Cricket, carnival and Creole cuisine — okay, so maybe cricket fans will miss the Caribbean’s most famous carnival in Trinidad, but the islands still offer great food, a host of fun activities, natural wonders and… of course… rum to keep fans busy when they are not clapping, groaning and doing the Mexican wave.

The Proteas began their campaign for world domination with warm up matches in the laidback islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Ah yes, life is tough and as a fan, you’ll be forced to bide your time between matches — you may have to endure an afternoon’s scuba diving or an evening of reggae and seafood.

Take solace in the fact that the fans back home are faced with similar diversions from the game — a day at the office, traffic and lots of annoying advertisements.

While the Proteas will probably be focusing on their game and honing their skills, they have, on occasion, been known to indulge in a few extramural activities. And although this is not Antigua or even Jamaica, you never know who you might encounter as you check out the natural vegetation.

Trinidad and Tobago have slightly different perks — party-animals will love the vibrant nightlife in Trini, while the more laidback eco-tourist will delight in Tobago.

Before exploring either of these islands however, you need to embrace the spirit of ‘liming’. This has nothing to do with citrus fruit or gardening, but rather with the art of relaxing, hanging-out, drinking and eating.

Liming in Trini

In keeping with the whole cricket theme, you might like to pop into Battimamzelle for dinner. The chef, Khalid Mohammed, invented a dish specifically for the West Indian cricket team — Pepper-jellied Glazed Chicken Supreme.

There are a host of restaurants which serve a variety of international foods (Italian, Chinese, Indian, French), but if you are looking for something fun with a Caribbean flavour, check out Bonkers in Tobago. With an outside deck, live music and dishes with names like Taboo Tenderloin, Lobster Limbo and Lambaa-baa Curry, you are almost guaranteed to enjoy yourself.

For clubbing with a Caribbean flavour, head down to the Port of Spain, San Fernando, Arima and Chaguanas. Zen is Trinidad’s newest, trendiest club. It has a restaurant and rooftop terrace, themed bars and plays reggae, alternative and hip-hop.

A more relaxed alternative is Crobar, an open-air bar which has no cover charge and no dress code. Otherwise, if you are feeling lucky you can head down to Trinidad’s largest Vegas styled casino — Club De Vegas.

When the Proteas aren’t playing…

You’ll find plenty of excuses to don your brightly coloured zinc oxide sunscreen — even on the days when the Proteas aren’t playing. Not short of natural wonders, Tobago has the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere and the pitch lake in Trinidad is the largest of its kind in the world.

If you’re after birds of the feathered variety visit the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, which is the protected roosting site of the Scarlet Ibis. The islands boost a further 430 species of bird and an astounding 617 species of butterflies.

If you can muster up some energy, take a hike up one of the islands’ three mountain ranges, which are all covered in dense forest and are home to some magnificent waterfalls.

If this all sounds way too energetic, idle away the day on one of the stunning pink and white beaches. Go snorkelling in Tobago off one of their famous glass-bottomed boats in Buccoo Reef or explore Trinidad’s snorkelling sites at Chacachacare or Saut d’Eau Islands.

Catch a wave at Tobago’s Mount Irvine and Trinidad’s North East Coast. Or catch a game fish — White Marlin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Yellow-Fin Tuna, Swordfish and Dorado. The game fishing season is from November to May, so you’re in luck.

Sailing at St Kitts and Nevis

After a stint of liming in Trini, you can follow the Proteas to St Kitts and Nevis, where they will be playing the group stage.

St Kitts has a dormant volcano Mount Liamuiga, which has resulted in grey volcanic sand beaches on the northern end of the island. These are definitely worth checking out if you are used to sugary white sands.

Frigate Bay offers calm Caribbean beaches which are ideal for swimming as does the miles long Pinney’s Beach in Nevis. The trade winds off the Atlantic mean that this is a great destination for sailing — hire a boat (and captain) for the day and dive in the well-protected crystal clear waters.

If you become bored with watching cricket (gasp!) and feel like hitting a few balls yourself, visit one of the islands’ three golf courses, two of which are of professional calibre. Usually not crowded, these courses are likely to receive a fair amount of play over the cricket season — especially Trent Jones on Nevis which is internationally ranked.

Ah yes, cricket is a demanding sport and it requires taxing dedication from its fans. But there are those moments (not to mention destinations) which make it all worthwhile. And if the Proteas make it past the group stage, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Barbados await the avid supporter. If not… hey, it’s not going to hurt to spend a few more days in St Kitts and Nevis.

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