hopping in Trinidad can be almost as exciting as the treasures you finally end up buying.

The adventurous will delight in downtown Port of Spain, where bargains abound and discoveries are totally

Photo: Hummingbird in copper relief: Mark Lyndersay

unexpected. This is the place to shop for fabric (excellent value, infinite variety); local designer clothes, jewellery, both orthodox and unusual; handmade leather goods worked before your eyes by a Rastafarian craftsman; or party cassettes to help you re-live the excesses of the night before. Selection House on Frederick Street is a haven for souvenirs such as copper items, ceramics, mini steel pans and much more.

Wander down one-of-a-kind Charlotte Street, where the sidewalk vendors sell everything from safety pins to fresh fish; and in whose eccentric, eclectic little stores you will find kitchenware jostling for space with baby-clothes and cosmetics.

Larger shopping-centres can be found in the residential and suburban areas: West Mall and Long Circular Mall are good places to seek out unusual artifacts from the Caribbean, South America, Africa and India (see Olayinka in Long Circular Mall and Maca Fouchette in West Mall). They also feature sophisticated local clothing and trendy T-shirts that flaunt striking designs. Zoom and B&Tees feature popular local designs.

At the upscale Ellerslie Court, some of the “best buys” include striking batiks, vivid tableware and colourful glazed pottery, all of which are displayed at Ajoupa Pottery and Poui Batik. Unusual artisan work and designer fashions are their stock-in-trade. The Bambú at Kapok Hotel offers exquisite jewellery from the Far East as well as leather handbags and shoes from South America.

For an east-meets-west experience the Grand Bazaar, at the intersection of two highways east of the capital, is the newest and biggest shopping zone in the Eastern Caribbean. Further south, Gulf City is San Fernando’s most extensive shopping mall.

For the chronic procrastinator, the airport shops offer a last-minute opportunity to redeem yourself and not go home empty-handed. Duty-free shopping (available on arrival as well as departure; and also at selected city stores, upon presentation of a passport and plane ticket) includes jewellery, crafts, leatherwork, music tapes and CDs, and of course, alcohol. Don’t forget to take home a sample of Trinidad’s finest: a bottle of warmly-glowing rum to toast your memories with, when the weather back home starts to turn chilly. (DY/MK)