August 21, 2006 – We started doing some varnishing after several weeks of touring the country, shopping, reading numerous books, and generally being lazy. We’re still not sure if it’s the constantly high humidity or what, but we’ve not felt very energetic. We still haven’t tackled the major projects, but fortunately most are improvements or additions and are not critical to the operation of the boat.
Up in the mountains of the rain forest is a great place called the Asa Wright Nature Preserve, and down along the east coast is the Caroni Swamp. We took a day trip provided by Jesse James’ Maxi-Taxi Service so we wouldn’t have to drive on the narrow muddy roads up into the mountains. There we watched hummingbirds at the feeders, agouti (a rabbit-sized rodent), iguanas, and numerous other birds on our short guided hike along a nature trail. One of our fellow cruisers on the tour actually ate a few termites from one of the huge nests on the side of a tree! A highlight of the visit was a swim in a clear-water pool created by a small waterfall …cool and refreshing even during one of several rain showers that day. A buffet lunch was provided which included the usual stewed chicken dish, salad, creamed veggies, and beans and rice.
Late in the afternoon we arrived at the Caroni Swamp for a boat ride through the mangroves to a lake where the scarlet ibises live. We did see some flying in at a distance, but none close up as this is their nesting season. We’re looking forward to going back there in October when the birds come flocking in at sunset, decorating the trees like bright red Christmas bows.
On August 11th we left for a 5-day trip to Grenada for their carnival. Caribbean Star Airlines was four hours late taking off from Piarco, Port of Spain Airport, but the flight was smooth and arrived only 30 minutes after takeoff. Because of the scare at Heathrow, Trini authorities were not allowing anyone to take liquids on board so the duty-free shops couldn’t sell any liquor to departing travelers. They were, however, giving out free samples!
We (3 couples-Mike and Linda on Casa del Mar, Scott and Heather on Scott Free, and ourselves) quickly found a taxi (van) and after a short ride arrived at the Tropicana Hotel in St. Georges, Grenada.
The next five days was spent watching various venues such as steel pan band competitions, calypso singing competitions and several parades with full costume. We all bought “packages” of costumes (tee shirts, light sticks, light whistles, plastic helmets, etc.) which allowed us to march in the parade as part of the B Mobile (local cell phone company) contingent. This parade helped us all to feel part of the many festivities.
Because of the holidays, the maxi-taxis were running on a different schedule, and we almost didn’t make it out to visit friends spending hurricane season in Grenada on their boat. Fortunately a Route 1 driver stopped, asked us where we wanted to go, and took us out Route 2. We joined our friends on their sailboat for a quick visit, then dinghied over to a quintessential beach bar on Hog Island. The bar offered a great barbecue so we had lunch there and enjoyed a swim as well. A big surprise was seeing a couple from Iceland whom we had met in Weems Creek, Annapolis, last summer. The afternoon was over all too soon, and it was time to try to get back to the hotel!
We found a pay phone at Nimrod’s, a local rum shop, so we could call Francis, the maxi driver, to pick us up as the Route 2 vehicles still weren’t running. We had already arranged with this same fellow to take us to the airport for our return flight. While we waited for him, we were invited into the rum shop to “cross over the bridge”. This is a local custom you won’t find anywhere else. A replica of the London Bridge was put on the counter. It was actually a balance scale on which were placed several cups, each filled with a healthy shot of rum that had to be close to 190 proof.
We were instructed to not breathe the fumes before we quickly downed the rum. The shots were quickly followed by cups of water. The stuff was so strong it must have evaporated before it could get into our blood streams because none of us felt any effect from the alcohol! Well, that’s something we don’t do every day, and we passed the test of drinking with the locals!
Monday of Carnival, officially called “Spice Mas 2006”, is called “Jouvert”, and features the wiping of used motor oil and various shades of paint on participants by some of the revelers. This ritual custom begins at 4 AM…Roland watched from the hotel balcony while Kathleen slept through most of the noise having been kept awake by it until 3 AM. She did manage to wake up enough to take a few pictures when it was daylight before she went back to bed!
After supper, we all got into our gear to participate in the Monday Mas Parade. Can you imagine walking/dancing/parading so slowly that you move less than half a mile in two hours? The highlight of Tuesday was the afternoon parade of the various bands in colorful costumes. Friends from two other boats joined us for parade, and we all enjoyed the “spread” we put out – kind of like a tailgate party, as we watched the parade from the balcony. The partying continued until midnight, and since we had to leave for the airport at 6:30 AM, we were glad to get some sleep.
Kathleen made an early Saturday morning trip along with other cruisers to the “fresh market” in downtown Port of Spain last week. The closest thing to what some may remember as the Clinton-Bailey Market in Buffalo, there were many, many vendors selling all sorts of produce, much of it recognizable, some of it not. Lettuce, onions, potatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, bananas, grapes and a few varieties of apples are always available as are many other local items.
Also at the fresh market is the building where meat and seafood are sold. A two-inch thick yellow fin tuna steak about nine inches in diameter cost $42TT or $7 US. That will be three or four meals. Pieces of prime rib were $2 US per pound. Sounds good, but the truth is that the beef that is sold here has to be tenderized for hours! It was slightly startling when a man walked by swinging a dead chicken by the neck, feathers and all.
Some people wanted to know before we left what we were going to eat. Well, would you believe the most difficult things we have tried to find are Miracle Whip, cottage cheese and horseradish? Miracle Whip is readily available on some islands. Horseradish is unheard of and cottage cheese may or may not be available on any given day. We get Omaha Steak hamburgers and okay hot dogs (nothing like Sahlen’s or Wardynski’s), but the buns are not sliced in half. Unless we buy fresh baked bread, there are two brands of regular sliced whole wheat or white bread. Forget Arnold’s or Pepperidge Farms or any of the other dozen bakery brands in the U.S., no 12 grain or oatmeal bread here! No Thomas’s English Muffins, either!
The Nestle Company here is HUGE, manufacturing locally such things as Cheerios and other cereals, and milk. We can buy Lays Potato Chips, Pringles, Bounty Paper Towels, Hershey’s Chocolate Chips, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Ocean Spray Juices, and Campbell Soups, just to mention a few brand names. However, the larger supermarkets would fit in roughly one-fifth of the average TOPS or Wegman’s.
This Thursday is the 44th Anniversary of Independence for Trinidad and Tobago, so it is a public holiday complete with fireworks. And, school starts again on Friday, what a bummer for the kids!
With the Labor Day Holiday coming up next Monday in the U.S., those of us here at TTSA are planning a picnic/barbecue to celebrate the fact that none of us are “working” anymore! We hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!
