The Queen's Park Hotel
Port-of-Spain
Trinidad
British West Indies

November 4^th 1946

Well, do you see where we landed! Luckily, it made no difference - but the ship was diverted. We got in on the 1^st, and John Kerby met us and has really done his best. I am at this hotel (thirty-three shillings a day, I've just discovered tonight) - very elegant, and wide open, like movies of a Caribbean hotel, with many palms and even more boys - but service slower than anything I've ever seen, and food not thrilling except the things that can't help being. For instance, I saw a tray going up this morning: large tumbler of orange juice, half a grapefruit and a large slice of papaya (per head). But to return - Barbara is staying with the Kerbys - or rather, was. Left this morning. My, she's a pain in the neck. Don't believe I've ever known anyone so pretty and stylish - and so unutterably boring. Really boring besides every other reason I have for disliking her, which I shall go into later.

Trinidad is really lovely - just what one expects of the tropics - very green sheer mountains (possibly better described as hills) running almost straight up from the sea - not actually, for the town is level, but it goes up right behind. We overlook a park - or common - very green, with a few lovely trees, and the hills go up on the other side of that park.

We have seen a lot of the place thanks to Joan Kerby, who is really charming. We went straight to her place (having arrived about 9:00), had lunch - and while Batter went to see Perry &c at a tennis match, the two kids, Joan and I went to the Number Two's wife and small boy - she is American, he naturalized, originally a Scotsman. He was American enough to be quite dull, she one of the loveliest looking things I ever saw. It is fun for me to see the houses. They all have the same furniture: heavy wood, and uncomfortable, but Joan's house is marvellous. Huge room, like ours at Dumbarton, with the dining room separated on both sides, like ours is on one - but on a tremendous scale. There are no windows, but lots of doors opening on a verandah that runs around three sides of the room - so it's beautifully wide open. The walls are stark white - much too bright - and not an iota of colour in the furnishings - no rug, of course - so it could be a thousand times prettier. Upstairs has only two bedrooms and one dressing room - each larger than any I ever saw, except Swatow, and enormous bathrooms. You never saw such tubs. The main one is really a sort of Nip idea - or small pool - made of tiles; low, but twice as wide as your bathroom and about as long. The shower pours forth as rain, and there is no hot water in the house. It's terribly hot here. I thought I'd die the first day, and my feet swoll out of my shoes. But I've become used to it, or something.

The hotel has an enormous thermometer - taller than me. It registers 90^o every time I see it. But it cools down early in the evening - 6:00pm, right after the sun goes down. The only thing is, my room doesn't. There are nicer rooms here, at $50 a day, I'm told. The $ is 4/4d. I've practically not spent a penny. The second morning I spent at the consulate, and in town with Joan and Barbara, but I bought only sunglasses for Hugo, and today again, some talcum and a smitch of Evening in Paris perfume. It probably isn't done, but Hugo and I went to town on a street car that passes by here.

That day I was at the consulate, the personnel man here (black, very nice) came for me; took me to have passport pictures and whatnot. What it is to travel for Shell! I was astonished to learn they had booked me a flight direct to New York, and from there to Richmond. Imagine flying from New York to Gordonsville. It was by train from Richmond. Maybe Scottie could fly me. However, I've arranged for two nights in a hotel in New York, and maybe my baggage will have arrived and I can get everything fixed up. It costs $231 to fly to Miami and $241 to New York! We only touch at Puerto Rico, and it takes about fifteen hours to New York. Seems just too absurd. I must be as far from New York as I was in England.

Of all strange things, they cabled me to go to the American consulate here to fix up the Philippines quota. The London embassy had advised the man here, but he was at sea anyway, never having given a P.I. visa since they had their independence. However, for the first time in my life, he couldn't have been nicer. Made faces when he saw my passport expired in January and extended it - made it good to travel anywhere to reach the Philippines (all the things the London people wouldn't do), waived the fingerprints, medical certificates, and altogether couldn't have been nicer. But why on earth do you suppose the office had it done here - five days ago before we got in we didn't even know we were coming. And in the cable where the office in London asked the office here "impossible to procure P.I. visa elsewhere" they told them to get me off as soon as possible to Charlottesville. They didn't even know what continent to look for Charlottesville on and when they sent London a cable asking, the answer was U.S.A. - and it was the Pan-American that suggested Virginia. Can you beat it!

Sterling is used here, so I shan't need a dollar until I arrive in the States. I could have brought out £20, £10 for Hugo as well. Wish I had.

Hugo and I also lunched with Joan Kerby and Batters on our second day, and went for a drive and to the botanical gardens. There is a pretty view from nearly the top of the mountain we face, but they haven't even built a road to the top. Yet it must be degrees cooler and you'd think they would develop it. The gardens aren't much compared to what I've seen, and little is marked, so you don't know what you're seeing, but there is one gorgeous tree - an enormous saman, that is worth coming to see. Of course, I may have seen it before. Lots of flame, but curiously, only one have I seen in bloom - and that fully. I think it must be not the flowering season for most things. Bougainvillea patchy; only bits of frangipani - but lots of poinsettias. But it doesn't give you that thrill of tropical places, though driving to the naval base on Sunday we went through coconut groves.

The navy has taken over what used to be a public hotel, and, I am told, the only decent place to swim in the neighborhood. The Kerbys got us invitations, and it was indeed fun, and too lovely, though a very small bay - really minute, and it seems queer it should be the only good one. The hills almost close in around it, with very abundant growth right to the water's edge on the two sides, and the reflection makes the waters a bright green. Opposite, in the gap, is a tall mountain, sixteen miles away - the continent of South America - Venezuela. I was amazed.

The navy has a place - chairs &c, and hamburgers, beer, coca-cola and ice-cream, and we met very attractive people, and altogether it was great fun. The commander, at whose invitation we were there, has been on an extended tour of the orient. He is depressing about Manila - thinks it will never be anything again - and says anywhere in China will be nicer for living. Our naval headquarters are to be Sing Tao. No more anything in the P.I., where he swears the natives are hostile to the Americans.

My hand is wearing out. I am waiting to go aboard our tanker which is tonight on her way home and is three hours later than expected. We were dropped here in Port-of-Spain, and she went on to Point Tortin for oil - only sixty-five miles away but quite un-getatable. No trains at all. I have talked on the phone to some of the men, but they might just as well have been in Peru.

It really was grand fun on the boat after the first few days. In fact I haven't had such fun for ages and have never had half the attention and court paid to me. Mrs Batter was literally loathed, and the snootier and more stuck up she got, the more friendly I got to try and make up for it. She really was so tactless, talking about the right school, and related subjects, to these very nice men who put on no dog, but obviously didn't go to Eton. So I was definitely the belle of the ball, and it even reached the stupid state where the captain was jealous of the chief mate because I saw more of him and the third mate (twenty-fours years old - moped around about me until the whole ship got worried).

Just got up that moment - a phone call from some woman in Point Tortin - a message from the young boy to say they were delayed in leaving. He thinks I look seventeen!! Mrs Batter will only just barely take a drink, and the silly mutt tried to missionary amongst those seasoned drinkers. I do think it's so ridiculous, and she only got herself disliked, to such an extent it was uncomfortable for me; for they wouldn't invite her to join our company even if it was just sun-bathing on deck or something, and towards the end I felt she must think I was avoiding her. Yet, professing such dis-interestedness, she has asked me every day I've seen her since if I've heard from anyone on the ship.

The Kerbys took us to a big cocktail party Saturday night, the first I've been to for years, and it was so noisy I could hardly think. The English and Americans mix extensively here. We danced later at a place called the Country Club, though it seems to be purely a club for dancing. One of the men was recently from Cairo, and knew Gay Agnew. My hand has just completely given out.

Saturday 9^th

All that was written Monday night. I meant to finish this and mail it in New York but I didn't have a moment to breathe. Hugo was so exhausted and being bad that I got straight on a train and came home. I'll write you later about our trip up, and will just add a few words about the family. I was met (twice) in Orange last night. Got confused about my train and wired the wrong time. Scotty drove over for the second trip - having just got in from Richmond with Johnny, who also works in Richmond, and they come home about every second weekend. Machi, Denden & Nich were here and waiting supper, but as it was then 9:00pm, Hugo and I had eaten. Machi's hair is growing, and she looks like a shaggy dog. Nich is ten pounds fatter, but older and not pretty. Denden looks fine. Scotty very quiet and no help around the house, and has gone out now all morning and Machi doesn't even know whether to expect him for lunch. Ellen is very cute - no teeth, could easily pass for an Indian. Hugo and she have had a wonderful morning. It is as warm as toast. They have had no frost, and no really cool weather even. Trees and things have grown amazingly. The house looks grand. Much the same, of course, and no-one to do any cleaning. Machi fell on her broken leg; it is badly swollen and she limps and has to have treatment every day. Nich brought her family around earlier and I am just astonished at how they're grown. Elaine is almost a grown woman, full-bosomed, dressed in rolled-up overalls and sloppy garb à la Sampson. Piers looks very like Papa, also very tall. Machi says Garrett is perfectly charming, but an imp. Joan has been gone a month. They say she is interested in nothing but painting - no gardening or anything this summer. Just painting. There is an oil of hers here that seems very good to me.

I had a letter from Lee waiting for me, and got another today. Pinkie's letter was here too. No news of my P.I. trip yet. No luggage either, poor me. My, I hope nothing went wrong. The plane trip was fun - we were twelve hours late. Will write about it.

Love, always
Marijane