We left the ASA Wright Bird Sanctuary at around 1:30 PM and headed down the steep road which had numerous unbarred cliffs on the side and a few areas that were being repaired from flood damage. It was a bit unnerving when we had to drive through an area where barely one car fit and the road was being rebuilt toward the cliff on the right! This topped having to drive on the left-hand side which was Maria's first time ever. We were glad to be back on the highway heading all the way to the east part of Trinidad before turning around the upper right-hand corner of the island toward the north beaches. This was the only highway to reach The Grande Riviere Bay.

After 1 � hour drive we found ourselves hungry and trying to find bathroom facilities at Salybia Bay, a local beach where many locals were gathering for swimming and socializing. However the bathroom facilities had been closed to the public and restaurants were no where to be found. A local man who said he was a cab driver told us that it will take us an additional 3-4 hours to get to Grande Riviere and that we would not find restaurants along the way. We were dismayed! After missing seeing Tobago we did not really want to miss seeing the Turtles, a world known attraction to Trinidad. As our faces looked long and grim, an Indian-looking man asked us if we needed help. We were about to decline when he said that we looked like we were "in trouble" and he wanted to help. Well, it was good he insisted and we gave it. It turned out that he was headed for the Grande Riviere with his family and guests from England and he said it was only 1 to 1 � hours away. But he did suggest we should consider staying there for the night as traveling back in the middle of the night (our initial intention) would be difficult. He called the hotel where he was staying and arranged for a room for 4 - 2 rooms separated by a curtain, but for the whapping fee of $16 US per person. Not only that, but he insisted that we accept food that his wife had prepared (Pilao) as he had a whole pot left over after all of his family and guests had eaten. We felt that we had found Santa Clause in Trinidad.

The hotel was about 2 blocks from the beach, simple but very clean and with fans/AC per one's choosing. After we ate a great dinner of fish, vegetables and rice at our hotel, we headed for the beach to meet our guide at 8:30 PM. Our guide took us to the beach immediately which is closed to the public from 6PM to 6AM. There were 3 turtles already on the beach, one laying her eggs and the other two searching for a spot. For the next 5 hours we were in awe, going from turtle to turtle, watching them search for a place to nest, start and abandon a nest and a few going back to sea, but most patiently laying their eggs and covering them with such delicate and slow movements so as to not hurt them with their large back flippers.
At around 11 PM we moved to the western side of the beach which was darker, and found ourselves amid 24 turtles, some literally on top of each other. We were told that in May one can find about 400 turtles nesting here - it must be quite a sight.
Luckily for Sigrid and Maria who decided to fight sleep and stay up longer, a Wildlife Manager who had a team of people counting, examining, measuring and tagging the turtles, invited us to join them in his activities. We were delighted and proceeded to learn how tagging and counting was done. This process is done immediately after a turtle starts laying eggs as they go into a "trance" and do not move - in fact they look almost dead. We were also allowed to tag one turtle, quite an experience. Trinidad has just moved to a new tagging system using a microchip which is injected near the neck of the turtle. But they are also using the old system which is two metal brackets that are clamped (ouch!) on the thin layer of skin of the turtles' back flippers. When Maria clamped her bracket with the supervisor's help the turtle "cringed" and was obviously bothered by the clamping.

We all agreed that this is one of the most amazing wildlife experiences we have had. In fact, for us in Kikuyu, it is in Trinidad that we have seen the most sea life, starting with the school of Dolphins that swam around our boat when we sailed into Trinidad. Coming to see the turtles is certainly something we would recommend for anyone who enjoys nature or would like to see a display of these gentle and amazingly large sea animals, weighing 1,500 to 3,000 lbs, and measuring 5-6 feet and as much as 9 feet.

The town of Grande Riviere is small and fairly undeveloped, with just a couple of hotels on the beach and the one hotel back 2 blocks where we stayed. However, on our way back we found a gorgeous beach (Big Bay), just about 20 minutes from Grande Riviere with a brand new beautiful hotel overlooking the ocean. We were told by the hotel's owners that one can freely watch the turtles come up and nest on this bay but only a few turtles make it here.

If you are interested in coming to Trinidad to see the turtles, you can design your own tour by making reservations at one of the hotels and also making a reservation with a guide. Feel free to email Maria should you want to find contact information.