Romantic Places Abound
Melons and dim sum can both be sexy
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Enormous Fruit, All Along the Roadside
By Nadia Ali
The twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean are known as the home of the steelpan and Carnival, but the local watermelons really should be just as famous.
Introduced to the islands by enslaved Africans, there are four popular varieties. Three of them, Sentinel, Paladin, and Top Gun, are enormous ovals, with dark- and light-green striped rinds. They weight about 20kg. The fourth type, the Mickey Lee, is round like a ball and weighs about 5kg.
Though these can be purchased at grocery stores, you really want to buy them from a roadside stand or the back of a truck.
The melons are grown across Trinidad in the dry season (January-May), and Kernahan village, located on the east coast in Manzanilla, is particularly known for its watermelon production. It is a lovely scenic area fringed with very tall coconut trees. These trees provide the perfect shade for the growth of the melons.
Farmers set up stalls, heaped with mega watermelons, on the roadside. They are more than happy to give you samples of their fruit, but take care, themelon flows down your hands and runs off your elbows – yes, they are that juicy!
The perfect day in Trinidad: take a scenic drive through the mangroves of Manzanilla to the east coast, stop at a stand for watermelons, and continue to the three-mile sandy stretch of Mayaro Beach to feel the spray of the Atlantic Ocean while you sit under the shade of a palm tree and enjoy your mega roadside watermelon. 🍈
Eat Up Macao
By Bindu Gopal Rao
If you’re there, you must try these Macanese staples.
Tai Lei Loi Kei: Located in Taipa Village (that’s the less casino-y, more historical area), Tai Lei Loi Kei opened in 1968 and is the home of the famed pork chop bun, a thick pork chop marinated with secret ingredients and deep fried and placed between toasted Portuguese buns. Two insider tips: the buns are freshly baked every day at 2pm, and the affable owner might even take you on a kitchen tour if you ask nicely.
Long Wa Tea House: If your trip to the area was at all inspired by “In The Mood For Love,” stop in at Long Wa Tea House located near Red Market. (Note that various websites spell it differently.) The dim sum restaurant looks just as it did when it opened in the 1960s, full of mid-century shapes and pastel accents. Get dumplings and stir-fried noodles and choose from a selection of teas including pu-erh, Iron Buddha, standard oolong, and jasmine. Get a table next to the large windows and make a morning of it as you watch the world go by below. Be sure to check out the pottery collection before you leave.
Lord Stow’s Bakery: Located on Coloane Island, Lord Stow’s Bakery started in 1989 and is world-famous for its egg tarts. While the bakery also serves sandwiches and salads, the egg tarts do runaway business. The brainchild of Englishman Andrew Stow, the egg tart is his own recipe, done in the traditional Portuguese style, with a more British filling: fresh cream as the thickening agent instead of flour and water. This also makes a great souvenir, as long as it’s eaten within 24 hours. 🇲🇴
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