Steel drums -- made from the bottoms of oil barrels -- were first heard in Port of Spain in the 1930s. The instrument says much about the people of Trinidad: They're resourceful, drawn to lively music, and willing to use whatever's available to get a party started. In fact, it's said that the steel drum (also called a "pan") was born when poor Trinidadians needed a musical instrument for Carnival, the festival of frantic revelry that is another of the island's claims to fame. In addition to the usual offerings of beaches and water sports, the island has stretches of tropical rain forest and nature preserves -- seeing a scarlet ibis in the wild is a particularly wonderful experience. So much variety makes Trinidad a good destination for those who want to sample a lot of the Caribbean in a small space.