Pedro Almodovar in Port of Spain

A thick woman to a older man; I dou suck, I dou touch, I dou move in one of the meat shops on George Street



George Street, Port of Spain is the hub of interesting things to experience. There are the street market vendors and meat and fish shops bustling with people, and a hidden gem that pop up in the most unusual place.

This is not a Pedro Almodovar film set, but a fish market. The man gutting the fish behind the counter had no clue what the name of the place was, yet an interior ornamentalist somehow did to make the place look and smell like a fishermen's port. There are scenic paintings of pirogues and fishing nets, fan corals and plastic flowers hang from the walls. The archway has a tapestry of Jesus with his flock of sheep to bless the place and a Hand Peace sign is covered over in glitter. Yet Balram fish mart quotes from the Bible, Thou shall not covet thy neighbors goods, to deter people who forgot their money home.

Balram; Thou shall not covet thy neighbors goods, just above, the sign, Something Fishy

Fishy sign George Street feels like Trinidad, circa 1880. Old buildings groan above the riotous colour, sweat and weight of street vendors plying their trade, with dub music and cussin’ and gambling and women swaying their hips with loads of groceries, new born babies, hair piled like fresh pineapple and powder visibly on their chests.

A sign catches our eye amidst all of this goings on. It is actually a very neatly done painting. A chunky mermaid suns herself, helping to sell the freshest fish. Above her head is the scrawled text, Do not covet thy neighbours goods.. in a knowing way. Our mermade’s skintone is a healthy light brown. A ‘light skin’mermade, with ‘good ‘ hair, telling a moral story with her womanly wiles. - Adele


Shark and George Street, Trinidad, West Indies