Trinidad

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We arrived in Port of Spain (Trinidad) in the late evening. By the time we had gotten into the town centre and found a hotel we knew that our planned week-long trip here could be expensive compared with what we had been used to. We had pencilled in a few days here and the rest in Tobago, where Cecilia’s father was born.

We left the hotel to get something to eat and have a first look at Trinidad. We had our first KFC (really quite bad) and ended up getting a cab to the lively quarter of St James. Being no stranger to Caribbean English in the UK, I was quite surprised on how different Caribbean English is in the Caribbean. ‘Ya wa'n gwa limin'?’ After Cecilia translated I realised the driver was asking if we wanted to go to a bar! By the end of our island trip I would be welcoming a return back to Spanish! Caribbean English was an experience and would prove great fun to attempt to get to grips with.
We ended up going to something of a T&T institution - Smokies! The corner bar was a hive of activity, with most of the action spilling way out onto the path and T-junction! We were also introduced to Caribbean music: fusions of calypso, reggae, modern RnB and remakes of classic tunes of bygone eras. The dancing was the highlight. Right from the young to the OAPs, Trinidad’s dancing elite would all have a go. But it was the ‘grinding’ that had me gawping. It seems the aim for a male (of any age of course) is to stand just about motionless, while a young lady bends over at a right angle in front of said male, gyrating and grinding her ‘booty’ into his naval. It’s a very common sight, in the bar, on the path and even on the road. We had an enjoyable night staying out till 5am enjoying the flavour of the Caribbean.

For our first day on the island we used the collective system to get ourselves out to the town of Waterloo and a Hindu temple built out into the Gulf of Paria. One of the surprising facts about Trinidad is that the population is predominantly Indian. After the abolition of slavery, the Commonwealth needed more workers in Trinidad and hence this is why there are many Indian descendants here. There is also a story behind the temple. It was built by an Indian migrant over the course of twenty five years. Check out this link to see more http://templeinthesea.com/. It was an impressive, tranquil complex and was complete even with the cremation slabs and Hindu flags.

We got a collective back to a town called Chaguanas and took the chance to have a walk around the Saturday market. It really did remind me of the Caribbean parts of the UK, in the sun of course! We also tracked down a local street snack of doubles and roti, a snack Cecilia had recommended. All very good, but just go easy on the pepper sauce! After we had finished rambling through the stall-lined streets and interacting with the friendly laid-back locals, we felt it was time to return to Port of Spain.

We took the opportunity to have a look around the capital. Trademark colonial buildings of the old British Empire stand by Trinidad’s developed commerce sectors and booming oil industry. It reminded me of a mini Singapore.

Our next instalment of Trinidadian delights saw us hiring a driver for the day and visiting some of Trinidad’s more out of the way and harder to reach places. Firstly we were treated to a mini city tour with the driver commentating on Port of Spain’s Queens Park Oval, Brian Lara, the Magnificent 7 (a collection of important colonial buildings) and the presidential palaces. Some buildings were in fine condition, while others in more of a state of disrepair.

We continued onto Maracas Bay over winding mountainous roads, through thick tropical forest. As the road turned more coastal, it uncovered rugged coves covered in forest. We found Maracas Bay to be pretty busy, then again it was a weekend. The roadside before the beach was lined with Trinidad’s famous treat ‘bake & shark’ - a fried dumpling filled with fried shark. It was up to us to self-serve the garnish (huge amounts of salad) and try not to go overboard on the pepper sauce. We sat on the beach enjoying the weather, the golden sands and the delicious fare. With a backgroundof forest-covered hills, it wasn’t quite what I expected from a Caribbean beach. But then that’s exactly why you come to these places, to experience it yourself. The sands were fine and lined with palm trees as you would expect; the beach was set in a rugged rocky cove with an abundance of greenery, something that I wasn’t expecting! As we sat and relaxed, the friendly locals would entrust us to keep an eye on their possessions while they went back to their car, other groups of people would play beach games and expats rolled up and placed their towel for the rest of the day. Unfortunately our visit would be cut short by the temperamental tropical weather - a torrential downpour that left us running for cover.

We left Maracas Bay and headed back through the now cloudy mountains towards Sangre Grande. We arrived at a town called Matura and found the beach. We then found the turtle volunteer shelter (just in time) to get ourselves on a giant-turtle hatching trip. As it was the end of the season, spotting hatched turtles making their break for the freedom of the seas would be difficult. We spent the next two or three hours with one of the volunteers searching the desolate beach for freshly hatched youngsters. We walked for kilometres searching the sands for signs. Any areas of fly infestations would stop the volunteer in her tracks and search the sands around the flies for further signs of hatchings. The circling vultures also gave us clues as to where there may be activity. Unfortunately we never saw any hatchings but we did see the small marks in the sand from baby turtles making their dash to the ocean.

We made the long journey back to Port of Spain and got dropped off back at Smokie’s!! Another late night and more interesting happenings. This time a van had pulled up with a massive PA system blaring out all the songs we had been hearing over the last few days! Dance off’, grinding and bottle acrobatics galore! (see here) Another night to remember!

We spent our last day in Trinidad sorting out visas to Suriname. The only logical way back onto the continent would be via the Guyanas. After the usual hassle of dealing with embassies we boarded our flight to Tobago and what would be a chance for Cecilia to experience her father’s roots.
Full Photos on Flickr

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