Day at the Market, Mount St. Benedict Monastery, and Trincity Mall

Today we walked to the Tunapuna market. We tried a "doubles". They are really good! They are often eaten for breakfast by the locals. It is a flat, soft fried bread filled with curried chick peas. Ours was topped with cucumber and we requested no pepper sauce. The cost was about 65 cents in US money. It was a real bargain. Below is a picture.

Then we walked through the huge Saturday market at Tunapuna, the town where we are staying. Below are some pictures of the market.

We walked a ways to the bus stop for the bus to Mount St. Benedict Monastery. The ride was up the mountain on a twisting road. We enjoyed the view, even though it was a bit hazy. Some pictures are below.

The Monastery is known for their yogurt, made on site. We tried pineapple, almond, and guava.

After the Monastery, we went via Maxi-Taxi to the Trincity Mall. Same fast food places as in the US. We looked at a few stores in search of postcards. Not easy to find. When we returned, we took a swim in the pool. It was a leisure day.

La Brea Pitch Lake, Temple in the Sea, Hanuman Temple and Statue, and Caroni Bird Sanctuary

Today Michael drove us to La Brea Pitch Lake. This 100-acre lake releases asphalt from the depths below and is the largest natural asphalt lake in the world. Our guide explained how the asphalt was removed and sold. We also saw and tasted the "stinky toe" fruit. Pictures are below.

Stinky Toe fruit

La Brea Pitch Lake

We tried roti for the first time at Hi Way Roti Shop. It is eaten by sopping up the chick-peas and goat with the roti. No silverware is used.

Roti

Next we went to see the Temple in the Sea.  An Indian laborer, Siewdass Sadhu, worked for decades to build this temple in the sea when he was told he could not build it on colonial land.

Temple in the Sea

Not far from the Temple in the Sea was the statue of the Hindu god, Hanuman. It is the tallest of its kind outside of India.

Statue of the Hindu god, Hanuman.

We saw the Hanuman temple. Men came from India to build it.

Hanuman Temple

We went to Caroni Lagoon National Park and took a boat trip on the lagoon to see what we could see. Below are some pictures.

Tree Boa sleeping in a tree in Caroni Lagoon

Anteater hiding in the tree in the shape of a ball.

Flocks of rare scarlet ibis flying home to roost. An unforgettable sight!

Beach Hopping on the Northeast Coast of Trinidad

Today our drive began at 8 AM. We drove east from Tunapuna and turned north and drove along the coast to the Galera Point (Toco) Lighthouse.

The ocean views were amazing.

On the grounds of the lighthouse we saw almond trees. None were ripe to taste, however. 

Almond Tree

Almond Nut

We spotted a termite nest in a tree, as well. Termites are common in Trinidad.

Termite Nest

There were vultures everywhere.

We then turned west to drive along the northern coast. We stopped at Salybia Bay. The water was too rough for snorkeling, however. 

Then we went to Grande Riviere Bay. It is the second largest leatherback turtle nesting ground in the world. This happens between March 1st and August 31st. We hope to see this on another beach when we are in Tobago.

We went to the end of the road and returned late afternoon. Below are some of the sights we enjoyed.

A church in Mission Village

One of the homes we passed. See the Direct TV dish?

Another home along the drive.

The road along the coast.

Some of the flowers we spotted.

Arrived in Trinidad!

We arrived safely in Trinidad. The pilot announced it was 92 degrees! Michael, the caretaker of The Papaya House, where we are staying, was at the airport to meet us. 

He took us to a grocery store to get things for the days ahead. The US dollar is worth 6 Trinidad and Tobago dollars. It takes some getting used to. A loaf of bread is $11.50 TT. We settled in at Papaya House. It is what we expected. It is a large home with several bedrooms. It can sleep 8 people. The rooms not needed are locked, but the rest of the house is all ours. We will post some pictures soon.