Bring a lot of small bills on your trip ($1.00 and $5.00 bills). The small bills are good for tipping and when you get to Trinidad you won't have to change a large bill into T.T. money in front of strangers, or have a cab driver tell you that he doesn't have change.
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