Last Day on Trinidad

Today we were off by 8 AM for our final day of touring Trinidad. We went to the eastern coast along the Atlantic to see the 21 miles of coconut lined beach of Manzanilla and Mayaro. Beautiful!

A native gathering chip-chips. They are tiny shellfish along the tide line with a similar taste of clams.

We took a road into the Nariva Swamp. Below are some of the animals, houses, and flowers we saw along the road.

A water buffalo. Farmers use the bull for working the land and the female for milk.

Goats

It has been enjoyable spending time in Trinidad. Tomorrow we take the ferry across the Caribbean Sea to Tobago. It is a 2.5 hour journey. Diana will take Dramamine! We will continue to post our travel.

Please click here to follow us to Tobago.

Three Pools and Blanchisseuse Bay Beach

Yesterday was a day to stay put and rest. This morning we were off at 9 AM for Blanchisseuse to hike to the Three Pools on the Marianne River. First we stopped at an overlook on the highway to take pictures.

We parked the car near Laguna Mar Beach Restaurant and Bar. Michael, our guide, knows Freddy, the owner, so he often parks there when taking guests around. Some beautiful ginger lilies were in front of the restaurant.

It was a short, easy hike that followed the course of the river. The trail runs through bamboo forest and offers shade for the hike. 

You must cross the river in parts to reach The Three Pools. They provide cool swimming and you can enjoy a natural water-slide as the current pushes you over the rocks. 

Swimming in one of the pools.

Stan going down the slide.

Diana's turn.

A view of the Marianne River where it flows into the Caribbean Sea at Blanchisseuse Bay Beach.

Blanchisseuse Bay Beach

By now it was after 1 PM. We stopped at Uncle Sam & Son's Bake & Shark, the one Michael prefers. Diana tried Butterfly Fish and Chips and Stan had the Shark and Chips. There is a picture of the buffet table with all the toppings to add to your basket. Cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, chopped cabbage, pineapple, garlic sauce, other local sauces, and of course mayo, mustard, and ketchup. It was a very filling meal at $40TT ($6.50 US).

Asa Wright Nature Center, Avocat Falls, and More!

We were up and out by 7:30 AM, walking to the travel agent to get our tickets for the ferry to Tobago for Friday. At 9 AM, Michael took us to Asa Wright Nature Center. They have 13 species of hummingbirds as well as many other birds, flowers, and trees. We had a guided tour through the rain forest. Plants were pointed out to us as were several birds.

Beautiful Purple Honeycreeper!

Powder Puff

Heliconea

Red Torch Ginger

Monkey Vine

Nutmeg Tree

Bamboo

Trumpet Lily

We drove north on the winding mountain roads, stopping to see the view. These roads are not for those who get car-sick!

We passed several guard rails. One of the better ones is shown below.

We arrived at the spot where you can park your car safely before entering the Marianne River to get to Avocat Falls. A 90 year old Trinidadian lives in the house there. He is Michael's friend, and when Michael takes visitors on the hike to Avocat Falls, he pays him $25TT (about $4.25 US) to park the car. There is a sign on the house as well.

For a portion of our hike to the falls, we had to walk in the Marianne River. It was worth the 30 minute walk! Diana swam in the refreshing pool.

After the falls, we drove back to Tunapuna via the north shore beaches, on the Caribbean. 

Las Cuevas Beach

Maracas Beach

We stopped at the famous Richard's Bake and Shark stands across from Maracas Beach. Bake and Shark consists of a golden fried shark fillet in a light, airy, crisp fried bread bun. You go over to the sandwich buffet table and add your choice of toppings to the sandwich. Choices are garlic sauce, pepper sauce, shadon beni, mustard, tomato, cucumbers, coleslaw, lettuce, mango chutney, and pineapple slices. They were quite tasty.

It was a full day!

Port of Spain, Trinidad, and a Tour of our Home

Today we returned to the market for another breakfast. This time we had aloo pie. It is a soft, fried pastry made from flour and water. It is filled with boiled spiced and mashed potatoes, green peas, and garbanzo beans. It was delicious. 

We also bought a pineapple grown in Trinidad. It seems smaller, but we are told it is sweeter than those grown in Hawaii.

While visiting with Michael, he picked a sapodilla from his yard. He told us it is a most desirable fruit. It has a sandy brown scurf on the outside. The flesh is yellowish to light or dark-brown. It is soft and very juicy, with a sweet flavor resembling that of a pear. There are about 6 seeds which were easily removed as they are loose in the center of the fruit.                

In the afternoon, Michael drove us to the Lady Young Road view point. There we could see Port of Spain below. It was a bit hazy.

We also saw the homes in the hills.

Then we went along the north western coast to Macqueripe Bay. Being a Sunday, there were many people there. We paid $20TT ($3.50 US) to enter. There is said to be good snorkeling, but we did not snorkel. They have a zip line in the park portion by the beach. We saw people zipping through the air from one spot to the next. 

Then we drove into the capital city of Trinidad, Port of Spain. We went to Queen's Park Savannah. It is a huge park (2.2 miles around) or open field in the middle of Port of Spain. It was really nothing special. It was very close to the Royal Botanical Gardens. We walked the grounds. There were more trees than flowers.

The Double Chaconia, the National Flower of Trinidad

We had some time to kill before the restaurant opened, so we watched some remote controlled boat races in the bay. Then we went to La Cantina Pizzeria for pizza. It was a thin crust pizza place and very nicely furnished. We ordered a shrimp appetizer to share. We selected a pepperoni and mozzarella cheese pizza and a pitcher of diet coke. We were surprised that the pizza was under $20 US. 

Half eaten shrimp appetizer.

Half eaten pizza.

Below are some pictures of Papaya House, our home in Tunapuna, Trinidad. There are 5 bedrooms. One bedroom was ours and all other bedrooms were locked. We pay the rate for one bedroom. The rest of the house is open for our use. Very nice to have the big open spaces.

Front view

Stan having dinner on the front patio.