Sadly, the buildings are falling apart but are still interesting to explore.
We have really enjoyed our time in Trinidad and exploring the surrounding islands. Our computer crashed when we had a power surge which was the reason for the long time updating the blog. Hopefully we can get caught up and stay on top of it.
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This looks like a wild mushroom but we weren't about to try them. They were located along the trail we were hiking in Scotland Bay.
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Termites are in abundance in the jungle. They build dozens and dozens of tunnels from the main nest so they can travel all day without being exposed to light as they cannot survive in the light.
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We have spent a few weekends enjoying the peace and quiet in Scotland Bay with a few other cruisers. One of the unique features about Scotland Bay is the howler monkeys howl in the morning and late afternoon and sound like roaring lions. It's hard to spot them in the jungle but their roar is unmistakable. We've been on some interesting and challenging hikes in Scotland Bay and have difficulty leaving it when our time is up.
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There must have been a large number of nuns working with the lepers considering the size of the residences. There is also a well-preserved grave site. The gravestones indicate most of the nuns were from France and a number of them died between 1927 and 1934 at varying ages.
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This is a beautiful island with a difficult history. It was fascinating touring it.
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This gigantic tree shows Bill & Richard dwarfed beside it. It is situated near the nuns' residences. We marveled at the sacrifices the nuns made to care for lepers as they wouldn't have known how the disease was transmitted and were prepared to risk their own lives to care for the lepers.
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This is the doctor house. It was located quite some distance from the residences of the men and women. The island is so overgrown that you can see houses tucked in the trees but almost inaccessible without a machete to chop your way through the jungle.
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This was the hospital on the island. There was evidence on the second floor that it was used as an operating theatre. We had to be very careful walking around the buildings as they were decaying and not particularly safe.
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We hiked up to the lighthouse with our good friends, Richard and Shellee. On the way down Shellee's knees were causing her discomfort so she called on Richard for an adjustment (a common occurrence we were told). She stretched out on the road and Richard manipulated her knees on the spot. When she got up she felt great and had no problem for the rest of the hike.
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We enjoyed the expansive view from the lighthouse. These islands belong to Trinidad although Venezuela didn't give them up easily. At a time not that long ago in geological history, the two countries were connected by land.
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There is a manned lighthouse whose light guided us to Trinidad from Grenada. We hiked up the long road to the top where we talked with the lighthouse keeper. Venezuela is visible from the top as it is only about 6 kms. away. There is a radar station that keeps track of boats coming and going from Trinidad. It has been very effective in reducing the drug trade from Venezuela.
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Before the island was named Leper Island, it was called Cotton Island. There are many wild cotton plants still producing cotton on the island.
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The buildings are all in varying stages of decay.
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Chacachacare (I love saying that name) is an island about one hour by boat from our anchorage in Trinidad. It used to be a large leper colony until the 1980's. When a cure for leprosy was found the inhabitants were moved to Port of Spain (Trinidad's capital). They left all their possessions behind. We spent over 5 nights at the island and explored many of the derelict buildings. It gave us an eerie feeling as we considered what life might have been like.
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The leaf ants are constantly busy carrying oversized leaves to their colony where they are screened for their fungus content before being admitted to the colony.
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The silver bullet cruises through the anchorage on a regular basis.
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We met a family with 8 children who we befriended on the river. They bought some gasoline for us while they were in Tucupita and delivered it to us when we returned to their area. They all showed up at our boat so we invited them aboard. They had never been on a sailboat before so it was an interesting experience for them. They said it was hard to believe they were on a boat.
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We only saw one vehicle in Pedernales because it is only accessible by water. However, we assumed they used the vehicle to transport goods that arrive by boat.
This is a common means of transporation in Pedernales and it works well.
| Manamo River, Venezuela |
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Our first stop was Pedernales at the head of the Pedernales River and just around the corner from the Manamo. We unofficially checked in at the police station where they took our passport information. We had them stamp a piece of paper when we left so we had something to show Customs & Immigration when we returned to Trinidad (as they always ask for your departure information from the last country you were in).
Pedernales is much more sophisticated than the rest of the river people we saw but it gave us an idea of what we might expect.
| Manamo River, Venezuela |
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We were so surprised to learn that 81 Toyota representatives were coming to the Mis Palafito Lodge on the Manamo River to spend the night. How people learn about these remote places is curious to us. However, they picked a beautiful place for a getaway.
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One of the villages we visited had one hut dedicated to a school room. We noted that school had not been in session for a long time as teachers are not always available. Melinda had the children recite the Spanish alphabet while several of the mothers stood by and watched with interest.
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While we were in Pedernales we learned that Chavez was holding a referendum that weekend wherein he was asking for two things: (1) that he could be elected for multiple terms and (2) that he could make decisions on certain matters without representation. In an effort to secure a "Si" response, he was offering bags of groceries to any family who would vote for him. We understand he lost the referendum regardless of his gifting. For people on the river who have little, the temptation of the groceries was too much to refuse. Other people on the river told us they were offered 350,000 bolivar (or about $70 U.S.) per adult.
We were impressed how the Chavez government is the first government in Venezuela to actually support the people in rural areas where he provided each river family a 40 HP Yamaha outboard. His government is funding hospitals and schools where none before have been available for the people.
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The jungle is full of unique and beautiful birds, but capturing them in a photo is almost impossible. These tame ones give us a close-up of what we only catch glimpses of in the wild.
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One of the highlights (and there were many) of our trip on the river was our two nights anchored on the south end of Ibis Island. At sunset thousands (like 30 thousand) scarlet ibis return to roost for the night at Ibis Island. They start by filtering in a few at a time, then by the hundreds, then by the thousands, until all the trees on the entire end of Ibis Island are scarlet colored. We sat in awe watching this sight and got up early the next morning to observe their departure. Within a 10-15 minute period, and on the dot of sunrise, they all left the island. Unfortunately the photos just don't give it justice. We ended up spending two nights at Ibis and watched this amazing phenomenon both days.
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There were few sailing issues on the Manamo. We did ground briefly on two occasions but it was in mud and not a big deal. The rivers are wide and deep for the most part. The evenings were calm and tranquil. We even started to identify constellations with the help of Chris Doyle's Cruising Guide. There appear to be a gazillion more stars in the sky when you get away from civilization. What a glorious world we live in.
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Another lodge we visited was Orinoco Delta Lodge. There were a few European guests there and a couple of them sat on the dock fishing for piranha, accompanied by a couple of domestic cats, also hoping for a catch.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the lodge which consisted of delectable breaded piranha (with garlic, peppers and a blend of herbs), parsley boiled potato and a mixed tropical vegetable salad.
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We heard men hunting along the river with guns and figured they were hunting capybara. This relatively tame one was hanging out at Mis Palafito Lodge. They are described as overgrown rats but serve as food for the Warao.
One surprising sighting we had was a deer swimming across a cano. We only caught a glimpse of his head and he moved away quickly when he saw us.
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There was never a shortage of visitors to our boat. We were told take twice as much stuff to trade as you think you need, and you still won't have enough. They were right.
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The water hiacynths floated in and out with the current and at times during the day the space between our boat and Sea Schell was a sea of water hiacynths. We tried to maneouver through them with our dinghy (and our sailboat for that matter) but when they are this thick it's pretty complicated.
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We kept digging in our boat for more goodies for the families that paddled out to us. We wanted to share equally with everyone which created a challenge at times. If we went on another trip we'd take more children's clothes and hats. Melinda had some bottles of nailpolish that the girls went crazy over. Once the word got out girls would show up at their boat and point to their finger nails. They knew what they wanted but didn't know how to ask.
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Some of the little tykes that visited our boat by dugout canoe, couldn't have been more than 3 years old. Occasionally a family would come with the mother holding a babe in arms and a whole troup of little ones lined up in the boat. What fun!
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Melinda and Harry have the same boat as we do, a Tayana Vancouver 42, Center Cockpit. They introduced themselves when they arrived in Trinidad and immediately told us about their planned trip to the Manamo River. They invited us to come along. Once we eliminated all the reasons why we couldn't go, we agreed to join them. We had a marvelous time and became great friends, sharing many dinghy explorations, sundowners and meals together.
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Harry, from Sea Schell, enjoyed a moment with this beautiful toucan. We spotted the more wild variety in the jungle but it was nice to get a close up view from this relatively tame one.
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We visited a beautiful lodge called Mis Palafito, down a side cano, isolated and very remote, where we didn't expect to see any tourists. To our amazement there were 60 lovely little huts for guests and a large dining area. They were preparing for 81 Toyota guests arriving by speedboat for one night and the tables were set in preparation. Incredible. How do people find these places? Large bowls of fruit were on the table and as we watched two monkeys came into the doorway, scanned the room, then scurried down to the floor, up onto the table and snatched some fruit. The large screen door was closed to prevent a second occurrence.
There were some relatively tame parrots and toucans that hung around and entertained the guests.
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These are two of the children of the family we spent time with. The father handcrafted this beautiful furniture and the children wanted to pose for the photo.
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We certainly didn't expect to find a church in the middle of nowhere but the Lord directed us to this one. We were told that there was a family near where we were anchored who spoke English (formerly from Guyana) and invited us to visit. We met the family with 8 children and visited with them in their home, learning much about life on the river. We spotted another hut next to their home with benches set up. Inside there was a handmade sign that said "Iglesia Evangelica Pentecostal, Viene de Boca de Tigre". The family used to live in this hut but when it rained the water came in. They built another home and decided to turn this building into a church. It has been going for 7 years. On our way back down the river we were blessed to attend Sunday worship service with them. This is the music team that let the praise and worship. What a blessing it was to fellowship with this lovely Christian family on the river.
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This beautiful flower grows wild in the jungle along the river.
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Even the pigs have pens on stilts above the water.
Most of the floors in these huts are made of logs so it isn't all that comfortable walking around them. You can't put your feet on a flat floor like we are so accustomed to.
| Manamo River, Venezuela |
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We were not surprised to see this hairy critter in the bushes. We read about tarantulas and discovered they are not as poisonous as their reputation.
What did irritate us during our trip on the river were horse flies (that delivered a nasty bite) and mosquitoes. Regardless of how well prepared a person is to prevent contracting malaria or dengue fever, there are just too many mosquitoes to avoid being bitten. They came out in full force right at sundown. We kept our deet handy and discouraged them for the most part. We did have a mosquito net for our bed but the mosquitoes left by then so we didn't use it.
| Manamo River, Venezuela |
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We were anchored near the hut where this woman and her son lived and noticed they had almost nothing in their hut. We put together a little package with flour, cooking oil, fabric, needles, thread, coloring book and crayons and a small amount of bolivar (Venezuelan currency) and delivered it to her. It was completely unexpected and she was taken back. She motioned for me to wait while she ran and returned with a plate with a small fish covered in salt. I believe it was their food for the day and she was offering some to me. I didn't want to be rude so I pulled a piece of it off, thanked her and left in the dinghy. We were both moved to tears at the kindness displayed by this woman. We learned later that the husband fishes all day for their daily needs and tries to catch and sell a couple of extra fish for their other needs.
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We travelled along numerous canos in our dinghy searching for monkeys. We use the motor until we got into the thick of the jungle then turn off the motor and drift with the current. There were howlers and capuchin that we were aware of and the howlers made such a loud roar you'd think they were fierce lions. Most of the ones we saw were pretty cautious, coming close enough to catch a glimpse of us. This monkey was near one of the lodges we visited and was obviously quite comfortable around humans.
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There were many huts along that river that were not part of a village without any luxuries. The huts have no walls and they sleep in hammocks. They live a very simple day-to-day existence.
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In the village there was one hut with a communal washing machine, stove and freezer provided by President Chavez. We didn't expect to see such luxuries on the river.
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We were surrounded by dugout canoes when we arrived at this little village and were invited to visit. The homes are built on stilts and are joined by a common walkway.
| Manamo River, Venezuela |
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We decided to go to the Manamo River in the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela for a couple of weeks. We travelled with another Tayana Vancouver 42 named Sea Schell who we met in TTSA, Trinidad. We had a marvelous time and it was an experience we will treasure forever.
Before we left we purchased items to trade with the Warao Indians who live on the river. They came to our boat in dugout canoes in droves and we traded staples, like flour, cooking oil, fabric, needles, thread, etc. for baskets and jewelry.
These were among our first visitors. It was not uncommon to see about an 8-year old at the controls with six or seven passengers coming to our boat. One or more of the passengers would normally be bailing. What a sight! It was such fun and we loved engaging with the children. They spoke Warao (and occasionally a few words of Spanish) so communication was with smiles and gestures.
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This stop in Trinidad has brought a number of major changes. First of all the compressor on our refrigerator died. We decided it would be a good time to change our refrigeration to 12 v. from 120 v. which meant trading one compressor that served the 120 v. for two for the 12 v. Budget Marine had one in stock but the other had to come from Florida. We have been keeping our limited supply of food cold by buying bags of ice daily. Meanwhile, as the compressor was failing the generator was overpowering to try and meet the refrigerator's demands and seized the regulator. We bought the generator in Dominica only 3 months previous and expected it to trip itself first. Not so. That meant transporting the 100 lb. generator to the Yamaha dealer in Port of Spain who determined it was unfixable. Only after Bill's patient explanation did they agree to check the regulator. This meant two more trips to Port of Spain sorting out things they needed and didn't have in stock. When it was repaired we hired a car and driver from town to transport us back to TTSA with the generator. To add insult to injury, one of our batteries showed signs of draining the battery. We bought two new gel batteries when we bought the boat and had one older battery on board that we believed to be the culprit. A defective battery can ruin good batteries so we have ordered another battery from Florida. Anticipated time of arrival is Dec. 7. After that we plan to head to Tobago where we expect to spend Christmas. We did request a quote on a stainless steel arch with dinghy davits but have put that on the back burner for now.
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Here is another boat that has been neglected. Seeing the dinghy barely hanging off the back with the motor still attached should be an invitation to thieves. However, they seem to prefer those that are currently in service. Just over a week ago some thieves swam out from shore during the night to a catamaran anchored nearby, cut the dinghy from the boat and swam back to shore with it. Once on shore they used a hacksaw to cut the motor off the dinghy. The owners retrieved their motorless dinghy from shore in the morning. It was an 8 HP with the boat name scratched in two places. They suspect the thieves may junk it once they discover how all its markings. The cruisers left a day or so later for the Rio Macarao with only a dinghy they said could not be rowed. How discouraging. As a deterrent, we sprayed fluorescent orange paint on our Yamaha motor and put some paint on our dinghy as well. We hope thieves can see this in the dark. We also use a heavy chain and tie it to the boat. Unfortunately we do not have dinghy davits which would help even more.
This photo was used by Adventure Publications in one of their books called "Six Knots for Everyday Life".
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It was a bit rough when I took this photo of the pelicans on this boat. They seem to know where to spend time where they won't be disturbed. We watch the many pelicans with great interest as they dive for their food. They make quite a splash.
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We visited the Maritime Museum within walking distance of TTSA and found it fascinating. There is a bunker inside that gives you a sense of being in the middle of the action with all the sound effects piped in. Unless somebody told us how excellent it was we likely would have never ventured in.
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Eventually we had walked most of the streets once or twice and were getting weary. We returned to the temple and found the first bus starting to gather its load. Our party of 8 completed the load and we set off back to Chagaramus. The traffic was very heavy and the return home was slow. However, I sat next to a boater I'd never met and who hailed from Toronto so we struck up a conversation that lasted most of the journey. Others manage to doze off after a very energizing evening.
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Cars were bumper to bumper along the road taking in the sights, while the locals, many dressed in beautiful colored saris (women) and males in traditional dress, sat outside enjoying the masses of people looking at their lights and displays.
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Along the way we visited another Hindu temple where we were invited to climb a spiral staircase to the roof to see the view of the city with lights. It was pretty awesome. Later that night we passed by the same temple where a few locals were dancing (more like swaying) to traditional music.
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We actually had time to wander around the town before and after dinner as everyone could not be seated at once. Before dinner we watched as the locals were spreading out their earthenware pots in preparation for lighting them as soon as darkness fell. Many homes had dozens and dozens of little clay pots, and some over 100, that were carefully placed at about 3' intervals on driveways, along walkways, on walls or on long strips of bamboo in front of their homes.
Occasionally a woman from one of the homes would come out with an armful of goodies (mostly little baggies with a similar dessert as we'd been served with the meal). They offer them as gifts to passersby. We were told to accept the gifts without reciprocation. Before the night was over we had several bags of goodies clutched in our hands.
One of the boaters asked about the significance of the lady with the elephant nose and was told that Hindus consider that the most important "god" and the one they pray to first.
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I'm not too sure what all the vegetarian meal consisted of but know there was pumpkin, curried vegetables (mango and potato), and a flat roti pastry to pick up the other food, all served on a gigantic banana leaf. There were some spicy sauces as accompaniments. For dessert there was sweet dough mixed with fruit and raisins. We were invited to eat as much as we wanted but I found this leaf full more than adequate. It was all very delicious.
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We actually had time to wander around the town before and after dinner as everyone could not be seated at once. Before dinner we watched as the locals were spreading out their earthenware pots in preparation for lighting them as soon as darkness fell. Many homes had dozens and dozens of little clay pots, and some over 100, that were carefully placed at about 3' intervals on driveways, along walkways, on walls or on long strips of bamboo in front of their homes.
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Some of the boaters' kids were invited to participate with the dancers in learning a few moves of the traditional dance. They were great sports in front of the adult audience and seemed to really enjoy themselves. We are constantly amazed at how well adjusted boaters' kids are. What a privilege for them to be part of a cruising family.
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More views inside the Hindu temple.
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One hundred and twenty boaters showed up for this special event.
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This is inside the Hindu temple where we enjoyed traditional entertainment arranged specifically for the boaters.
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A convoy of eight buses traveled from Chagaramus to Felicity packed with boaters (120 in all). It took close to an hour to get there. We removed our shoes before entering the temple and had a seat. We were free to take photos inside the temple. Next to being in India, it was a very interesting and unique experience.
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Divali is a Hindu religious festival of lights celebrated on the darkest day of the year (in October or December). We understand Divali is just as significant to Hindus as Christmas is to us. Jesse James (Members Only Maxi Taxi Service) organized a trip to a small town in the center of the island called Felicity, to visit a Hindu temple, enjoy a program of traditional music and dance, and an authentic meal. The homes are beautifully decorated with lights as well as earthenware pots with burning oil that were placed all around their properties.
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On a Saturday, seven of us went from TTSA, caught a maxi taxi and traveled to the other side of the island to a place called Macaripe Bay. We had hiked there before but this was the starting location for the hash. We watched as car after car after car rolled up and people began to gather. I'd estimate about 100 people got ready to participate in the hash. Some of the participants wore shirts bearing names of different countries where they had run a previous hash, including Nicaragua.
So, what's a hash you say? Well before the event starts one or two hashers, called the hare(s), lay a trail, in this case it was using shredded paper. The trail winds through the jungle, over logs, across streams, ditches, paths, etc. At a given signal, the rest of the hash (the Harriers, Harriettes, hounds, or pack) set off in pursuit of the trail. The idea is to keep the pack somewhat together and this is achieved by setting false trails, cunning checks, and sneaky loops. The fitter front runners will often run twice as far as the more "slothful" members, yet still finish the run at the same time as the rest of the pack. The race is typically between 4 - 8 kilometers. If you go down a false trail you end up turning around and coming back to where the false trail started, thereby traveling a lot farther than necessary. People yell "on-on-on" when they seem to be on a good trail or "on-on-back" when they discover a false trail.
At the end of the run they gather to drink beer in a Circle (which sometimes includes eating). The Circle consists of awarding "down-downs" for misdemeanors real, imagined or blatantly made up. As a visitor (or first time hasher) you are considered a Virgin, and subject to drinking a glass of beer and then pouring what you haven't consumed over your head. It's all in fun and just a big joke. So we went prepared for whatever might happen that day.
We were absolutely wiped by the end of the walk/run as we spent a lot of time running, trying to keep up with anybody in front of us so we wouldn't lose the trail. Of course, the last part of the race was up a steep hill, across the crest of the mountain, and down the other steep side. All ages participated, including kids as young as 7 or 8. DARN... at the end of the hash (Bill & I were the last of our original group of 7) they had found a ride back to TTSA so we had to miss the "down-down" section of the hash. We climbed into the back of somebody's pickup truck and he carried us right to the marina. We rushed back to our boat, finished getting our pot luck potato salad ready for the weekly Saturday night pot luck at TTSA, had a quick shower and back for more socializing with the TTSA group. What a day. I announced that if we did another hash we could not be considered "virgins" nor subject to the after party antics. However, it was made absolutely clear that until you have participated in a "down-down" you are still a virgin. So much for my theory.
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Since fabric is so reasonably priced here, we decided to recover the cushions in the cockpit, along with some toss cushions. We were pretty pleased with how our sewing machine performed and with the results. We also added more foam to the cushions to make the seats more comfortable.
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The wildlife trust is into conservation and protecting nature.
It is well worth a visit for anyone in the area.
The driver we hired from San Fernando to take us to Point A Pierre actually stayed with us and went on the tour as well. It is not the most accessible place to visit but with a little perseverance it is quite feasible.
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The red ibis is Trinidad's national bird and is scarlet red. There is another tour where you cruise along a river at the Caroni Swamp around dusk when the red ibis are returning to rest for the night. We haven't been on the tour but apparently the sky is red with the ibis as they flock in together and it is quite spectacular.
Unfortunately the fence didn't do justice to this photo.
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When they said "wildlife reserve" they really meant it. Although it doesn't show in this photo, this croc is behind a fence. He seemed quite interested in us as we walked past.
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There was a large pond where birds were roosting and others fishing. We caught a glimpse of an osprey flying through which is quite unusual to see here. We also saw a nest with a couple of eggs in it that the staff were keeping an eye on.
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My greatest fear is my camera will quit functioning and I'll miss capturing some of these memories. The saltwater environment is so hard on everything and my camera does act up periodically telling me to change the battery when it has just been recharged. However, I pop it out for a second and push it back in and it usually goes again for awhile.
We protect our camera from saltwater by carrying it in a ziploc bag but there's only so much you can do.
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Enjoying the scenery...
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Leaving Pitch Lake we caught another maxi taxi to San Fernando. It was lunch time so we stopped at a roti shop and ordered their special, you guessed it, roti. Unfortunately it was mediocre at best but filled the hunger pangs and gave us energy for the next adventure planned that day. I seem to be the one who researches the sights in our guidebook and organize these outings. With one exception, they have worked out fine but I'm always a little concerned that the adventure might bomb. Fortunately I warn everybody in advance and let them know that things do not always turn out the way we expected.
So, since we were in the area, we decided to make a trip to another wildlife reserve which is a non-profit foundation, called Point a Pierre. It is on the edge of a large oil refinery so when you break into the pristine lushness of the wildlife reserve it is very refreshing.
According to our cruising guide, very few cruisers go to San Fernando and they are missing a treat. Again, we were met by a guide who walked us through the grounds imparting her knowledge. It was wonderful.
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Even though it is mined, it continually regenerates itself so the supply is always available. Our guide pulled off the top layer that looks like elephant skin.
Our guide told us this was the 8th Wonder of the World.
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Using a stick, our guide could easily dig into the bitumen and draw up a long string of it. It almost looks like taffy.
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We removed our shoes and walked on the lake and it was extremely hot, almost burning our feet. There were areas where a crevace had formed and we had to jump over it. Other places we just enjoyed cooling our feet in the water where it wasn't too deep.
I thought this was a good photo of Kathy making a big leap.
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On another excursion 6 of us from TTSA caught an air-conditioned bus to San Fernando (about 1 1/2 hours from Port of Spain). The cost of the bus was about $5. From there we located the maxi taxis that go to Pitch Lake. Pitch Lake is a bitumen lake that is unique in the world. We met our guide at the gate, named Beverly, who took us on a tour.
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These uninvited guests are scrounging for food dropped by the birds.
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This tree is called Powder Puff. That's one I did remember.
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For those bird enthusiasts out there.
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Unique trees at Asa Wright.
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It's amazing to see the numerous varieties of birds at these feeders.
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