If anyone else is planning a trip, there are some very good compilations available these days on reissues, thanks to the work being done on Alan Lomax's collection and the Nonesuch label.

May I recommend "Brown Girl In The Ring" (children's songs from various islands) and others from the Alan Lomax Series, and "The Real Bahamas", "Caribbean Island Music" and "West Indies - An Island Carnival" on Nonesuch, all recorded in the 50s-70s and painting a fascinating and colourful picture of a wide range of cultures.

Rounder also have a good range of calypso collections to choose from, with Lord Invader, The Growler, King Radio and the fabulous Roaring Lion regularly featuring. By the way, the latter wrote a lot more than he was credited for, including Belafonte's "He Come From The Glory" which was the cause of a long-running legal dispute between the two that Roaring Lion eventually (and rightly) won.

Why not take your minidiscs/porta-DATs and carry on the great tradition?